Strengthen Your Retirement

Mar. 8, 2010 CalSTRS-ca
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Increase Your Benefit

Add to your retirement benefit by increasing one or more of the elements in the retirement benefit formula.

  • Work additional years.
  • Purchase service credit.

Purchase Additional Service Credit

The more service credit you have at retirement—earned or purchased—the greater your retirement benefit:

  • Purchase service credit for eligible service in out-of-state or foreign public schools, the military, Peace Corps, Job Corps, maternity or paternity leave, sabbatical leave and leave approved under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
  • Buy nonqualified service credit that’s not related to teaching, also known as “air time.”
  • Redeposit service credit you lost if you left public education, took a refund and then returned to CalSTRS membership, or went to work in certain California public retirement systems.
  • Purchase nonmember service for part-time or substitute work in a California public school system before you were a CalSTRS member or between refunding and becoming a member again.

Remember, it’s less expensive to buy service credit earlier in your career than later in your career.

Review CalSTRS Member Handbook