Working After Retirement

Requirements for Return-to-work Retirees

Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS) rules regarding employment after retirement are complex. Return-to-work TRS retirees should take the required full calendar month break in service and not work beyond the maximum hours allowed by TRS to avoid a loss of TRS annuity payments or retirement benefits. Employees are responsible to monitor their work load each month to avoid forfeiting their TRS monthly annuity.

In compliance with TRS rules on employment after retirement for employees who retired after January 1, 2011, ACC reports all hours worked each month (not LEH). To calculate hours worked for adjunct faculty, ACC multiplies contact hours per course by two. For employees who teach and also work hourly, ACC combines the contact hours per course (x2) and the actual hours worked. In accordance with ACC rules, hourly employees who do not teach can work no more than 19 hours per week.  Additional restrictions apply to working retirees who substitute during any month in which they are doing other work for the college.

A TRS retiree who plans to return to work in Texas public education after retirement, should carefully review all requirements that apply to avoid revoking their eligibility for retirement or lose monthly annuity payments for work that exceeds the allowable limits. These employees should contact TRS directly with any questions or if they are unsure how re-employment with a TRS agency will affect their retirement or monthly annuity payments.

Special Note About Online and Hybrid Courses

If you are teaching an online class for students who will receive college credit for the class or a hybrid class that is part online and part classroom instruction, each hour of college or semester credit given for the class will count as two hours worked in a week.

For example, if you are teaching a 3-hour online class, then each hour of credit counts as 2 clock hours of time worked in a week. In this example, the 3 credit hours counts as working 6 hours in a week (3 semester hours x 2 clock hours = 6 clock hours each week). To determine the number of hours that you are considered to have worked each day, divide the 6 hours for the week by five workdays in a week. In this instance, the 3-hour online or hybrid class counts as working 1.2 hours each day (6 hours per week ÷ 5 workdays in a week = 1.2 hours per Monday through Friday). As long as you do not exceed the equivalent of 4 clock hours for each workday in that calendar month, you will not forfeit the annuity for that month.

TRS retirees should review the following information:

• Employment After Retirement (Fall/Spring Employment)
• TRS Employment After Retirement Publication
• ERS Return to Work Retiree Insurance Brochure

Please review the number of hours available for retiree work at one-half time or less.

Monthly TRS Limits on Employment After Retirement – FY 2020

You can find more information on the TRS Retirees page.