Returning To Work at Rutgers

Rutgers is a great place to work, and after retiring you may decide to return to Rutgers. You can view available positions on our website. Should you decide to return to work at Rutgers after retiring, it is important to understand how your retiree benefits may be affected.

ABP Retirees – you may return to public employment, however, you may not rejoin a state pension plan.

PERS Retirees – your PERS retirement must be designated by the NJ Division of Pensions and Benefits as a “bona fide” retirement and it must also be “due and payable.” Your PERS retirement does not become “due and payable” until there has been a cessation of employment of at least 30 days following your retirement date, or 30 days following approval of your retirement by the PERS Board of Trustees, whichever is later.  Ten month employees, who retire on July 1 or August 1, must count the 30-day break in service from the start of the following normal school year in September. If you return to a PERS covered position — on either a paid or voluntary basis — before the 30 days have elapsed, you should expect to continue enrollment in the PERS.

The NJ Division of Pensions and Benefits will designate a PERS retirement as not “bona fide, if you make arrangements prior to your retirement to return to the same or similar public employment as a regular employee, contract employee, leased employee, or an independent contractor and the employer/employee relationship has not been completely severed (regardless of the length of the break in employment). If your PERS retirement is not deemed as “bona fide” by the NJ Division of Pensions and Benefits, your retirement will be determined to be invalid. In this case you will remain an active employee under your PERS account while in the new position.

If your retirement is determined to be invalid (not “bona fide”), you will be required to reimburse theNJ Division of Pensions and Benefits retirement system for the amount of any retirement benefits you received from the date of retirement and be required to pay pension contributions in the form of back deductions going back to the reenrollment date and your retiree SHBP coverage will be suspended.  There is no limitation on the amount of reimbursement that may be recovered by the retirement system in these situations.

 Please see Fact Sheet# 21 for details including returning to public employment as a “bona fide” PERS retiree.

 

Important Information Regarding Health Insurance, Life Insurance, and Retiree Survivor Benefits

 

• ABP retiree returning to a position eligible for any state-administered retirement system
• If you are a “bona fide” PERS retiree returning to a PERS-eligible position
• If you are a “bona fide” PERS retiree returning to an ABP-eligible position
• If you are a “bona fide” PERS retiree who retired from an ABP-eligible position

If you are an ABP retiree returning to a position eligible for any state-administered retirement system

Enrollment is not allowed in any retirement system, including ABP.

If you are a “bona fide” PERS retiree returning to a PERS-eligible position

Enrollment in PERS is required if:

• The aggregate salary from all post-retirement public employment exceeds $15,000 in a calendar year or your position is not covered by a different state-administered retirement system and you work at least a minimum of 35 hours a week          
• You are responsible for informing University Human Resources when your salary reaches $15,000

Enrollment in PERS is not permitted if:

• The aggregate annual salary or salaries for the position(s) does not exceed $15,000 in a calendar year or you do not work at least a minimum of 35 hours a week                                     
• Your position is not covered by Social Security
• You are a seasonal or intermittent employee

If you are a “bona fide” PERS retiree returning to an ABP-eligible position

Enrollment in ABP or PERS is not permitted. 

If you are a “bona fide” PERS retiree who retired from an ABP-eligible position

This applies if you chose to remain in PERS when given the option to join ABP.  

Enrollment in ABP or PERS is not permitted.

Resources To Help You
Benefits Specialist	848-932-3990
UHR Staffing	848-932-3020
UHR Temporary Employment Services	848-932-3869
Employment After Retirement Fact Sheet

To submit a comment or to report any problems with this site, please email us. For questions about University Human Resources programs and services, please email our Operations Team.

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Last Updated: 06/08/2011