CalSTRS Calculator: How to Use It
California teachers hired before 2013 and those hired after are in different plans with different age factor tables. Only the 2% at 60 tier has the career factor for 30-year teachers.
What this calculator does
The CalSTRS Calculator computes your Defined Benefit pension using the correct age factor table for your tier. The formula is: age factor times years of service credit times final compensation. It adds the 0.2% career factor if you have 30 or more years under the 2% at 60 tier, applies the compensation caps ($191,866 for 2% at 62, $360,000 under IRC 401(a)(17) for 2% at 60, July 2026 to June 2027), adds the longevity bonus if you qualify, and estimates a Beneficiary Option from the handbook's option factor table.
It also tracks eligibility at your planned retirement age and how many years remain until the age factor reaches 2.0%.
What each input means
Membership tier
First hired into a CalSTRS-covered position before January 1, 2013: you are in the 2% at 60 tier. First hired January 1, 2013 or later: 2% at 62. The tier appears on your CalSTRS member statement. If you left and returned, the rehire date and break length determine whether you retained your original tier status. Contact CalSTRS to confirm.
Current age and years of service credit
Service credit is the total credited years CalSTRS has on file, including any purchased service, military service, or service transferred in. Decimals are accepted. If you have 22 years and 4 months, entering 22.33 is reasonable. The exact count appears on your annual member statement.
Final compensation
The calculator lets you enter your salary as annual or monthly. For the 2% at 60 tier with 25 or more years, CalSTRS uses your highest 12 consecutive months, as it does for classroom teachers whose bargaining agreement provides a 12-month period; otherwise it uses your highest 36. The 2% at 62 tier always uses 36 months, and compensation above $191,866 (July 2026 to June 2027) doesn't count.
Benefit option
The default is the Member-Only Benefit, which pays the most and stops when you die. The 100%, 75% and 50% Beneficiary Options multiply your benefit by an option factor set by your age and your beneficiary's age. Both 60, for example: 0.9031, 0.9306 and 0.9549. The calculator reads the handbook table for member ages 55 to 70 and beneficiary ages 20 to 70, interpolating between the five-year rows. CalSTRS gives the exact factor.
Understanding the outputs
The eligibility banner tells you whether you can retire at your entered age or how many years remain until eligibility. You can technically begin receiving benefits at 55 with 5 years (2% at 60 tier) or at 50 with 30 years, but the age factor at those ages is lower. Eligibility and optimality are not the same thing.
If the career factor applies (30+ years, 2% at 60 tier), the results show it separately. A green banner confirms the 0.2% is in the age factor shown.
The age factor tops out at 2.4%, so more service still raises the benefit after that point.
CalSTRS and Social Security
Most California public school teachers do not pay into Social Security and do not receive Social Security benefits from their teaching employment. Some teachers have Social Security credits from other jobs. For benefits payable before January 2024, the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) reduced those benefits for CalSTRS pension recipients. Congress repealed WEP in the Social Security Fairness Act, signed January 5, 2025, effective for benefits payable after December 2023. If you have Social Security from other work, your benefit should now be paid in full. This calculator covers only the CalSTRS DB pension.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between CalSTRS 2% at 60 and 2% at 62?
First hired before January 1, 2013: 2% at 60. First hired January 1, 2013 or later: 2% at 62. Different age factor tables, different eligibility rules, and only the 2% at 60 tier has the 30-year career factor bonus.
What is the CalSTRS career factor and who gets it?
2% at 60 members with 30+ years of service credit get a 0.2% bonus added to their age factor, capped at a total of 2.4%. The 2% at 62 tier has no career factor. It is a meaningful benefit for long-tenured older-tier teachers.
What counts as final compensation for CalSTRS?
2% at 60 members who retire with 25 or more years use their highest 12 consecutive months, and so do classroom teachers whose collective bargaining agreement provides a 12-month final compensation period. Everyone else, including all 2% at 62 members, uses the highest 36 consecutive months.
What is the minimum retirement age for CalSTRS?
2% at 60 tier: age 55 with 5 years, or age 50 with 30 years. 2% at 62 tier: age 55 with 5 years. Retiring before the target age (60 or 62) means a lower age factor and a smaller monthly benefit.
What is the CalSTRS Defined Benefit Supplement?
A separate account holding certain contributions. It is not calculated with the main DB formula. At retirement you can annuitize it, take a lump sum, or leave it. This calculator covers only the main DB pension. Your DBS balance is on your CalSTRS member statement.