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Service Purchase Cost Calculator

Glossary

Service Purchase
Eligible members may purchase various types of membership service and service credit. Please refer to the appropriate Member Handbook for details: Member Handbooks.

You must be vested (have five years of membership service) to purchase the following types of service:

Current law limits the purchase of active military, reserve military, "One-for-Five", and "other" public service to a combined total of five years, but it can be any combination of the above service.
PERS Service Purchase Types GWPORS Service Purchase Types HPORS Service Purchase Types SRS Service Purchase Types MPORS Service Purchase Types FURS Service Purchase Types

PERS Service Purchase Types

Military Service
At any time prior to retirement, you may purchase up to five years of your active military or reserve military service at the actuarial cost. Reserve military service may include service in the Army or Air National Guard. You may purchase reserve military time prior to your separation from the services in the reserves.

You may not purchase military time if you are receiving a retirement benefit from the military, or from another retirement system or plan, for that time. Reserve military service may not be purchased if you have already received service credit under USERRA for that time period.

This service is both membership service and service credit.
"One-for-Five" Service
For each five-year period of membership service, you may buy one year of service credit. You may buy no more than five years of service. If you are eligible to buy one year, you may buy less than a full year.

The total service credit on your annual statement will not include the "One-for-Five" service purchased; however, it will be added to your service credit when MPERA calculates your retirement benefit.
Limitations:
For PERS covered positions with less than 25 years of membership service, "One-for-Five" service is not membership service and it cannot make you eligible to retire or to purchase other types of service. If you are a member of the PERS retirement system and meet the 25 year requirement for early retirement without the "One-for-Five" service, you can use that service to reduce or eliminate the early retirement reduction of your monthly benefit.
"Other" Public Service
Members with at least five years of membership service may purchase membership service and/or service credit for other public service such as:
  • Service covered by another state, local, or federal government retirement system. If you received a refund of your account with another system, you may buy up to five years of that service in PERS. You may also buy the service if it occurred before the employer adopted a public retirement system. You may not use this service to qualify you to buy military service. In addition, you may only count it as service credit if your last five years of service are with a PERS employer.
This service qualifies as both membership service and service credit.
Federal Volunteer Service
Members with at least five years of membership service may purchase membership service and/or service credit for other public service such as:
  • Volunteer service in a United States service program, such as the Peace Corps. You may also purchase any documented, successfully completed required term of service in the Americorps Vista, Americorps National Community Conservation Corps, or any other National and Community Service Act (NCSA) program that requires the volunteer to enroll for a specific term of service.
This service qualifies as both membership service and service credit.
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GWPORS Service Purchase Types

Military Service
At any time prior to retirement, you may purchase up to five years of your active military or reserve military service at the actuarial cost. Reserve military service may include service in the Army or Air National Guard. You may purchase reserve military time prior to your separation from the services in the reserves.

You may not purchase military time if you are receiving a retirement benefit from the military, or from another retirement system or plan, for that time. Reserve military service may not be purchased if you have already received service credit under USERRA for that time period.

This service is both membership service and service credit.
"One-for-Five" Service
For each five-year period of membership service, you may buy one year of service credit. You may buy no more than five years of service. If you are eligible to buy one year, you may buy less than a full year.

The total service credit on your annual statement will not include the "One-for-Five" service purchased; however, it will be added to your service credit when MPERA calculates your retirement benefit.
Limitations:
For GWPORS covered positions, "One-for-Five" service is not membership service and it cannot make you eligible to retire or to purchase other types of service.
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HPORS Service Purchase Types

Military Service
At any time prior to retirement, you may purchase up to five years of your active military or reserve military service at the actuarial cost. Reserve military service may include service in the Army or Air National Guard. You may purchase reserve military time prior to your separation from the services in the reserves.

You may not purchase military time if you are receiving a retirement benefit from the military, or from another retirement system or plan, for that time. Reserve military service may not be purchased if you have already received service credit under USERRA for that time period.

