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Going back to work after TRS of Texas: the rules that protect your check

Many retirees sub, tutor or go back full time. You can, but break the rules and you can lose monthly checks, or even your retirement. Here's what the TRS handbook says.

  • 1 mo.break in service every retiree must take (p. 41)
  • 92 hrsa month, the half-time limit (p. 42)
  • 20 daysas a sub in a vacant position (p. 42)
  • 12 mo.with no TRS-covered work, then full time is OK (p. 42)
Retired on or before Jan. 1, 2021

Service retirees are not subject to the EAR limits. After the one-month break, you can work up to full time and keep your annuity (Handbook p. 42).

Retired after Jan. 1, 2021

You can lose your annuity for any month you work for a TRS-covered employer outside an exception: substitute, half time or less, tutoring, or full time after a 12-month break (p. 42).

Disability retirees

The same exceptions, but 90 days a school year at most, no 12-month exception and no warnings before you lose a check (pp. 42-43).

Can I take this job?

Answer five questions. You'll get the handbook rule that fits and the page it's on. This is a guide, not a ruling: TRS decides, so confirm with TRS before you accept a job.

What kind of TRS retiree are you?
When was (or is) your retirement date?
How long has it been since your retirement date?

"TRS-covered work" means any job with a Texas public school or other TRS-covered employer, substitute days included.

Did you retire at normal age or early age?

This changes what you may negotiate during your break.

What kind of job is it?

    The timeline for a service retiree

    For a service retirement date after Jan. 1, 2021. "TRS-covered work" means any job with a TRS-covered employer, like a Texas public school.

    1. Month 1 after your retirement dateNo TRS-covered work at all.

      Working for a TRS-covered employer in the month right after your retirement date revokes your retirement. You'd pay back your annuity, any PLSO and any TRS-Care payments, then have to retire again (p. 41). TRS's presentation adds: not even work that fits an exception (slide 45).

    2. After thatExceptions only.

      Substitute work, half time or less (up to 92 hours a month), or a §33.913 tutoring job. Go outside these and you can lose your annuity for the month (p. 42).

    3. After 12 full calendar months in a row with no TRS-covered workFull time, without restriction.

      The 12 months can come at any time in retirement, but you can't work for a TRS-covered employer in any capacity during them, not even as a sub (p. 42).

    Example: a May 31 retirement dateJune is the month right after your retirement date, so June is your break. If your contract made you work into June to finish the school year (no later than June 15), you can still use a May 31 date, but you can't return to Texas public education until Aug. 1 (p. 41). You must file your retirement application by July 31 (p. 41).

    The exceptions, side by side

    Substitute work

    No limit, unless the position is vacant. Up to 20 days in a vacant position.

    Service ✓Disability ✓ 90 days/yr

    Handbook p. 42

    One-half time or less

    One or more jobs, but no more than 92 hours a month in all of them combined.

    Service ✓Disability ✓ 90 days/yr

    Handbook p. 42

    Tutor under Education Code §33.913

    Up to full time, in a tutoring job that meets that section of state law. Combining it with other work can take that away.

    Service ✓Disability ✓ 90 days/yr

    Handbook p. 42

    Full time after a 12-month break

    After 12 full calendar months in a row with no TRS-covered work of any kind, you can work up to full time.

    Service ✓Disability ✗

    Handbook p. 42

    Mixing jobs in one monthCombining exceptions can change the limit. Sub work plus a half-time job means 11 days a month in total for both (p. 43). The 92-hour half-time limit counts all your jobs together (p. 42). If you'll mix jobs, TRS suggests its Employment After Retirement brochure or a call (p. 43).

    If you go over: three strikes

    For service retirees. Each strike starts with a notice from TRS (Handbook p. 43).

    1. 1
      First notice

      A warning. You don't lose any annuity.

    2. 2
      Second notice

      You owe TRS the lesser of what you earned or your annuity, for those months.

    3. 3
      Any month after that

      You lose your whole annuity for every month you go over, from then on.

    Our illustration, not TRS'sSay you get a second notice for a month when you earned $3,000 and your annuity is $2,400. You'd owe TRS the smaller amount: $2,400. If you'd earned $1,500, you'd owe $1,500 (rule from p. 43).

