Q: Our district has offered a retirement incentive, but many teachers feel it is not enough of an incentive because it only addresses health insurance after retirement and they are more interested in an offer of additional service credit. Can the district offer additional service credit as an incentive or does that have to be initiated by the state?

A: Your question is an excellent one.  Districts cannot negotiate additional service credit. Only the state has the ability to offer incentives that include additional service time. If the state offers an incentive, it is up to the local district to decide whether to opt in.

Q: I am 37 years old and as of June 30 I will have been teaching 14 years and 8 months.  I am currently on Tier 4. Will I be able to retire at age 55?  At that point, I will have been teaching 32 years. 

A: Good news! Tier 4 is a 30/55 plan.  That means that at age 55, if you are still in service, and have a minimum of 30 years of credited service, you are able to retire with a full pension.

Q: Could you tell me the first year the 3 percent was required for NYSUT?  I began work in 1980 and thought I began the 3 percent then. Also, when was the 10 year ruling put into effect? 

A: You may be confusing NYSUT, your statewide union, with New York State TRS, the retirement system. The 3 percent payments began with the enactment of state law creating Tier 3 (July 27, 1976). The law changing the payments to 10 years of membership was enacted in 2000.

Q: I am a Tier 2 member with about 34 years employment in a Long Island public school system. From 1965 to early 1968 as a high school student I worked part-time at the village public library as a "page."

I am unable to get employment records from the village and I did not contribute to Social Security. so I'm having trouble documenting my employment to submit to the NYS retirement system to count toward my years.  I have a copy of one of my IRS returns, but that is only for one year and does not list hours, etc. I was paid about $1.15 up to $1.25 per hour at the time. 

Do you know of any way that I can get my prior service recognized, especially since it might count toward placement in Tier 1?

A: Many members have experienced the same fate vis-a-vis lost or destroyed records. Since Social Security will not be of any assistance in your situation, perhaps the state Comptroller's Office in Albany might have records of your employment at the public library. It's worth a try.

By the way, if you are successful in your efforts to track down that prior service, please be aware that it will not affect your tier status. The Prior Service Law only affords additional service credit, not tier movement.

Q: What states do not charge tax on your retirement? I'm interested in Michigan.

A: Nine states currently have no state income tax: Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington state and Wyoming.