Earning Service Credit

Your service credit reflects the years, or fractions of years, you have worked for the state of Michigan or one of its noncentral agencies. Noncentral agencies are state-affiliated organizations whose employees are covered under the State Employees' Retirement Act: American Legion, American Veterans, Business Enterprise Program, Disabled American Veterans, Mackinac Island State Park, Marine Corps League, Michigan State Bar, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Third Circuit Court, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Wayne County Clerk Recorders Court, or 36th District Court.

For retirement purposes, 2,080 hours equals one year. You are credited with a full year if you work 2,080 hours; however you may earn no more than one year of credit in any given year and no more than 80 hours in a pay period. Note: Banked leave time and mandatory furlough hours will not adversely affect your accumulation of service credit.  

If you work less than full-time.

Any work that is less than full-time or intermittent (for example, a job-share position or seasonal work) is evaluated using the hours worked converted to a fraction of a year. The following table shows examples of how full-time and part-time employees earn service credit in proportion to the hours worked. 

Getting credit for your other government work. 

If you have worked for other Michigan governmental units (public school, or local governments, for example) you may be able to combine that service with your state service to qualify for a pension. The ability to combine service for eligibility purposes is permitted under Act 88-Reciprocal Retirement Act of 1961 .