Compensation Eligible for TRS
Compensation reported to TRS should reflect the types of monetary compensation that are recurring base pay for periods of employment that meet the definition of “salary and wages”, as that term is defined by the TRS plan terms. “Salary and wages” is monetary compensation that is (1) payment for services rendered (2) earned or accrue proportionally as the work is performed, (3) paid at fixed intervals, and (4) not specifically excluded under applicable laws and rules.
In addition, compensation eligible for TRS purposes may include:
- Performance Pay- Section 25.24 of the TRS Rules provides that “Performance Pay” is compensation for service as an employee in a Texas public educational institution that is paid under a valid employment agreement based upon a performance standard published in written documents adopted by the employer. The performance pay standard may be based on evaluations or goal achievement of the individual employee or of the group in which the individual belongs. Specific amounts of performance pay will be credited to the year in which the performance pay is paid.
- Availability of funding
- Additional duties and pay authorized by the employer and paid to an employee serving in a TRS eligible position. The following are examples of pay for additional duties performed by someone who is already serving in a TRS eligible position:
- Teaching Driver Education as part of regularly assigned duties during the regular classroom hours of the school day.
- Teaching Driver Education outside the regular classroom hours of the school day and during the summer is an additional duty; however, the amount of compensation credited for this type of additional work is limited to $5,000.00 annually.
- Tutoring students outside the regular classroom hours of the school day.
- Driving the school bus.
- Covering a class during an off-period for an absent teacher.
- UIL sponsor, class sponsors, student teacher sponsor, annual sponsor, etc.
- Teaching summer school when performed by an employee who had served in a TRS eligible position during that school year and earned a year of TRS service credit.
- Overload scheduling (employment beyond the standard workload).