Georgia TRS Retirement Calculator
Estimate your Teachers Retirement System of Georgia pension. Enter your age, service and two-year final average salary to see your monthly benefit, whether you'd retire unreduced, the early reduction if you go sooner, and what the twice-a-year COLA adds.
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How Georgia TRS calculates your benefit
The rules below come from Schedule H of the TRS actuarial valuation as of June 30, 2025, which summarizes the plan provisions in Georgia law.
Annual Benefit = 2% x Years of Creditable Service (max 40) x Final Average Salary
Final average salary is your average pay over the two consecutive years that give the highest average. For most teachers that's the last two years. Service stops counting at 40 years, so the benefit tops out at 80% of FAS.
With 30 years and a $68,000 FAS: 0.02 x 30 x $68,000 = $40,800 a year, or $3,400 a month. That's 60% of FAS. At 40 years the same salary pays $54,400. A 42nd or 45th year adds nothing.
Three ways to retire
- Age 60 with 10 years. Unreduced.
- 30 years at any age. Unreduced. A teacher who starts at 22 and never breaks service can retire at 52.
- 25 to 29 years, before 60. Allowed, with a permanent reduction.
If you leave before 60 with at least 10 years and don't take a refund, you have a vested benefit. It starts at 60 or later and is figured on your service and salary when you left. With fewer than 10 years, a refund of contributions plus interest is the only option.
The early reduction
With fewer than 30 years and an age under 60, the benefit is cut by whichever of these is smaller:
- 7% a year, at 1/12 of 7% per month, for the time you're under 60
- 7% for each year or fraction of a year you're short of 30 years of service
At 56 with 27 years: 28% by age, 21% by service. You get the 21% cut. At 50 with 25 years it's 70% against 35%, so 35%. Note the fraction rule: 29.5 years is a full year short, so it costs 7%, the same as 29 years.
The early path also delays the COLA. Someone who retires before 60 with under 30 years gets no increases until they turn 60 or would have reached 30 years, whichever comes first.
The COLA
Georgia TRS adjusts benefits every January 1 and July 1, based on the change in the CPI over the prior six months. Each increase is capped at 1.5%. If both are paid in full, the pension grows a little over 3% a year. If prices fall, benefits aren't cut for the first 2.5% of the drop, and they never go below the amount you started with.
In February 2025 TRS announced its 96th consecutive COLA since July 1977. Two full increases a year turn a $3,400 check into about $4,580 after 10 years. The calculator shows the full-COLA path, so treat it as the top of the range.
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Frequently asked questions
How is a Georgia TRS pension calculated?
2% times your years of creditable service times your final average salary, which is the average of the two consecutive years that give you the highest average. Only 40 years count, so the most you can get is 80% of FAS. With 30 years and a $68,000 FAS, that's 0.02 x 30 x $68,000 = $40,800 a year, or $3,400 a month.
When can I retire from Georgia TRS without a reduction?
At 60 with at least 10 years of service, or at any age once you have 30 years. Both paths use the same 2% formula.
How does the early retirement reduction work?
With 25 to 29 years you can retire before 60. The benefit is cut by the lesser of 7% a year (figured monthly) for each year you're under 60, or 7% for each year or part of a year you're short of 30 years. At 56 with 27 years that's the lesser of 28% and 21%, so 21%.
Does Georgia TRS have a COLA?
Yes. Retirees can get an increase every January 1 and July 1, based on the CPI over the prior six months, up to 1.5% each time. That's a little over 3% a year if both are paid in full. If you retire before 60 with under 30 years, the COLA doesn't start until you reach 60 or would have reached 30 years, whichever is first. TRS announced its 96th consecutive COLA in February 2025.
How many years do I need to vest in Georgia TRS?
10 years. If you leave before 60 with at least 10 years and keep your contributions in TRS, you can draw a vested benefit at 60 or later. With fewer than 10 years you can take a refund of your contributions plus interest, but there's no pension.