Bottom line
New STRS Ohio members can choose DB, DC or Combined within 180 days. Missing the deadline means DB enrollment, while DC and Combined members get a fifth-year reselection opportunity.Key facts
- 180 days from the first paid day of service is the deadline for a new member to choose an STRS Ohio retirement plan.
- 3 plan options are available to eligible new members: Defined Benefit, Defined Contribution and Combined.
- 5th year of membership is when DC and Combined participants generally receive the one-time STRS Ohio plan-reselection opportunity.
Start with the benefit structure, not a guess about which plan has the highest return
STRS Ohio’s Defined Benefit Plan promises a pension calculated from age, service credit and final average salary rather than the member’s individual investment performance. It also provides access to disability and survivor programs and potential retiree health-care coverage when eligibility requirements are met. The tradeoff is that the benefit is governed by plan formulas and system rules rather than by an account balance the member directly controls.
The Defined Contribution Plan works differently. Retirement income depends on contributions, investment performance and annuity or distribution choices. The Combined Plan splits retirement value between a smaller defined-benefit component and a defined-contribution account, while preserving access to certain DB-style protections described by STRS Ohio. The right comparison is therefore predictability, portability, investment responsibility, disability/survivor coverage and expected career length—not simply whether stocks are currently performing well.
The first decision deadline is 180 days and inaction means Defined Benefit
STRS Ohio gives eligible new members 180 days from the first day of paid service to select among the three plans. If no selection is received by the deadline, the member is automatically placed in the Defined Benefit Plan. STRS Ohio states that a member who chooses or defaults into DB does not receive a later plan-reselection opportunity, so missing the deadline is itself a permanent plan decision rather than a temporary default.
New members should use the 180-day period to compare likely tenure in Ohio public education, tolerance for investment risk, need for disability and survivor protection, and the value of potential retiree health coverage. A short expected Ohio career can make portability more important; a career educator may value a formula-based pension more heavily. Those are planning considerations rather than universal recommendations, and the member should use STRS Ohio’s own estimates and plan materials.
DC and Combined members receive a fifth-year reselection window
STRS Ohio allows Defined Contribution and Combined Plan participants to reselect a retirement plan during the fifth year of membership. The system’s 2026 notice says members hired as new members from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022 were in the current reselection cohort and had to complete a change by June 1, 2026. If no change is made during the applicable window, the member remains in the current plan.
A reselection is not just a label change because assets and future benefits can be treated differently depending on the transfer direction. A member in the fifth-year window should request the current STRS Ohio reselection materials and compare the projected retirement benefit or account value under each permitted path before the deadline. Once the reselection period closes, STRS Ohio says the selected plan remains the member’s plan for the duration of membership.
Compare what creates the retirement income before comparing labels
The DB Plan uses a formula based on age, service and final average salary, so investment performance does not directly set the member’s monthly benefit. The DC Plan builds an individual investment account, making contributions, investment returns and distribution choices central. The Combined Plan blends a smaller defined-benefit component with a defined-contribution account. Those structures create different kinds of risk and portability.
Use the member’s expected Ohio public-education career as one input, not as a prediction that must prove correct. A DB formula can reward long service and predictable income, while DC assets can be more portable and investment-sensitive. The Combined Plan sits between those structures. Compare the system’s current projections under the same salary and career assumptions so the choice reflects plan design rather than inconsistent scenarios.
| Plan | Primary retirement-income driver |
|---|---|
| Defined Benefit | Formula using age, service and FAS |
| Defined Contribution | Account contributions and investment performance |
| Combined | DB component plus individual account |
Treat the 180-day deadline as a permanent decision point
Eligible new members have 180 days from the first day of paid service to choose an STRS Ohio plan. If no election is made, STRS Ohio places the member in DB. A member who selects or defaults to DB has no later STRS plan-reselection opportunity, so allowing the deadline to expire is functionally a plan election.
Save proof of the plan election and the date STRS Ohio received it. Because the 180-day deadline can permanently place a member in DB, a completed form or online confirmation is more useful than remembering that an election was discussed with HR. If the member does nothing, document that the default itself carries the no-reselection consequence described in STRS Ohio’s current guidance.
| At 180 days | Result |
|---|---|
| DB selected | DB remains plan |
| DC or Combined selected | Fifth-year reselection opportunity may follow |
| No selection | Automatic DB enrollment |
Use the fifth-year reselection window only if the current plan is DC or Combined
STRS Ohio gives DC and Combined participants a plan-reselection opportunity during the fifth year of membership. Its 2026 notice identified the July 2021 through June 2022 new-member cohort and a June 1, 2026 completion deadline. The member should request current transfer illustrations because changing plans can affect how existing account value and future benefits are treated.
During the fifth-year window, compare not only future contributions but also what happens to value already accumulated under the current DC or Combined arrangement. STRS Ohio’s cohort-specific reselection materials describe the available transfers and deadline. Use those materials for the actual year of eligibility; a coworker who reselected in an earlier cohort may have received different dates or illustrations.
| Reselection question | Check |
|---|---|
| Is current plan DC or Combined? | Required for STRS reselection |
| Which cohort applies? | Use current STRS notice |
| What changes if transferred? | Use personalized system illustration |
Before you make a decision
- Record the original STRS Ohio plan-selection deadline.
- Compare DB, DC and Combined projections using the same career assumptions.
- Include disability, survivor and health-care features in the comparison.
- Save confirmation of the original class or plan election.
- Use the current fifth-year reselection materials if the member is eligible.
Frequently asked questions
What retirement plans can a new STRS Ohio member choose?
Eligible new members can choose the Defined Benefit, Defined Contribution or Combined Plan. The DB Plan uses a pension formula, the DC Plan is based on an individual investment account, and the Combined Plan includes both defined-benefit and defined-contribution components. The features should be compared using current STRS Ohio materials.
How long do I have to choose an STRS Ohio retirement plan?
STRS Ohio gives eligible new members 180 days from the first day of paid service to make the plan selection. If the system does not receive an election by the deadline, Ohio law places the member in the Defined Benefit Plan, and that member does not later receive the normal STRS reselection opportunity.
Can I switch out of the STRS Ohio Defined Benefit Plan later?
STRS Ohio states that members who choose or default into the Defined Benefit Plan do not have a later STRS plan-reselection option. The fifth-year reselection opportunity applies to members who initially selected the Defined Contribution or Combined Plan, subject to the system’s current eligibility and deadline rules.
When can an STRS Ohio DC or Combined member reselect a plan?
DC and Combined Plan participants generally receive a reselection opportunity during the fifth year of STRS Ohio membership. The exact deadline depends on the member’s cohort. STRS Ohio’s 2026 notice, for example, required the eligible July 2021–June 2022 cohort to complete changes by June 1, 2026.
Which STRS Ohio plan is best for a teacher?
There is no single plan that is best for every member. Career length, portability, tolerance for investment risk, need for disability and survivor benefits, and potential retiree health coverage can all matter. Compare current STRS Ohio projections for DB, DC and Combined before the 180-day or reselection deadline.
Official sources
Sources were reviewed on September 2, 2026. Rules and member records maintained by the retirement system control.
STRS Ohio — Plan OptionsOfficial source ↗STRS Ohio — Plan Options FAQOfficial source ↗STRS Ohio — 2026 Plan ReselectionOfficial source ↗This article provides general educational information. It is not a benefit determination or financial, tax, or legal advice. Confirm account-specific information with the retirement system.