Maintaining An Active Account

Your account with TRS remains active provided you are a contributing member at least one year out of any five consecutive years. Therefore, you may have a break in your covered employment of up to four years and retain your active account. If you are out of service for more than four consecutive years, your TRS account will immediately become inactive. If your account becomes inactive it will not be credited with additional interest and you will not be eligible to:

• establish any additional service credit;
• repay any previously withdrawn accounts;
• apply for disability retirement; or
• leave a monthly death-in-service benefit to a surviving beneficiary.

If you return to TRS covered employment and have an inactive account, the service in your inactive account will be credited to your current (active) account after you have established at least one year of membership service.

Based on the length of your break in service, for a cost, you may be eligible to reinstate your inactive account prior to attainment of one year of active service. For additional information on the reinstatement and cost, contact our office.

An approved leave of absence may extend the four-year period in which you may be out of covered employment and maintain an active account.