How the estimate works
Almost every public pension in the United States uses the same three-part formula. Your plan multiplies your years of service by a percentage for each year, often called the multiplier or age factor, and then multiplies that by your final average salary. A Texas teacher with 30 years and a $65,000 final average gets 2.3% × 30 = 69% of $65,000, which is $44,850 a year or about $3,738 a month.
The differences between plans sit inside those three pieces. Some plans raise the percentage the longer you wait, the way CalSTRS climbs from 2% at 62 to 2.4% at 65. Others keep the multiplier flat but take a fixed cut for each year you leave early, like Florida's 5% a year or Illinois Tier 2's 6% a year. The calculator applies each plan's own rule, so you can move the age slider and watch the number change for the right reason.
Plans the calculator covers
The plans below have their tiers and early-retirement rules built in. For any other system, choose "Other plan" and enter the multiplier from your member handbook.
| Plan | Formula |
|---|---|
| Texas TRS | 2.3% × years of service × average of your highest 5 salaries |
| CalSTRS | Age factor × years of service × final compensation |
| CalPERS | Benefit factor × years of service × final compensation |
| NYSTRS | Pension factor × age factor × final average salary |
| STRS Ohio | 2.2% × years of service × five-year final average salary |
| Florida FRS | Percentage value × years of service × average final compensation |
| Illinois TRS | 2.2% × years of service × final average salary, up to 75% |
Getting the inputs right
Years of service means service credit, which can differ from calendar years. Part-time work, unpaid leave and purchased service all change it, and your annual statement shows the exact figure. For salary, enter the average your plan uses rather than your latest paycheck. If you expect raises before you retire, use the average you expect to have at the end.
The result is the maximum single-life benefit. If you pick a survivor option so a spouse keeps receiving payments after you die, the monthly amount is lower. Our payout options guide walks through how much lower.
Questions
What is a final average salary?
It is the average of your best-paid years, as your plan defines them. Texas TRS uses your five highest years, CalSTRS uses your highest 36 months, and Illinois TRS Tier 2 uses your best 8 consecutive years out of the last 10. Use that average, not your current salary.
Why does the estimate drop when I move the age slider down?
Two things happen at once. You have fewer years of service, and many plans cut the benefit for each year you retire before the normal age. The bar chart shows both effects together.
What does "Plan reduces this" mean?
Some systems, like Texas TRS for early-age retirement and NYSTRS before the unreduced age, use their own reduction tables. We show the unreduced formula amount in that case and flag it, because the exact cut depends on a table the plan applies to your record.
Does this include cost-of-living increases?
No. The result is your first-year benefit before tax and before any COLA. Our COLA guide explains how each state raises pensions after retirement.