SB 150 Employment

1. Senate Bill 150 Introduction

Effective July 1, 2026, Senate Bill 150 (SB 150) extends and modifies the previous provisions under House Bill 385 (HB 385) that allowed certain Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) retirees to return to work as a full-time classroom teacher while continuing to receive retirement benefits. SB 150 will sunset effective June 30, 2030.

2. Retiree Eligibility

The conditions of employment are:

• The retiree must have 30 or more years of creditable service.
• The retiree must be retired for one year to be eligible for SB 150 employment.
• The retiree must not have been in a terminated or suspended status during the 12 months prior to the hire date.
• The retiree must be a certified teacher.
• The retiree must teach students in grade levels pre-kindergarten through grade 12 in a public school system.
• The retiree must be employed in a qualified statewide subject area or in one of three of the highest-need subject areas as determined by the local school system and the Department of Education.

3. Qualified Subject Areas

• Statewide Subjects
  • CTAE, Math, Science, Special Education, English Language Arts, Reading, and Writing.
• Highest Needs
  • Provided by the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) in consultation with local school systems and the Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).

4. Certifications

• Retirees must have a teaching certificate. Please contact the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC) if you have certification questions or need to renew your certificate.
• English Language Arts, Reading, and Writing teachers must currently hold or be enrolled in a program to obtain a current reading or dyslexia certification endorsement approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).

5. Employer Responsibilities

• The employer is responsible for paying the employee contributions (EECON) and employer contributions (ERCON); no additional creditable service will be reported for the retiree.
• The employer must report the employment to TRS.

SB 150 FAQs for Local School Systems

1) Who can be hired under SB 150?

• A TRS retiree who has at least 30 years of creditable service.
• The retiree must be retired for at least one year before returning to full-time classroom instruction.
• The retiree must be a certified teacher for pre-K through grade 12 whose primary responsibility is academic instruction of students in a classroom.
  • TRS requires retirees to teach for a minimum of 50% of the full-time schedule in a qualifying subject area in the classroom.

2) Which teaching areas qualify?

• Statewide Qualifying Subject Areas: CTAE, Math, Special Education, Science, English Language Arts, Reading, and Writing
  • Elementary Educators who teach multi-content areas may qualify for SB 150 if teaching three of the seven statewide qualifying subjects.
• In English Language Arts, Reading, and Writing, educators must currently hold or be enrolled in a program to obtain a current reading or dyslexia certification endorsement approved by the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).
  • Literacy Coaches who provide academic instruction in the classroom qualify for SB 150 under English Language Arts, Reading, and Writing subject areas.
• Highest Need Areas
  • Local public school systems shall have the ability to hire TRS retirees in areas of the districts’ highest needs as defined by the local school system and the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) based on a five-year average of highest needs, and in consultation with the Georgia Professional Standards Commission (GaPSC).
  • Highest needs areas are inclusive and not exclusive of the statewide categories. If a system’s highest needs fall in the area of statewide content approval, no additional areas will be approved. If the highest needs areas fall outside of the statewide content areas, then approval may be granted with appropriate documentation.
  • No change in a public school system’s area of highest need will require the termination of a TRS Retiree who was hired under HB 385 or SB 150 to fill a highest need area.
• TRS retirees returning to work under SB 150 must meet any applicable GaPSC-approved standards.

3) What must HR verify before hiring?

• TRS eligibility: confirm the retiree has 30 years of creditable service and at least a one-year break in service.
• GaPSC status: confirm the teacher holds the needed professional certificate and endorsement, if required for the content area.
• Job alignment: confirm the position is a classroom teaching role and the employee’s primary duty is academic instruction in one of the qualifying content areas.
• Retirement timing: confirm the teacher was not restored to service in a way that would disqualify the benefit arrangement under TRS rules.

4) What must the school system do?

• The employer must notify TRS of the retiree’s name, compensation, any other remuneration, number of hours, job responsibilities, and any additional information TRS requires within 30 days of hire.
• The employer must pay TRS an amount equal to the applicable employer contribution rate plus employee contribution rate, multiplied by the retiree’s earnable compensation.
• The local system should document that the hire is for a position that fits the statute’s content area and classroom-instruction limits.

5) GaPSC requirements:

• GaPSC’s Retired Educator certificate is for retired educators who may teach or work in educational activities where GaPSC certification is not required, but it cannot be used for positions that require professional certification.
• If the retiree is being hired into a position that requires certification, the retiree must meet the rules for renewing or holding the needed professional certificate; the Retired Educator certificate is not enough by itself.

6) Are retirees participating under SB 150 provisions eligible for health benefits?

• TRS does not administer health insurance benefits. State Health Benefit Plan has confirmed that retirees participating under SB 150 will have the same options as those under HB 385. You can find general answers about health insurance coverage options for retirees working under SB 150 at https://shbp.georgia.gov/retirees-0/retirees-who-are-returning-work. You may also contact SHBP at SHBPservicecenter@adp.com or 800-610-1863.

7) When does SB 150 take effect?

• The Governor signed SB 150 into law with an effective date of 7/01/2026 and the law is scheduled to sunset effective 06/30/2030.

8) When can employers report SB 150 employment?

• TRS anticipates that the employer portal will be available to accept employment verifications for SB 150 by mid-June. TRS will notify the employers.