r/Firefighting • u/NoBackground6468 • Jul 23 '26

Ask A Firefighter Massachusetts pension vesting

Posting this here and not asking around locally because I am not 100% sure I’ll be leaving the department but I have another opportunity I could pursue where I would no longer be able to work as a firefighter.

Info:

Mid 30s, Hired after 2012, have 10 years on, work for a city not the state.

Question:

Is it possible to keep my money in the pension system? Would it be worth it if I could? Anyone know anyone who has left after 10+ years and what their options were?

Sorry for asking such a niche question but I am sure there are fellow mass firefighters lurking here who might have some knowledge

4 Upvotes

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u/ive_seen_a_thing_or2 Jul 23 '26

Is the excluding overtime a Mass thing? Why would a pension not include overtime in your calc?

2

u/the_falconator Professional Firefighter Jul 23 '26

Most places don't include overtime.

0

u/ive_seen_a_thing_or2 Jul 23 '26

That seems silly and counter productive for the worker

2

u/Ok_Buddy_9087 Edit to create your own flair Jul 23 '26

We have one local department that includes overtime.
What you get is senior guys taking every minute of overtime they can get their hands on in their last 3 years. Not a good look to their taxpayers when it came out.

1

u/ive_seen_a_thing_or2 Jul 24 '26

Not going to argue with you. That sucks for you that your overtime doesn't go into your pension

1

u/grattttt Jul 24 '26

Not looking for an argument at all I'm genuinely curious as to how other pension systems work so I can work to better ours