PT enrolling in STRS (State Teacher’s Retirement System)

There is option to join STRS when hired.  Due to “temporary” nature of PT, you can STILL enroll in STRS even if you did not initially. If you are interested in joining STRS, contact HR and they can provide the paperwork.  It is not a simple decision.  Once you join STRS, you are OUT for paying into social security.  (STRS members do NOT pay into SS.)  There are deadlines each semester.  Even if HR submits to STRS in a timely manner, STRS can backlog so it may or may not kick in by start of following semester.  Further, if you have already acquired SS, or DO acquire SS in another job, your SS pay-out will have some dollar amount deducted from SS due to STRS membership.  The complexity of this is beyond HR’s expertise.  If you have concerns, you may need to do some research, or contact someone who specializes in retirement finances.