Unused Sick Leave, In Plain English
Many California teachers accumulate unused sick leave over the course of a career. At retirement, this unused leave may be eligible to convert into additional service credit, which is one of the three building blocks of your pension formula.
A Possible Service Credit Impact
Because service credit is one of the multipliers in your pension formula, additional credit from unused sick leave can modestly increase your final pension amount. The exact impact depends on how much unused leave you have and the specific conversion rules that apply to your situation.
No Exact Promises
We are not going to give you a precise dollar figure here, because the conversion details depend on your specific employer, leave balance, and CalSTRS rules at the time you retire. This page is meant to make you aware the concept exists, not to estimate your personal number.
Encourage Official Confirmation
Your district's payroll or HR office, along with your official CalSTRS records, are the authoritative source for your actual accumulated sick leave balance. Confirming this directly - ideally a few years before you plan to retire - avoids surprises later.
Worth Including in Your Pre-Retirement Review
Sick leave service credit is one of several smaller details, alongside final compensation and retirement age, that add up to your full pension picture. See our approaching retirement checklist for the fuller list.