Massachusetts MTRS Retirement Calculator: How to Use It
An MTRS pension turns on three numbers: your age factor, your years of service and your salary average. RetirementPlus and the option you pick move it from there.
What this calculator does
It applies the MTRS age factor tables for your tier, adds RetirementPlus if you qualify, caps the result at 80% of your salary average, and shows Option A, Option B (99% of A, per the MTRS estimator) and Option C (A times the PERAC factor for both ages). It doesn't cover disability, termination or Special Spousal benefits, veterans' extra allowance, or service you haven't fully paid for. Your official number comes from MTRS.
What each input means
Membership tier
Tier 1 before April 2, 2012; Tier 2 on or after.
Creditable service so far
Years of creditable service today, including purchased service. MTRS counts years and full months, so 32.6 years means 32 years and about 7 months.
Salary average
Tier 1: highest 3 consecutive years, or the last 3 if higher. Tier 2: highest 5, or the last 5 if higher. Raises of more than 10% over the average of the 2 prior years can be excluded unless they come from a contract, a new position or more hours.
Age at retirement
Your age on the retirement date. MTRS doesn't round it up, so 59 and 11 months uses the 59 factor.
RetirementPlus
Check it if you're in the program and will have 20 years of MTRS or Boston teaching service. It pays only at 30 years.
Payment option and beneficiary age
For Option C, enter your beneficiary's age at the birthday nearest your retirement date.
Understanding the outputs
Tier 1, 30 years, age 60, $78,000: 2.0% x 30 = 60%, or $46,800 a year under Option A. With RetirementPlus: 60% + 12% = 72%, $56,160. Option B: $55,598. Option C with a 60-year-old beneficiary: $56,160 x 0.9133 = $51,291, and the survivor would get $34,194 a year.
Tier 2, 30 years, age 60, $78,000: 1.625% x 30 = 48.75%, plus 14% with RetirementPlus, 62.75%, or $48,945 a year.
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Frequently asked questions
Am I Tier 1 or Tier 2?
Tier 1 if your MTRS membership date is before April 2, 2012. Tier 2 if it's on or after that date. Tier 2 has later retirement, lower age factors before 67 and a 5-year salary average.
Why is my benefit lower at 60 than I expected?
In Tier 1 the age factor at 60 is 2.0%, not 2.5%. The full 2.5% only applies at 65. Thirty years at 60 is 60% of salary average without RetirementPlus.
Do I get RetirementPlus?
If you were hired on or after July 1, 2001, you're in it. It pays only if you retire with 30 or more years of creditable service, 20 of them as an MTRS or Boston teacher. Then it adds 2% for each full year above 24 (Tier 1) or 23 (Tier 2).
How is Option C figured?
Option A times a factor from the PERAC Option C table for your age and your beneficiary's age. Your beneficiary then gets two-thirds of your Option C amount for life after you die.
How much is the COLA?
Whatever the Legislature approves each year. For FY2027 it's 3% of the first $13,000, up to $390 a year, for members retired by June 30, 2025.