Short answer: after you retire, you must stay away from every WRS employer for at least 30 days, with no deal to come back. If you then take a vacant full-time job (86+ hours a month), you make a one-time choice described below. Before deciding, see retiree health, taxes and payment options. Estimate your pension.
First: a 30-day bona fide break
You must end your job with every employer in the plan, have no deal to come back, and take at least 30 days off after your retirement date. If WRS finds the break wasn't real, it cancels your retirement, re-enrolls you back to your retirement date, and takes the benefits already paid out of future checks. Handbook pp. 21-23, Returning to Work After Retirement; WRS Board Rules ch. 12, sec. 3(b)-(c), 4, 5 and 6
Rehired full time: choose once
If a WRS employer (or a contractor working for one) rehires you into a vacant full-time position in the same plan, you must tell WRS in writing which you choose. "Full-time" means a job that earns a full month of service credit: 86 or more hours a month. Your employer sends WRS the election form within 30 days. WRS Board Rules ch. 12, sec. 3(b)-(c), 4, 5 and 6; WRS Rehired Retiree Fact Sheet pp. 1-2, pp. 3-4
Keep your pension
Your pension keeps coming. You earn no new service, and your benefit doesn't grow. Your employer pays WRS both the member and the employer contribution rates on your pay, and may take some or all of it from your check.
W.S. 9-3-415(g), (h), (j)Stop your pension
You become a contributing member again and earn service. When you retire again, WRS combines both periods and adjusts for the checks you already got. It never pays you less than your first benefit, keeps your original option and beneficiary, pays nothing for the months you worked, and gives no refund of what you paid in.
WRS Board Rules ch. 12, sec. 3(b)-(c), 4, 5 and 6Part-time work
Our example: a retiree who works 60 hours a month for a WRS employer is not in a full-time job, so the two choices above don't apply, and the sources don't say what does.
The rules for going back to work cover full-time jobs. They don't say what happens with part-time work, so check with WRS before you take a part-time job with a WRS employer.
Why
The statute, Board rule and handbook apply the rehire election only to a vacant full-time position (a full month of service credit, 86+ hours). They do not say whether part-time work for a participating employer has any limit or effect on the benefit.
From the sources
- You must have a real break of at least 30 days after retiring, with no agreement to be rehired. Otherwise WRS cancels your retirement, re-enrolls you and takes back the benefits paid.Handbook pp. 21-22, Mandatory Requirement: A True Break in Service; WRS Board Rules ch. 12, sec. 4
- If a WRS employer hires you back into a vacant full-time job (86 or more hours a month), you choose once: keep your pension (you earn no new service and the employer pays WRS both contribution rates on your pay, possibly taking some from your check), or stop your pension and earn service again. If you stop it, your later benefit will never be lower than your first one.Handbook pp. 22-23, Your Two Irreversible Options; W.S. 9-3-415(g), (h); WRS Board Rules ch. 12, sec. 3(c), 5, 6(d)
- Check with WRSWRS has no dollar earnings limit for retirees. The rules cover full-time rehires. Check with WRS before taking a part-time job with a WRS employer.WRS Board Rules ch. 12, sec. 3(b)-(c); W.S. 9-3-415(g)
Questions
How long must I wait to go back?
At least 30 days after your retirement date, with no agreement, formal or informal, to be rehired.
Is there an earnings limit?
No dollar limit appears in WRS's sources. The rules are about full-time jobs.
What if I'm rehired full time?
You choose once, in writing: keep your pension and earn no new service, or stop your pension and earn service again.
What about part-time work?
The rules cover vacant full-time positions. They don't say what happens with part-time work. Check with WRS first.
Source: WRS Public Employee Pension Plan Handbook, Updated August 2026, pp. 21-22, 21-23, 22-23. Also: WRS Board Rules ch. 12; WRS Rehired Retiree Fact Sheet; W.S. § 9-3-415. Last reviewed .