Types of purchasable service and application forms

If you rendered any of the types of service listed below, you may be eligible to purchase credit for your service. If you wish to purchase credit, you must complete and submit the appropriate service purchase applications, along with any required documentation. We will review your application, determine your eligibility to purchase your service, and send you an invoice.

Please note: All service purchases must be paid for in full prior to your date of retirement; late payments will delay your date of retirement—and because retirement benefits are retroactive only to your date of retirement, late payments will cause you to lose money!

We strongly encourage you to start the service purchase process early because it often takes some time for you and your prior employers to gather documentation of your past service.
 

Types of purchasable service and application forms	Maximum time creditable	Applicable interest rate
Other MA public service with the MTRS or a MA town, city, state, county or regional authority, during which... You were NOT a member of a MA contributory retirement system* ( Other Massachusetts public service purchase application  ) You WERE a member of a MA contributory retirement system, and after which, you withdrew your funds (known as a "refund buyback"). To request a refund buyback, please submit a written statement indicating that you would like to buy back a prior refund and include: the name of your prior MA retirement system; your prior agency by city/town and department (e.g. Springfield Parks Dept., Boston Public Schools, State Department of Revenue); your prior position title (e.g., lifeguard, teacher's aide, paraprofessional); your approximate from/to dates of employment; and, if you had a different or maiden name, that name.	20 years No maximum	As of April 3, 2013, actuarial interest (currently, 8.25%)***
MA public school substitute, temporary or part-time teaching or tutoring service	20 years
Out-of-state public school teaching service  **	10 years
Nonpublic, private school teaching service BEFORE 1973  **	10 years
Overseas dependent school teaching service  **	5 years
Vocational education work experience  ** (for Chapter 74 certified educators)	3 years	Buyback interest for all members (currently, 4.125%)
Nonpublic school teaching service in a MA publicly-funded school	10 years
Peace Corps service  **	3 years
Pre-1975 maternity leave (except in rare situations, you must have purchased this service by 12/31/2001; however, if you believe you may qualify, please contact our office)	4 years
Active military service in U.S. armed forces, MA National Guard or Active Reserves,** other than a military leave of absence during membership in a MA contributory retirement system ( Chapter 71 military service application  )	Generally 4 years	No interest charged on first invoice, first due date; thereafter, buyback interest

* Credit may no longer be purchased for uncompensated service rendered as a selectman, city councillor or alderman, school committee member, moderator or library trustee; however, service in these positions that was purchased prior to 7/1/2009 will count as creditable service. For Other MA public service rendered after 7/1/2009 to be eligible for purchase, you had to have earned at least $5,000 per year.

** To be eligible to purchase these service types, at the time you submit your service purchase application, you must be a member in service with the MTRS (generally, you are a "member in service" if you are: actively teaching; receiving Workers' Compensation for total incapacity; on a sick leave; or, on an authorized unpaid leave of less than one year).

*** EXCEPTION: If you established membership in a Massachusetts public retirement system on or after April 2, 2012, and you had previously been a member of a Massachusetts public retirement system and taken a refund of your account, you will have one year from the date that you re-entered public service to apply and pay for your service purchase at the lower "buyback" interest rate (currently, 4.125%). After your first year of re-entry to membership, you will be subject to actuarial interest.