The rules
- There must be a one-day break (a normal workday) between your last day as an active member and your first day as a reemployed retiree: the last workday of the month before retirement or the first workday of the retirement month. Employment After Retirement, pp. 2-3; Plans of Payment, pp. 2-5
- With more than one public employer, you can retire from the highest-paying one and keep the lower-paying ones with no wait, if you worked and were paid there in each of the 12 months before and in the month of retirement. Employment After Retirement, pp. 2-3
- Forfeited amounts are figured on your Single Life Annuity before any survivor or PLOP reduction. Employment After Retirement, pp. 2-3
- The reemployed retiree benefit: before 65, your contributions and interest as a lump sum; at 65 or later, contributions and interest plus a match (100% for contributions before July 1, 2005, 50% for July 2005-June 2013, none after), as a lump sum or a monthly annuity of at least $25. Interest has been 4.0% since July 1, 2012. You must stop working first. Employment After Retirement, pp. 4-5
- Employed retirees not on Medicare get only secondary coverage from STRS Ohio's Aetna Basic Plan if their employer offers them health coverage, or offers it to similarly situated employees. Cost doesn't matter. Employment After Retirement, pp. 6-9
If you're not eligible for Medicare, a job that offers health benefits can limit your STRS Ohio medical coverage to secondary coverage Employment After Retirement, pp. 6-7; see retiree health care. Your pension keeps coming after the wait, and the new contributions build a separate benefit rather than raising your pension, so a year worked before retiring counts differently. To see the pension you'd be working alongside, use the STRS Ohio calculator.
Interest on reemployed retiree contributions
- Through 1982-06-30: 6.5%
- 1982-06-30 to 1994-06-30: 7.75%
- 1994-06-30 to 1999-06-30: 6%
- 1999-06-30 to 2012-06-30: 5%
- After 2012-06-30: 4%
What the brochures say
- If you retire from your only Ohio public employer, you must wait two months to return to Ohio public work. Working in those months forfeits that month's benefit, figured on the Single Life Annuity.Employment After Retirement, pp. 2-3
- There must be a one-day break (a normal workday) between your last day as an active member and your first day as a reemployed retiree.Employment After Retirement, pp. 2-3
- With more than one public employer you can retire from the highest-paying job and keep the others with no wait, if you worked and were paid there in each of the 12 months before retirement and in the month you retire.Employment After Retirement, pp. 2-3
- Reemployed retirees and their employers pay contributions again. Before 65 you get your contributions and interest back as a lump sum; at 65 or later you can add a match (100% for contributions before July 2005, 50% for July 2005 - June 2013, none after) and take it as a lump sum or monthly annuity.Employment After Retirement, pp. 4-5
- If you're not on Medicare and your job offers health coverage, STRS Ohio's plan is only secondary coverage while you work there.Employment After Retirement, pp. 6-9
Questions
How long do I have to wait to work again after retiring from STRS Ohio?
Two months after your retirement date if you retire from your only Ohio public employer. Working in those months forfeits that month's benefit.
Do I keep getting my pension while I work?
Yes, after the waiting period. You and your employer pay contributions again, which fund a separate benefit when you stop working.
Source: STRS Ohio, Understanding Your STRS Ohio Benefits: Plan Summary, 2026|2027 (form 20-101, Aug. 2026), pp. 18-21. Also: STRS Ohio Employment After Retirement (all plans), 2026|2027 (form 15-131, 6/26), pp. 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 6-9. Also: STRS Ohio Service Retirement and Plans of Payment (Defined Benefit Plan), 2026|2027 (form 15-126, 6/26), pp. 2-5. Last reviewed .