Purchasable service: employer enrollment oversight, previously withdrawn service (6 months or more), military service (up to 3 years free after joining if returning within a year; up to 3 years of prior military service with 10 years of creditable service), modifications, non-permanent employment (6+ months), Peace Corps/AmeriCorps and workers' compensation (up to one year at no cost). Most purchases cost the full actuarial cost and must be paid while contributing, before retirement. Purchases count in Creditable Service, not AFC. Prior military service can't count toward eligibility for Service or Early Retirement or the Medical Subsidy; most purchases made on or after Aug. 11, 2003 can't count toward Medical Subsidy eligibility. NHRS Service Credit brochure (Rev. 7/2022), PDF pp. 1-2; NHRS page 'Service Credit'; RSA 100-A:4
What a bought year is worth
Bought service counts as Creditable Service in the formula, so each year adds 1/60 of your AFC to your yearly pension: $1,000 on a $60,000 AFC, or $909 after the 1/66 recalculation at full Social Security age. NHRS pages 'Service Retirement: Group I Tier A & B' and 'Group I Tier C'; Group I Summaries (Rev. 10/2024), PDF p. 1, Service Retirement; RSA 100-A:5, I(b) It doesn't change your AFC, and some kinds don't count toward the age-and-service rules for retiring. NHRS quotes the cost; we can't estimate it.
The details by type
- You may be able to buy service for: previously withdrawn service, military service, periods your employer wrongly didn't enroll you, non-permanent work before enrollment, modifications, and Peace Corps or AmeriCorps. Up to one year of workers' compensation time is credited free.NHRS Service Credit brochure (Rev. 7/2022), PDF pp. 1-2
- Most purchases cost the full actuarial cost, need an NHRS cost calculation, and must be paid while you're contributing, before retirement. Purchased service raises your service, not your AFC.NHRS Service Credit brochure (Rev. 7/2022), PDF p. 2
- Military service from before you joined NHRS (up to 3 years, with 10 years of service) doesn't count toward eligibility for service or early retirement.NHRS Service Credit brochure (Rev. 7/2022), PDF pp. 1-2
Before you buy
- Ask NHRS for a cost calculation, and compare it with the extra pension over the years you expect to collect it.
- Check whether the purchase counts toward eligibility (it may not move your retirement date) or only toward the amount.
- Pay before you retire: most purchases must be finished while you're still contributing.
NHRS's Service Credit brochure is short and these are the main rules it gives. Ask NHRS for the details of your case.
See also what one more year of work adds, buying back a refund, and why purchases don't help with the Medical Subsidy. Try your total service in the calculator.
Questions
What service can I buy from NHRS?
Previously withdrawn service (six months or more), military service, periods your employer should have enrolled you, non-permanent work, modifications, and Peace Corps or AmeriCorps. Up to one year of workers' compensation time is credited at no cost.
How much does buying NHRS service cost?
Most purchases cost the full actuarial cost, which NHRS calculates for you. You must pay while you're contributing, before you retire.
What does a bought year add?
One year of Creditable Service adds 1/60 of your AFC a year ($1,000 on a $60,000 AFC) before full Social Security age. It doesn't raise your AFC.
Source: NHRS Group I (Employee and Teacher) Member Benefits summaries, Tiers A, B and C, Rev. 10/2024, PDF p. 1. Also: NHRS Service Credit brochure (Rev. 7/2022); NHRS member web pages (saved Nov. 12, 2026); RSA 100-A:4, 100-A:5. Last reviewed .