Working after NHRS retirement: the hours limit

The rules

Retirees may work for a non-NHRS employer and collect a pension. They may not hold a full-time NHRS-covered position and collect; returning to a full-time position requiring membership restores them to service and stops the pension. Part-time work for NHRS-participating employers is limited to 1,352 hours per calendar year (1,664 for retirees grandfathered in a position they held on Jan. 1, 2019). Exceeding the limit forfeits the state annuity portion of the pension and any allocable COLAs for 12 months, starting as soon as feasible in the next calendar year. New retirees must wait 28 days from their effective date of retirement before any part-time work for a participating employer. Hours for multiple participating employers are combined. Group I Summaries (Rev. 10/2024), PDF p. 2, Working after Retirement; NHRS Part-time Employment FAQ (Sept. 2026), PDF pp. 1-3; RSA 100-A:1, XXXIV; RSA 100-A:7

On average, the state annuity portion provides about half of a pension benefit, although it can be more or less for specific individuals. NHRS page 'FAQ-Part-Time Employment', Section IV, Question 6

The 28-day wait

Retire on July 1, 2027, and on our reading the first day you can work part-time for an NHRS employer is July 29, 2027.

Our engine's quick check, on a July 1, 2027 retirement (not an NHRS example):

Hours aren't the only test

A retiree who contracts to work 35 hours a week for the entire 36-week school year works 1,260 hours, under 1,352, but is restored to service because the job is regular full-time employment for the school year. NHRS page 'FAQ-Part-Time Employment', Section I, Question 9

A full-time NHRS-covered job, whatever the hours, puts you back in active membership and stops your pension. A retiree who returns to active service keeps only the benefits applicable to the initial retirement and the AFC calculation. RSA 100-A:7-c (2025, 142:39, eff. July 1, 2025)

If you retire early

A member who hasn't attained normal retirement age may not apply for an early retirement with a prearrangement, written or oral, to return to work for any NHRS-participating employer (Internal Revenue Code). NHRS page 'Early Service Retirement', Prearrangement prohibited See early retirement.

• You can work full time for an employer outside NHRS and keep your pension. You can't hold a full-time NHRS-covered job and collect: that restores you to active membership and stops the pension.Group I Summaries (Rev. 10/2024), PDF p. 2; RSA 100-A:7, I
• Part-time work for NHRS employers is limited to 1,352 hours a calendar year (all NHRS employers combined). Go over and you lose the state annuity part of your pension, and any COLAs on it, for 12 months. NHRS says that part averages about half the pension.NHRS Part-time Employment FAQ (Sept. 2026); NHRS page 'FAQ-Part-Time Employment', Sections I and IV; RSA 100-A:1, XXXIV; RSA 100-A:7, II
• New retirees must wait 28 days after their retirement date before any part-time work for an NHRS employer, even a part-time job they already had. NHRS can't waive this.NHRS page 'Working After Retirement'; NHRS page 'FAQ-Part-Time Employment', Section IV, Question 7
• Hours aren't the only test: a retiree hired to teach 35 hours a week for the whole 36-week school year (1,260 hours) is restored to service because that's a full-time job.NHRS page 'FAQ-Part-Time Employment', Section I, Question 9
• Retirees already working part-time on Jan. 1, 2019 can work up to 1,664 hours a year as long as they stay in that same position.NHRS page 'FAQ-Part-Time Employment', Section III

Going over the limit also costs any COLAs on the state annuity: see COLA. Ask your district about health coverage before you go back. Estimate your pension in the calculator.

Questions