This service is both membership service and service credit.
"One-for-Five" Service
For each five-year period of membership service, you may buy one year of service credit. You may buy no more than five years of service. If you are eligible to buy one year, you may buy less than a full year.

The total service credit on your annual statement will not include the "One-for-Five" service purchased; however, it will be added to your service credit when MPERA calculates your retirement benefit.
Limitations:
For HPORS covered positions, "One-for-Five" service is not membership service and it cannot make you eligible to retire or to purchase other types of service.
"Other" Public Service
Members with at least five years of membership service may purchase membership service and/or service credit for other public service such as:
  • Out-of-state law enforcement service. You may purchase one year of out-of-state law enforcement employment for each year of service credit, up to a maximum of five years. You may not purchase the service if you are eligible to receive a retirement benefit in another system or plan for that same service.

    Note: This service may not be used as membership service to allow a member to purchase military service. In addition, it may not be used in calculating a member’s retirement benefit unless the last five years of service credit were earned in an HPORS-covered position.
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SRS Service Purchase Types

Military Service
At any time prior to retirement, you may purchase up to five years of your active military or reserve military service at the actuarial cost. Reserve military service may include service in the Army or Air National Guard. You may purchase reserve military time prior to your separation from the services in the reserves.

You may not purchase military time if you are receiving a retirement benefit from the military, or from another retirement system or plan, for that time. Reserve military service may not be purchased if you have already received service credit under USERRA for that time period.

This service is both membership service and service credit.
"One-for-Five" Service
For each five-year period of membership service, you may buy one year of service credit. You may buy no more than five years of service. If you are eligible to buy one year, you may buy less than a full year.

The total service credit on your annual statement will not include the "One-for-Five" service purchased; however, it will be added to your service credit when MPERA calculates your retirement benefit.
Limitations:
For SRS covered positions, "One-for-Five" service qualifies as both membership service and service credit.
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MPORS Service Purchase Types

Military Service
At any time prior to retirement, you may purchase up to five years of your active military or reserve military service at the actuarial cost. Reserve military service may include service in the Army or Air National Guard. You may purchase reserve military time prior to your separation from the services in the reserves.

You may not purchase military time if you are receiving a retirement benefit from the military, or from another retirement system or plan, for that time. Reserve military service may not be purchased if you have already received service credit under USERRA for that time period.

This service is both membership service and service credit.
"One-for-Five" Service
For each five-year period of membership service, you may buy one year of service credit. You may buy no more than five years of service. If you are eligible to buy one year, you may buy less than a full year.

The total service credit on your annual statement will not include the "One-for-Five" service purchased; however, it will be added to your service credit when MPERA calculates your retirement benefit.
Limitations:
For MPORS covered positions, "One-for-Five" service is not membership service and it cannot make you eligible to retire or to purchase other types of service.
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FURS Service Purchase Types

Military Service
At any time prior to retirement, you may purchase up to five years of your active military or reserve military service at the actuarial cost. Reserve military service may include service in the Army or Air National Guard. You may purchase reserve military time prior to your separation from the services in the reserves.

You may not purchase military time if you are receiving a retirement benefit from the military, or from another retirement system or plan, for that time. Reserve military service may not be purchased if you have already received service credit under USERRA for that time period.

This service is both membership service and service credit.
"One-for-Five" Service
For each five-year period of membership service, you may buy one year of service credit. You may buy no more than five years of service. If you are eligible to buy one year, you may buy less than a full year.

The total service credit on your annual statement will not include the "One-for-Five" service purchased; however, it will be added to your service credit when MPERA calculates your retirement benefit.
Limitations:
For FURS covered positions, "One-for-Five" service is not membership service and it cannot make you eligible to retire or to purchase other types of service.
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Membership Service
The periods of service used to decide vesting and eligibility for retirement or other benefits. You get 1 month membership service for any month you contribute to the retirement system, even if you only work one day during that month. If you contribute anything, you get membership service for the whole month.