The 30-day wait
After 30 days of retirement you can be hired by a covered employer. Returning sooner than 30 consecutive calendar days suspends the benefit while you remain employed. SCRS Handbook FY2027, p. 23, Returning to covered employment
Working retirees contribute 9% like active members but earn no service credit and no interest. SCRS Handbook FY2027, p. 23, Working retired member contribution rate
The $10,000 earnings limit
If you retire before 62 and return to covered employment, your benefit is paid until you earn $10,000 in a calendar year from covered employment; then it stops for the rest of the year and resets the next January (or on termination). The limit applies regardless of your age when you return. SCRS Handbook FY2027, p. 24, From covered employment: service retiree; S.C. Code 9-1-1790(A)
Our engine agrees: 3 working months paid ($6,249.99), then stopped from December. How the Earnings Limitation Works, PDF p. 2, Example
Once your covered earnings pass $10,000 in a calendar year, your benefit stops for the rest of the year. Exactly which month it stops in follows PEBA's flyer example.
We pay your benefit for each working month that starts before you've earned $10,000 that year, which matches PEBA's example.
How the Earnings Limitation Works, PDF p. 2, Example; S.C. Code 9-1-1790(A)(1)Who is exempt
By state law
- Retired before January 2, 2013 (any age)
- Age 62 or older on the retirement date
- Certified teacher in a critical academic or geographic need area approved by the S.C. Department of Education, or in a school/district rated below average or unsatisfactory
- Elected officials; Governor's appointees confirmed by the Senate; appointment or election by the General Assembly
In the state budget (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027)
- At least 12 consecutive months after retirement with no work for any covered employer in any capacity (certify on Form 7218)
- Hired by a public school district as a school bus driver (Form 7219)
Budget-proviso exemptions must be renewed in each year's budget. SCRS Handbook FY2027, p. 25, Exemptions in the annual state budget (FY2027 budget, July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027)
$50,000 for some K-12 returns
Act 102 of 2021: $50,000 limit for SCRS members who retired on or before April 1, 2019 and return to covered K-12 public education employment, for up to 36 consecutive months. Other covered employment stays under the $10,000 limit. The cutoff is a retirement date on or before April 1, 2019. SCRS Handbook FY2027, p. 25, $50,000 earnings limitation for some retired SCRS members
Becoming active again
After 48 continuous months of covered employment at annual pay of at least 75% of the AFC used for your benefit, you can end the benefit and become an active member again; you may repay benefits to get service credit for that period; your new benefit is calculated as a first retirement. SCRS Handbook FY2027, p. 23, Working 48 continuous months Still deciding when to stop? See what one more year adds.
Back in an insurance-eligible job? Your health coverage can change; see retiree health.
Jobs outside PEBA
Employment outside the PEBA-administered systems does not affect a service retirement benefit. Bona fide independent contractors are not counted. How Returning to Work Will Impact Your Retirement Benefits, PDF pp. 1-2
TERI is closed, and there's no DROP
No DROP is open. The former TERI program closed effective June 30, 2018. The handbook now calls it "the former TERI program". Past Pension Reform Legislation, PDF p. 1, Act 278; SCRS Handbook FY2027, p. 23, Working 48 continuous months (former TERI program)
From the sources
- SCRS has no DROP. The old TERI program closed June 30, 2018.Past Pension Reform Legislation, PDF p. 1
- You must have a clean break to retire. If you go back to a covered employer within 30 days, your benefit stops while you work there.SCRS Handbook FY2027, p. 23, Returning to covered employment
- If you retired before 62 (on or after January 2, 2013), your benefit stops for the rest of the calendar year once you earn $10,000 from covered work. That's true however old you are when you go back. It restarts in January.SCRS Handbook FY2027, p. 24, Earnings limitation
- Exemptions: retired at 62 or older, retired before January 2, 2013, or a certified teacher approved by the Department of Education for a critical-need area. The 2026-27 budget adds a 12-month total break from covered work and school bus drivers.SCRS Handbook FY2027, pp. 24-25, Exemptions
- If you retired on or before April 1, 2019 and go back to work in K-12 public schools, your limit is $50,000, for up to 36 consecutive months.SCRS Handbook FY2027, p. 25, $50,000 earnings limitation
- Working retirees pay the 9% contribution but earn no new service and no interest.SCRS Handbook FY2027, p. 23, Working retired member contribution rate
Questions
Can I go back to teaching after I retire?
Yes, after 30 days. If you retired before 62, your pension stops for the rest of the year once you earn $10,000 in covered work, unless an exemption applies.
Does the limit apply if I retired at 62 or older?
No. Members who were 62 or older on their retirement date are exempt.
Is there still a TERI or DROP program?
No. No DROP is open. The former TERI program closed effective June 30, 2018.
Related: how South Carolina taxes your pension, in taxes on an SCRS pension.
Source: South Carolina Retirement System Member Handbook, Fiscal year 2027 (SCPEBA 082026, expires June 30, 2027), pp. 23, 24, 24-25, 25. Also: How the Earnings Limitation Works; How Returning to Work Will Impact Your Retirement Benefits; Past Pension Reform Legislation; S.C. Code 9-1-1790, 9-1-1795. Last reviewed .