Eligibility for Retirement Exemption

Ohio University contributes to the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System (OPERS) or the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS). Student employees may be eligible for exemption from paying into the retirement systems if the following requirements are met at the time paychecks are processed:

1. Be enrolled as an Ohio University student for course credit.
2. Be enrolled for the minimum required number of credit hours:
   • Graduate employees must have a minimum of 5 credit hours.
   • Undergraduate employees must have a minimum of 6 credit hours.
3. Have completed a STRS exemption form or requested an exemption through OPERS within 30 days of hire.

Student employees from non-Ohio University post-secondary institutions and high school students are NOT eligible for exemption until they are enrolled in the minimum credit hours outlined above.

International student employees that have not yet received a social security number should call Human Resources at (740) 593-1636 to request a unique identifier. This four-digit number will act as a placeholder for the Social Security Number when requesting an exemption from OPERS.