CHARLOTTE, N.C. — South Carolina students in the Charlotte area are headed back to the classroom Monday, with North Carolina schools right behind them later this month.
With teacher shortages affecting the nation, we wanted to look at if retired teachers could fill the void while still getting their retiree benefits.
THE QUESTION
Can retired teachers in North Carolina and South Carolina return to teaching while still collecting their retirement benefits?
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OUR SOURCES
WHAT WE FOUND
In an email, NCDPI said retired teachers can return but they're subject to earnings caps like other state retirees. The North Carolina retirement plan website details return-to-work laws for retired teachers. The laws allow them to return to the classroom on a part-time or temporary basis, which is subject to income restrictions.
However, they can stop their retirement benefits and return to work on a full-time basis. So North Carolina retired teachers cannot get their full pension and return to teaching full time.
Now let's take a look at South Carolina.
In an email from the South Carolina Retirement System and State Health Plan, officials told the VERIFY team that retired teachers may be subject to the $10,000 earnings limitation, too. Once a retired teacher comes back and earns $10,000, that's when retirement benefits would be limited.
There are some exceptions to that earning limitation, but generally, retired teachers in South Carolina can return to the classroom and keep their pension, as long as they make less than $10,000.
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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