Calamity Days

Overview

Inclement weather can affect your district’s school year calendar. If your district is required to or chooses to make up calamity days by extending teacher workdays into June, educators retiring in June may be affected.

For example, if your last day of school is scheduled on May 29, but the district incurred six calamity days, it is likely that school will be in session on June 1. Members planning on retiring effective June 1 have several options in this situation:

  1. The member can work in June and retire effective July 1; or
  2. The member can choose not to work in June, give up salary payments and contributions to STRS Ohio for the days not worked and still retire effective June 1; or
  3. The member can choose not to work in June and give up salary payments for the days not worked, but remit contributions to STRS Ohio for those days by purchasing calamity days.

According to Administrative Code Rule 3307:1-3-06, members can purchase calamity days by remitting member contributions on the salary they would have earned had they worked those days.

Process

There are two options for purchasing calamity days:

Option 1: Purchase through remaining payrolls

  1. Employer calculates the member contributions due, increases the contribution deduction and reports and remits these contributions on any fiscal year payroll report submitted before the member’s retirement effective date.
  2. Include the contributions on payroll reports, deposit and service reports and the annual report.
  3. Employer contributions should accompany member contributions.

Option 2: Purchase with lump-sum payment

  1. Employer calculates the member contributions due and receives contributions directly from the member in one check made payable to STRS Ohio.
  2. Employer composes a letter explaining the payment. Include the member’s name, last four digits of their Social Security number and a calculation of the member contributions. The letter and check should be mailed to STRS Ohio, 275 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43215.
  3. Employers will be invoiced for employer contribution amounts.

Employers are responsible for remitting the corresponding employer contributions when members purchase calamity days. All contributions remitted through employer payroll to STRS Ohio for calamity day purchases must also be included in the deposit and service report totals and the annual report totals.