You can take a leave of absence for various reasons, such as education, illness, or parental leave. During the leave, you may forfeit service credit because you did not earn a salary and no retirement plan deductions were taken.
Retirement law allows you the opportunity to purchase credit for the time you were on a leave of absence. Your retirement benefit is based in part on your length of service. Obtaining credit for the time you were on a leave may increase your retirement benefit.
Once you return to work after a leave, you can make a payment to receive service credit for the leave. You may only purchase one year of service per leave. For more information about purchasing service credit, contact MSRS at 651-296-2761 or 1-800-657-5757.