Membership:
August 12, 2022
Employees of any member unit of the Newton Retirement System who are regularly employed in a permanent position a minimum of 20 hours per week and have an annual salary of at least $5,000 must become members of the system.
Employees working fewer than 20 hours per week are not eligible for membership.
Employees with an annual salary of less than $5,000 are not eligible for membership.
April 27, 2017:
Part-time and Temporary Full-Time employees of the Newton School Department shall be eligible for membership in the Newton Retirement System after fifteen (15) months of consecutive school year employment in a position which requires him/her to work a minimum of 20 hours per week.
This regulation shall not apply to employees who, at the time of hire with the Newton School Department, are members of another Massachusetts public employee retirement system with an account eligible for transfer pursuant to MGL c. 32, Section 3(8).
June 24, 2015:
Part-time and Temporary Full-Time employees of the Newton School Department shall be eligible for membership in the Newton Retirement System after fifteen (15) months of consecutive school year employment in a position which requires him/her to work a minimum of 20 hours per week.
Regulation to become effective for the 2016/2017 school year.
April 8, 2010:
Employees of any member unit of the Newton Retirement System who are regularly employed a minimum of 20 hours per week and earn a minimum of $5,000 per year must become members of the system.
Employees who are provisional, seasonal, temporary or intermittent and are regularly employed a minimum of 20 hours per week for a period of six consecutive months and earn a minimum of $5,000 per year must become members of the system at the conclusion of the six-month period.
Employees working fewer than 20 hours per week are not eligible for membership.
Employees earning less than $5,000 per year are not eligible for membership.
April 4, 2001:
CETA employment: Only City of Newton employees and members of the Newton Retirement System are eligible to buy back creditable service for Newton CETA employment.
December 14, 1984:
Regularly employed part-time employees with 20 hours or more must join the retirement system.
Buy-Backs: Back payments must be paid in $200 installments or more.
Creditable Service:
August 12, 2022
A. Full-time Membership Service.
A Member who regularly works a minimum of 20 hours per week shall be considered full-time.
Members whose full-time position requires that they work on a 12-month basis shall receive one year of creditable service for each year worked, or yearly proportion thereof.
Members whose full-time positions require that they render service on a 10-month basis shall, for the periods they are employed for the full 10 months, receive one year of creditable service, or yearly proportion thereof calculated as one-tenth of a year for each full month of service rendered during the 10-month period.
Members whose full-time positions require that they render service on an 11-month basis shall, for the periods they are employed for the full 11 months, receive one year of creditable service, or yearly proportion thereof calculated as one-eleventh of a year for each full month of service rendered during the 11-month period.
B. Part-time Membership Service.
A member who is regularly employed in a permanent position fewer than 20 hours per week shall be considered part-time.
Members who render service on a part-time basis shall receive credit on a pro-rated basis as it relates to 20 hours per week.
C. Purchase of Prior Non-Contributing Service.
Subject to the provisions of the retirement law, the Board will allow the purchase of prior non-contributing service rendered on a part-time, provisional, temporary, substitute, seasonal or intermittent basis rendered in a Massachusetts governmental unit provided the annual compensation for the position was $5,000 or more.
Once purchased, credit for prior non-contributing service shall be based upon actual hours worked.
The percentage of full-time credit awarded for prior non-contributing service is equivalent to a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of hours worked during that year, and the denominator of which is 1,950 hours.
For noncontributing service rendered in a school department, the percentage of full-time credit awarded is the equivalent to a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of hours worked during the school year, and the denominator of which is 1,080 hours.
APPLICABILITY:
This regulation shall apply to creditable service calculated for member buybacks initiated after the effective date of this regulation, membership transfers to other Massachusetts public sector retirement systems and retirement benefit calculations for members of the Newton Retirement System who retire on or after the effective date of this regulation
April 8, 2010:
A member whose entire membership service is in a full-time position shall receive one year of creditable service for each year worked provided the member works the number of hours required by the position held.
A member shall be considered part-time if he regularly works fewer than the number of hours required by the position held and regularly works at least 20 hours per week.
A member whose entire membership service is part-time shall receive one year of creditable service for each year worked provided that the hours of part-time service have not fluctuated during his membership service.
A member whose membership service fluctuates between part-time and full-time shall be granted creditable service equal to 12 months for each year of full-time employment and a pro-rated period of years or fractions thereof equal to the percentage that his part-time hours worked bears to his full-time hours worked, multiplied by the number of part-time years of membership.
A member whose membership service consists of fluctuating part-time hours shall have his creditable service pro-rated as it bears to the average hours worked during the three highest consecutive years with the greatest number of hours worked.
A member whose membership service has fluctuated between part-time and full-time and whose full-time service is 15 months or less shall have his creditable service computed as though his entire membership was part-time.
APPLICABILITY: This regulation shall apply to creditable service calculated for member buybacks, membership transfers to other Massachusetts public sector retirement systems and retirement benefit calculations for members of the Newton Retirement System who retire on or after the effective date of this regulation
Regular Compensation:
Miscellaneous:
April 16, 2014:
Correction of Errors under G.L. c. 32, 20(5)(c)(2)
In all cases of correction of an error by the Newton Retirement Board of an underpayment or non-payment of a pension or benefit to a member or beneficiary of the Newton Retirement System which results in a onetime retroactive payment of benefits, such payment shall include interest for such period of underpayment or non-payment at the rate annually determined for such period by the Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission pursuant to G.L. c. 32, § 22(6).
In all cases of a correction of an error by the Newton Retirement Board of an overpayment of a pension or benefit to a member or beneficiary of the Newton Retirement System, the amount of overpayment shall be due from the member or beneficiary, along with interest for said period of overpayment at the rate annually determined by Public Employee Retirement Administration Commission pursuant to G.L. c. 32, §22(6).
Pursuant to the judgment in Herrick v. Essex Regional Retirement Board, 465 Mass. 801 (2013) and PERAC Memorandum #32, 2013, said interest shall be deemed to be the actuarial equivalent of the adjustment to the pension or benefit as set forth in G.L. c. 32, § 20(5)(c)(2).
December 14, 1984:
Accidental Disability Applications: Accidental disability applicants must be present when their application is presented to the board, unless a medical reason exists that prevents.