Service Credit - Earning and Purchasing

As a contributing member of the State Employees' Defined Benefit (DB) plan, you accumulate service credit for each pay period in which you work. 

Service credit is important, because your eligibility for your pension depends on how many years of service you have. Most members need 30 years of service to be able to retire at age 55.

In addition, your pension amount is calculated using your years of service in the DB plan. Most members will receive a benefit that multiplies their final average compensation by 1.5 percent times their years of credited service. 

Some categories of plan members have different eligibility and calculation rules. To find out how much service credit you'll need or how your benefit will be calculated, see Retirement At A Glance .