Get Ahead by Purchasing Service
Early in Your Career

Purchasing additional service credit could help you vest your benefit faster, get more at retirement and possibly retire sooner. You can purchase service for past public employment or service credit for your "year of service."

Purchasing Your "Year of Service"
Non-school employees work for one year in a covered position before becoming a KPERS member. You can purchase this year of service and the sooner, the better. After you become a member, you have a limited time to purchase your year of service at only 4 percent of your current salary, no matter what age you are. You have one year to complete the service purchase by lump sum or two years by payroll deduction at this cost. As your age and salary increases in the coming years, your purchase cost will increase.

You can also buy other kinds of service, including forfeited service, military service, out-of-state teaching and others.

Service credit can be purchased by payroll deduction, personal check, Discover Card, or a rollover or trustee-to-trustee transfer from another retirement plan, including the Kansas Public Employees Deferred Compensation Plan. For service purchase details, see the Service Purchase Fact Sheet.