TRS Georgia Return to Work Rules: The 49% Cap, SB 150, and 1-Month Break

The Mandatory 1-Month Break in Service

Every TRS retiree must complete a minimum one-calendar-month break before performing any paid work for a TRS-covered employer. If your retirement is effective July 1, you cannot work for any Georgia public school system, RESA, TCSG, or USG institution until August 1 at the earliest.

This rule is absolute. Rendering paid service during the month of retirement — even one day of substitute teaching — invalidates the severance, voids your retirement application, and requires both you and the employer to reimburse TRS for all pension benefits already distributed. Pre-arranged re-employment agreements made before retirement are also prohibited under O.C.G.A. § 47-3-127.

Part-Time Employment: The 49% Rule

After the one-month break, retirees can return to work for a TRS-covered employer in a part-time capacity without suspending their pension. Two hard limits apply simultaneously:

1. Compensation cannot exceed 49% of the full-time monthly salary for the position
2. Work schedule cannot exceed 49% of the full-time schedule

TRS publishes an annual Schedule of Maximum Hours that translates the 49% schedule cap into a concrete hourly limit. For Fiscal Years 2026 and 2027, the annual cap is 992 hours. Exceeding either threshold — compensation or hours — triggers a pension suspension and benefit repayment.

The employer is not required to pay TRS contributions for part-time retiree employees, and the retiree does not earn additional service credit.

Substitute Teaching and Adjunct Positions

Two categories of re-employment have more generous rules:

Substitute teaching: Service retirees can perform unlimited substitute classroom teaching in Georgia public school systems (PK-12), as long as they are paid at the standard daily substitute rate. There is no hour cap for substitute work compensated at the standard rate.

USG adjunct professors: Service retirees can teach as adjunct professors in the University System of Georgia on a full-time basis without losing their pension, provided they are paid at standard historical hourly rates. These positions are ineligible for employee benefits.

SB 150: Full-Time Return for Critical Shortage Areas

Senate Bill 150 took effect July 1, 2026, and runs through June 30, 2030. It replaces the expired HB 385 and allows eligible retirees to return to full-time PK-12 classroom instruction while receiving their full pension. The requirements are strict:

• 30 or more years of creditable service at retirement
• Retired for at least 12 consecutive months without being restored to service
• Valid, active teaching certificate from the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC)
• Position must be PK-12 full-time classroom academic instruction — minimum 50% schedule in a qualifying content area
• ELA, Reading, or Writing teachers must hold or be enrolled in an approved reading or dyslexia endorsement program

Qualifying content areas are divided into two tracks: statewide areas (CTAE, Math, Science, Special Education, ELA, Reading, Writing) and local high-need areas approved by the Georgia Department of Education in consultation with GaPSC.

Under SB 150, the hiring school system pays both the employer contribution (ERCON) and employee contribution (EECON) to TRS on the retiree's behalf. The retiree earns no additional service credit. The employer submits an Electronic Verification Form (EVF) through the TRS portal within 30 days of hire.

For SHBP purposes, the employer reports the rehired retiree as "benefits ineligible," which allows the retiree to maintain uninterrupted retiree health coverage with premiums deducted from their TRS annuity rather than switching to active-employee coverage.

What Triggers a Pension Suspension

Working in any capacity that violates these rules results in suspension of your monthly benefit. Specifically:

• Any paid work during the first month of retirement
• Part-time work exceeding 49% of salary or schedule
• Full-time work without meeting SB 150 eligibility
• Failing to have the employer submit the EVF within 30 days of rehire

TRS requires repayment of any pension benefits received during the violation period. The retiree may also be required to re-establish active membership and begin new contributions.

The Georgia TRS Retirement Guide covers the return-to-work rules alongside the retirement application process and SHBP transition — including the exact timeline for when substitute teaching and part-time work become available.

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