HRS §88-61
When you stop being a member of the retirement system
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗This section explains when someone stops being a member of the retirement system. If you leave your job and don't return for four years, you lose your membership and the service credit you earned. You also stop being a member if you take out your contributions, retire, or die.
employees
The statute, as written — Termination of membership
A copy, taken August 20, 2026. The version published by the Legislature is the one that governs, and it may have changed since. Check it before relying on anything here.
(a) Except as otherwise provided by section 88-96, any member absent from service for four calendar years following the calendar year in which the member's employment terminated shall cease to be a member, and the former member's credited service shall be forfeited. (b) Any member who withdraws the member's contributions, becomes a retirant, or dies, ceases to be a member as of the date of withdrawal, retirement, or death.
Sections this one refers to
§88-96 Getting your pension money back when you leave a job
LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.