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Earning Service Credit

Your service credit reflects the years, or fractions of years, you have worked as a member of the Defined Benefit (DB) Plan 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, Business Enterprise Program, Mackinac Island State Park, Michigan State Bar, Third Circuit Court, Wayne County Clerk Recorders Court, or 36th District Court.

For retirement purposes, 2,080 hours equals 1 year. You are credited with a full year if you work 2,080 hours; however, you may earn no more than 1 year of service 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.  

Type of Employment Period of Time Service Credit Earned
Full time 1 year - 2,080 hours 1 year
Full time 1 pay period - 80 hours 0.0385 of a year

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 part-time employees earn service credit in proportion to the hours worked. 

Type of Employment Period of Time Service Credit Earned
Part time or job share 1 year - half time 0.5000 of a year
Part time or job share 1 pay period - 40 hours 0.0192 of a year

Getting credit for your other government work. 

If you are a DB member and 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.