First 6 calendar months
No FRS work
This includes temporary work such as adjunct teaching, OPS, substitute teaching, election poll work, contractual services, and third-party companies serving FRS employers.
Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slide 37; DROP Guide (2026), p. 19From the next month
No limits
Beginning the 7th calendar month of retirement there are no limits on receiving your benefit while working for an FRS employer.
Handbook (2026), p. 59, Reemployment after Being Retired for 6 Calendar Months; Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), p. 8, Reemployment ConsiderationsOther employers
Any time
Any time after retirement you may work for a private employer or a public employer not in the FRS without affecting your benefits, as long as you provide no services to FRS employers.
Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), p. 8, Reemployment ConsiderationsThe termination requirement
To keep a retirement, you must end all employment with, and stop providing services to, all FRS employers for the first six calendar months of retirement (or after your DROP termination date). Any employment relationship with an FRS employer then may void the retirement, and you and the employer are jointly liable to repay all benefits, including DROP. There are no exceptions. Handbook (2026), p. 48, Termination Requirement; Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), p. 8, Termination Requirement
Our example: retire July 1, 2026, and the first day you can work for an FRS employer is January 1, 2027.
The handbook and SPD say you must stay away from all FRS employers for the first six calendar months of retirement, and from the 7th month there are no limits. The statute, read literally, layers rules: no FRS employment for 6 calendar months to count as terminated (F.S. 121.021(39)(a)2.), then no salary plus benefits for 6 calendar months after termination (121.091(9)(c)), and from July 1, 2024 no salary plus benefits for 6 calendar months after retirement (121.091(9)(d)).
We follow the handbook: six calendar months.
Handbook (2026), p. 48, p. 59; Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), p. 8; F.S. 121.021(39)(a)2.; F.S. 121.091(9)(c)-(d)
Volunteering
Since July 1, 2023, volunteer services in an employer's program under s. 121.091(15), F.S. do not count as employment. Handbook (2026), p. 48; DROP Guide (2026), p. 19
The DROP Guide says an employer's volunteer program lets retirees volunteer during the first six calendar months of retirement. F.S. 121.091(15) says the first 12 calendar months.
We follow the DROP Guide: volunteering in a qualifying program during the six-month termination period does not void your retirement.
DROP Guide (2026), p. 9, p. 19; F.S. 121.091(15)
No second pension
Pension Plan retirees initially reemployed on or after July 1, 2010 are not eligible for renewed membership: no new service credit toward a second benefit. Handbook (2026), p. 59, Renewing Membership after Retirement; Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), p. 8, Renewed Membership
After DROP
If you do not terminate at the end of DROP, your retirement application is voided and DROP is retroactively canceled; your employer pays to restore your service credit. The same limit on working for an FRS employer applies for the first 6 calendar months after DROP ends. Handbook (2026), p. 42, DROP FAQ 6; DROP Guide (2026), p. 19
Investment Plan retirees
An Investment Plan retiree may not work for an FRS employer until retired for six full calendar months after the month of the first distribution. Investment Plan SPD (2026), p. 49, Reemployment After Retirement
The facts
- For the first six calendar months of retirement you must not work for, or provide services to, any FRS employer, even as a substitute, adjunct or contractor. If you do, your retirement can be voided and you repay everything, including DROP.Handbook (2026), p. 48, Termination Requirement; Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slide 37
- From the 7th calendar month there are no limits on working for an FRS employer while getting your benefit.Handbook (2026), p. 59, Reemployment after Being Retired for 6 Calendar Months
- You can work for a private employer, or a public employer not in the FRS, any time without affecting your benefit.Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), p. 8, Reemployment Considerations
- A Pension Plan retiree rehired on or after July 1, 2010 does not earn new FRS service toward a second benefit.Handbook (2026), p. 59, Renewing Membership after Retirement
- Volunteering in an employer's qualifying volunteer program during the six months does not void your retirement.DROP Guide (2026), p. 19
- An Investment Plan retiree must wait six full calendar months after the month of the first distribution.Investment Plan SPD (2026), p. 49
Questions
Can I go back to work after retiring from the FRS?
Not for an FRS employer during your first 6 calendar months of retirement, in any role. Beginning the 7th calendar month of retirement there are no limits on receiving your benefit while working for an FRS employer.
Can I substitute teach during the first six months?
This includes temporary work such as adjunct teaching, OPS, substitute teaching, election poll work, contractual services, and third-party companies serving FRS employers.
Can I work somewhere else?
Any time after retirement you may work for a private employer or a public employer not in the FRS without affecting your benefits, as long as you provide no services to FRS employers.
Source: FRS Pension Plan Member Handbook, 2026 Edition, pp. 42, 48, 59. Also: Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), p. 8; Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slide 37; DROP Guide (2026), p. 19; Investment Plan SPD (2026), p. 49. Last reviewed .