{"id":264,"date":"2016-04-18T18:26:27","date_gmt":"2016-04-19T01:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/?page_id=264"},"modified":"2026-06-25T15:19:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T22:19:55","slug":"return-to-work-after-retirement","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/retirement-plans\/nearing-retirement\/return-to-work-after-retirement\/","title":{"rendered":"Return to work after retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\" style=\"cursor:pointer\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #000000;color:#000000\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/retirement-plans\/nearing-retirement\/return-to-work-after-retirement\/#Members-of-state-DRS-plans-PERS-TRS-SERS-LEOFF-or-WSPRS\" >Members of state DRS plans (PERS, TRS, SERS, LEOFF, or WSPRS)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/retirement-plans\/nearing-retirement\/return-to-work-after-retirement\/#Benefits-for-re-employed-DRS-plan-members\" >Benefits for re-employed DRS plan members<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/retirement-plans\/nearing-retirement\/return-to-work-after-retirement\/#UW-Retirement-Plan-members\" >UW Retirement Plan members<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/retirement-plans\/nearing-retirement\/return-to-work-after-retirement\/#Benefits-for-re-employed-UWRP-members\" >Benefits for re-employed UWRP members<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/retirement-plans\/nearing-retirement\/return-to-work-after-retirement\/#Social-Security\" >Social Security<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>Last updated: July 24, 2023<\/p>\n<p>After retiring from the UW, you can return to work at the University. While reemployment can be advantageous to both you and the UW, you\u2019re not guaranteed to find a job, and you\u2019ll have to follow the same application procedures as any other candidate.<\/p>\n<p>The exact policies governing reemployment depend on which retirement plan you have.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Members-of-state-DRS-plans-PERS-TRS-SERS-LEOFF-or-WSPRS\"><\/span>Members of state DRS plans (PERS, TRS, SERS, LEOFF, or WSPRS)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>If you have a retirement plan that\u2019s managed by the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems (DRS), state law and UW policy govern your reemployment.<\/p>\n<p>Both state law and UW policy require that you follow all the normal UW procedures while applying for a job. You can\u2019t, for example, make an agreement before retiring that stipulates that you\u2019ll later return to work at UW. Also, while applying for reemployment at UW, you\u2019re required by law to inform the UW that you are retired from a DRS plan.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re reemployed at UW, there are limits to the number of hours you can work. PERS and TRS retirees are limited to 867 hours of employment in a calendar year. Once you reach your annual limit, you have to decide whether or not to continue working.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Temporary Exception:<\/strong> Effective April 14, 2023 &#8211; July 1, 2026, PERS\u00a0 retirees may work for a state agency for up to 1,040 hours per year in a non-administrative position as a licensed nurse while continuing to receive a pension benefit.<\/p>\n<p>To see reemployment details specific to your retirement plan, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drs.wa.gov\/webinars\/#returning-to-work-after-retirement\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">thinking about working after retirement<\/a> on the DRS website.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benefits-for-re-employed-DRS-plan-members\"><\/span>Benefits for re-employed DRS plan members<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>When you return to work at UW after retiring, you\u2019re eligible to participate in Public Employees Benefits Board (PEBB) benefits if your new position meets PEBB eligibility rules. However, if you exceed the work-hour limits for your DRS plan, your pension may be temporarily suspended. In a benefits-eligible position, you may temporarily defer participation in the PEBB retiree health plan, if you&#8217;re previously enrolled in the PEBB retiree coverage.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"UW-Retirement-Plan-members\"><\/span>UW Retirement Plan members<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>If you retired with the UW Retirement Plan (UWRP) and you want to return to work, UW policy governs your reemployment.<\/p>\n<p>Once you\u2019re reemployed at UW, there are limits to the number of hours you can work. You are limited to working a maximum of 40% of full time (for hourly employment this is 835 hours per year) over the plan year, which begins January 1 and ends December 31. This applies to all positions at the UW.<\/p>\n<p>If you are a retired UW faculty member, please visit the website for <span data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">Office for Academic Personnel and Faculty<\/span> and see <a href=\"http:\/\/ap.washington.edu\/ahr\/working\/retirement\/working-after-retirement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">working after retirement<\/a> to understand how your 40% is calculated.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benefits-for-re-employed-UWRP-members\"><\/span>Benefits for re-employed UWRP members<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>When you return to work at the UW after retiring, you\u2019re eligible to participate in PEBB benefits if your new position meets the PEBB eligibility rules Once you become PEBB benefits eligible, you can defer your PEBB retiree health plan, if you previously enrolled in this plan.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Social-Security\"><\/span>Social Security<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>If you are receiving Social Security payments, there may be a limit to what you can earn through active employment and still retain your full Social Security income. It is your responsibility to understand and keep track of potential income limitations. For further information, visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ssa.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">official Social Security website<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Policies governing reemployment depend on which retirement plan you have<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"parent":254,"menu_order":120,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","slim_seo":{"title":"Return to work after retirement - Benefits","description":"Policies governing reemployment depend on which retirement plan you have"},"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-264","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/264\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hr.uw.edu\/benefits\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}