Ohio STRS Calculator: How to Use It
STRS Ohio pays 2.2% per year of service on a five-year salary average. The board, not the statute, now sets who qualifies and when, so the dates matter.
What this calculator does
It multiplies 2.2% by your service at retirement and your five-year final average salary, caps the result at 100% of that salary, and checks your status under the board's schedule for the year you'd retire. Unreduced results come with COLA projections at 1.6% a year, figured on the original benefit after a five-year wait.
Reduced results show the benefit before the early-retirement cut. STRS Ohio's actuary sets that cut and STRS Ohio publishes the table, but we couldn't verify the current version, so the calculator sends you to your STRS Ohio account for the reduced figure.
What each input means
Current age and years of service
Use the service credit on your STRS Ohio statement, including purchased credit. The calculator adds a year for each year until your planned retirement.
Final average salary
The average of your five highest years of Ohio public earnings.
Planned retirement age
The calculator turns this into a retirement year to pick the right rule: 32/27 years through May 2035, 33/28 from June 2035, 34/29 from June 2037. The age paths, 65 with 5 years unreduced and 60 with 5 years reduced, don't change.
Understanding the outputs
Green means unreduced. Yellow means reduced, and the figure is before the cut. Red means you don't qualify at that age and service, and the banner shows when you would.
The COLA isn't guaranteed. Ohio law sets 2% and the board can change it; it approved 1.6% for fiscal 2027 and says it's aiming for a permanent 1%.
Reduced now or unreduced later
With 27 years you can leave at any age on a reduced benefit. Five more years gets you to 32 and an unreduced one, plus five more years of 2.2% credit. Ask STRS Ohio for both figures and compare the monthly difference with five years of checks you'd give up.
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Frequently asked questions
What final average salary does STRS Ohio use?
The average of your five highest years of Ohio public earnings.
What are the eligibility rules right now?
For retirements June 1, 2025 through May 1, 2035: unreduced with 32 years at any age or at 65 with 5 years; reduced with 27 years at any age or at 60 with 5 years. Then 33/28 years from June 2035 and 34/29 from June 2037.
How big is the early retirement reduction?
STRS Ohio's actuary sets a percentage for each year you're short of unreduced eligibility, and STRS Ohio publishes the table on its site. We couldn't verify the current table, so the calculator shows the benefit before the cut. Your STRS Ohio online account gives the reduced amount.
Is there a benefit cap?
Yes. Ohio law caps the benefit at 100% of final average salary. At 2.2% a year that takes about 45.5 years of service.
How does the STRS Ohio COLA work?
Ohio law sets 2% and lets the board change it. The board approved 1.6% for fiscal 2027. The first increase comes at the 5th anniversary of retirement, and each is figured on the original base benefit, so they don't compound.