    TRS's presentation says strike three is "applied once in retirement" (slide 47). Disability retirees don't get three strikes: they lose the annuity for any month they work outside an exception (p. 43).

    Surcharges: what your employer may owe

    If you retired on or after Sept. 1, 2005 and work more than half time in a month, your employer usually owes TRS extra money, called surcharges (Handbook p. 43). There are two:

    The employer owes them, but it may ask you to share the cost as a condition of the job. That deal is between you and the employer. TRS doesn't review or approve it (p. 43). Ask about it before you sign.

    Needs validationTRS's FY27 presentation slide on surcharges shows the figures 16.50% and $535 next to the words "Pension Surcharge" and "TRS-Care Surcharge" (slide 48). The text we have doesn't clearly say which number goes with which, or what period $535 covers, and the handbook doesn't list them. Ask TRS or your employer for current amounts.

    Disability retirees

    Contract, volunteer and company work

    Getting paid as a contractor doesn't always get you around the rules.

    Before you retire: don't line up the wrong job

    To retire, you must resign and end all work with every TRS-covered employer, part-time work included (p. 41).

    Not sure which you are? See the Rule of 80 and which tier am I? pages. For picking a date, see when to retire.

    Reporting: who tells TRS?

    The handbook says TRS sends notices when a retiree goes over the limits (p. 43), and it mentions a reporting requirement for some disability retirees (p. 53). It doesn't spell out what you or your employer must report each month.

    Needs validationWe couldn't confirm the monthly reporting steps for working retirees or their employers from the handbook. The handbook points to TRS's Employment After Retirement brochure for details, which you can find on the TRS website or get by calling TRS (p. 43). Ask your employer how it reports your work, and keep your own record of days and hours each month.
    Check before you decideThis page explains TRS's published rules in plain English. It isn't official and it isn't legal or financial advice. TRS decides whether a job fits an exception. Before you take a job, confirm with TRS.

    Questions

    Can a TRS retiree go back to work?

    Yes, but limits apply. Every retiree must first take a one full calendar-month break from TRS-covered work. After that, service retirees with a retirement date on or before Jan. 1, 2021 can work up to full time. Later retirees can substitute, work half time or less (up to 92 hours a month), tutor under Education Code §33.913, or work full time after a 12-month break. TRS decides each case.

    How long do I have to wait before working for a Texas school again?

    At least one full calendar month after your retirement date. Working for a TRS-covered employer in the month right after your retirement date revokes your retirement, and you would have to pay back annuity, PLSO and TRS-Care payments. If you retired May 31 but worked into June, you can't return until Aug. 1.

    Can I substitute teach after retiring from TRS?

    Yes, after the one-month break. There's no limit on substitute work unless the position is vacant; in a vacant position the limit is 20 days. If you combine substitute work with a half-time job, the total is 11 days a month.

    What happens if I go over the TRS employment limits?

    For service retirees, the first notice from TRS is a warning. After the second notice you owe TRS the lesser of what you earned or your annuity for those months. After that, you lose your annuity for each month you go over. Disability retirees get no warnings: they lose the annuity for any month over the limits.

    Does my school have to pay TRS a surcharge if I come back?

    If you retired on or after Sept. 1, 2005 and work more than half time in a month, your employer usually owes TRS a pension surcharge and, if you're on TRS-Care, a health care surcharge. The employer may ask you to share the cost. TRS doesn't review those agreements.

    Does turning 65 change the rules for working after retirement?

    The handbook's EAR section doesn't set different work limits by age. What matters is your retirement date, whether you're a service or disability retiree, and the job. Before you retire, early-age (reduced) and normal-age retirees do have different rules about job contracts and job talks.

    Do the work limits apply to TRS disability retirees?

    Yes, and they're stricter. Disability retirees can use the substitute, half-time and tutoring exceptions, but no more than 90 days in a school year. There's no 12-month-break exception and no three-strikes warning. A yearly pay limit can also apply to all jobs.

    Related: payment options, TRS-Care, taxes, glossary.

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    Working after retirement: same topic in other states

    Teacher pensions by state: the main rules side by side

    Source: TRS Benefits Handbook, September 2025, pp. 38, 41-43, 53. Return-to-work slides: TRS K-12 Ready to Retire presentation (FY27), slides 45-48. Last reviewed .