The 180-day rule has endedExpired. ERSRI: 'A temporary update to R.I.G.L. 16-16-24.3 expired on June 26, 2026' (signed June 26, 2025). The 90-day limit applies again. The 2024 version (§ 16-16-24.2, eff. June 21, 2024) sunset June 20, 2025. ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12) (chart note and FAQ 'temporary update to R.I.G.L. 16-16-24.3'); Treasurer's Article 12 guide (July 1, 2024), pp. 15-16 (§ 16-16-24.2); R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-16-24.3
| Where you work | Limit |
|---|---|
| Rhode Island public school (substitute or vacancy) | 90 full days or 180 half days (3 hours or less) a school year (Aug. 1 - July 31)Handbook, p. 38, Post-Retirement Employment (A Rhode Island public school; notes 60-61); ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12) (chart; FAQ 'Can I work for a Rhode Island public school?'; 'school year'; 'half day'); R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-16-24 |
| State college or university (part-time teaching, advising, coaching) | $25,000 gross a calendar yearTreasurer's Article 12 guide (July 1, 2024), p. 17 ('increased from eighteen thousand dollars ($18,000) twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000)'); ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12) (chart); R.I. Gen. Laws § 36-10-36(d)(2) |
| Driver education | $15,000 gross a calendar yearHandbook, p. 39, drivers' education; ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12); R.I. Gen. Laws § 36-10-36(d)(3) |
| City or town in MERS | 75 full days or 150 half days a calendar yearHandbook, p. 38, A municipality in MERS, notes 57-58; ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12); R.I. Gen. Laws § 36-10-36(b) |
| Other State of Rhode Island job | Pension suspended until the job endsHandbook, p. 38, Post-Retirement Employment, note 56; ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12) (chart: State of Rhode Island); R.I. Gen. Laws § 36-10-36(a) |
| Private, federal, out-of-state, or a town not in MERS | No limitHandbook, p. 38, Post-Retirement Employment (first paragraph); ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12) (chart) |
Part-time jobs count as days
A part-time job counts as its share of a 180-day school year. A 2/5 job is 72 days, so you can't work more than half time. Handbook, p. 38, note 60 ('a 2/5 position is equal to 72 full working days (2/5 x 180 = 72)')
Working after retirement doesn't add to your pension, so plan your date first with when can I retire? and one more year. Your health coverage is separate; see retiree health.
Before you start
- There must be a clear break: post-retirement work can start no earlier than 45 calendar days after retirement (since Oct. 1, 2016) and can't be pre-arranged. The wait is waived if you already held the second, part-time job before retiring. Handbook, p. 39, Other Restrictions; ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12) (FAQ: 'Is there a waiting period before I can go back to work?'; 'What if I am employed in the 2nd position before my retirement?')
- You can't mix employment types in a calendar year (for example 90 days of substitute teaching plus a course at CCRI). Handbook, p. 39, Other Restrictions; ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12) (Other Restrictions)
- No contributions are taken and no service credit is earned for post-retirement work under these sections. Handbook, p. 39, Other Restrictions ('No additional pension credits can be earned'); ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12) (FAQ)
- You and your employer must report your work to ERSRI monthly; check in the member portal (Pension Profile tool) that your days or dollars were reported. Ask ERSRI in writing for a determination before accepting a position. Handbook, p. 39, Reporting Requirements; ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12) (Reporting Requirements; FAQ)
What our sources say
- A retired teacher can substitute or fill a vacant job in a Rhode Island public school (charter schools and mayoral academies count) for up to 90 full days or 180 half days (3 hours or less) a school year without losing the pension.Handbook, p. 38, A Rhode Island public school; ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12)
- The school year for counting runs Aug. 1 to July 31. A part-time job counts as its share of a 180-day year: a 2/5 job is 72 days, so you can't work more than half time.ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12); Handbook, p. 38, note 60
- To fill a vacancy, the district must certify a 'good faith' effort to hire someone who isn't retired. The letter expires each school year.Handbook, p. 38, note 61
- You must wait 45 calendar days after retiring before starting any of this work, and the job can't be pre-arranged.Handbook, p. 39, Other Restrictions; ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12)
- A temporary law let districts with staffing needs hire retired teachers past 90 days. ERSRI says it expired on June 26, 2026; the 90-day limit applies.ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12)
- Part-time teaching, advising or coaching at a state college or university: up to $25,000 gross a calendar year. Driver education: $15,000. The 2020 handbook's $18,000 is out of date.Treasurer's Article 12 guide (July 1, 2024), p. 17; ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12)
- You can't mix types of post-retirement work in one calendar year, and working through a company or as a consultant counts the same as being hired directly.Handbook, p. 39, Other Restrictions
- Working for the State of Rhode Island in any other role suspends your pension until the job ends. Private, federal, out-of-state and non-MERS town jobs have no limits.ERSRI Working After Retirement page (saved 2026-11-12); Handbook, p. 38
- You don't pay contributions or earn more service for post-retirement work. You and your employer report your days to ERSRI every month.Handbook, p. 39, Reporting Requirements
Questions
Can a retired Rhode Island teacher substitute?
Yes: up to 90 full days or 180 half days a school year in a Rhode Island public school, after a 45-day break, without losing your pension.
Is the 180-day rule still in effect?
No. ERSRI says the temporary law that let districts with staffing needs hire retired teachers past 90 days expired on June 26, 2026. The 90-day limit applies.
How long do I have to wait before going back?
45 calendar days after you retire, and the job can't be arranged before you retire.
Source: ERSRI Membership and Retirement Handbook, 10th edition, June 2020 (with the 2024 Article 12 changes from the Treasurer's guide, July 1, 2024), pp. 38, 39. Also: ERSRI's Working After Retirement page (saved Nov. 12, 2026); Rhode Island General Laws; Treasurer's guide to the 2024 pension changes (Article 12), July 1, 2024. Last reviewed .