Texas TRS Retirement Calculator
Estimate your Texas Teacher Retirement System pension using the 2.3% formula. Pick your tier, enter your age, service and average salary, and see your monthly annuity, any early-age reduction, and your PLSO and survivor options.
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How TRS calculates your benefit
The standard annuity is 2.3% x years of service credit x your average salary, divided by 12 for the monthly amount. The rules here come from the TRS Benefits Handbook (September 2025). Grandfathered members (Tiers 1, 4 and 6) average their highest 3 annual salaries. Everyone else averages the highest 5. Hire date alone doesn't decide it.
Monthly Standard Annuity = 2.3% x Years of Service x Average Salary / 12
The handbook works one example: 23 years x 2.3% = 52.9%, times a $56,000 average, is $29,624 a year or $2,468.67 a month. Age isn't in the formula. It only decides whether you can retire and whether you take an early-age cut. If the formula comes out under $150 a month, TRS pays $150.
Six tiers
TRS has six tiers, built from three facts: when you joined, whether you were grandfathered under 2005 legislation, and whether you had 5 years of service credit on Aug. 31, 2014. You're grandfathered if, before Sept. 1, 2005, you were at least 50, your age plus service was at least 70, or you had 25 years. Your tier is printed on your annual statement.
- Tier 1 (grandfathered) and Tier 2: joined before Sept. 1, 2007. Rule of 80 at any age.
- Tier 4 (grandfathered) and Tier 3: joined Sept. 1, 2007 through Aug. 31, 2014 with 5 years by that date. Rule of 80 needs age 60.
- Tier 6 (grandfathered) and Tier 5: joined on or after Sept. 1, 2014, or had under 5 years on Aug. 31, 2014. Rule of 80 needs age 62.
In every tier you can retire unreduced at 65 with 5 years of service.
Early retirement reductions
You can retire early at 55 with 5 years, at any age with 30 years, or with the Rule of 80 before your tier's minimum age. The cut depends on which door you use.
At 55 to 64 with 5 years and no Rule of 80, TRS applies actuarial tables from its administrative rules. The cut can be as large as 53% at age 55. Grandfathered members aged 55 to 59 with 20 to 24 years lose 2% a year before age 60 or the age at which they'd meet the Rule of 80, whichever comes first. At 55, that's 10% with 20 years, 8% with 21 and 2% with 24. With 30 years but no Rule of 80, Tiers 1-2 lose 2% a year under 50 and Tiers 3-6 lose 5% a year under 60 or 62. Meeting the Rule of 80 below the minimum age costs 5% a year under 60 (Tiers 3-4) or 62 (Tiers 5-6). Grandfathered Tiers 4 and 6 skip that cut at 55 or older with 20+ years.
The calculator uses the published TRS tables. TRS has amended them since the version we could fetch, so treat early-age figures as close estimates and confirm with MyTRS.
The PLSO
The Partial Lump Sum Option pays 12, 24 or 36 months of your standard annuity as a lump sum at retirement, in exchange for a permanently smaller monthly check. Grandfathered members can take it if they qualify for an unreduced annuity. Tiers 2, 3 and 5 need age plus service of at least 90. DROP participants can't. TRS doesn't print the monthly reduction in the handbook, so the calculator shows the lump sum and leaves the reduced annuity to your TRS estimate.
Survivor options
The standard annuity stops when you die. Option One pays your beneficiary 100% of your reduced annuity, Option Five 75% and Option Two 50%. The handbook prints the factors for member and beneficiary ages 55, 57, 59, 61, 63 and 65, and the calculator uses those. For other ages, MyTRS has the exact factor.
No automatic COLA
TRS retirees don't get an automatic cost-of-living adjustment. Increases happen only when the Legislature passes one. At 3% inflation a fixed pension loses about half its buying power in 25 years, which makes a 403(b) or 457(b) worth more to a Texas teacher than to someone with an indexed pension.
Related tools
Ohio STRS Calculator
Ohio teacher retirement with the 2.2% formula and defined benefit plan
Georgia TRS Calculator
Georgia teacher pension with the 2% formula, unreduced at 60 or 30 years
Illinois TRS Calculator
Illinois TRS Tier 1 and Tier 2 with the 2.2% formula
WEP Calculator
Historical WEP reduction calculator. WEP was repealed January 2025.
Lump Sum vs Annuity
Compare the PLSO lump sum against the lifetime TRS annuity stream
Frequently asked questions
How is Texas TRS calculated?
2.3% x years of service credit x your average salary. Grandfathered members (Tiers 1, 4 and 6) use the average of their highest 3 annual salaries. Everyone else uses the highest 5. The handbook's example: 23 years and a $56,000 average gives 52.9% x $56,000 = $29,624 a year, or $2,468.67 a month. The minimum standard annuity is $150 a month.
What are the six TRS tiers?
Your tier depends on when you joined, whether you were grandfathered under 2005 legislation, and whether you had 5 years of service on Aug. 31, 2014. Tiers 1 and 2 joined before Sept. 1, 2007. Tiers 3 and 4 joined Sept. 1, 2007 through Aug. 31, 2014 and had 5 years by that date. Tiers 5 and 6 joined later or had less than 5 years on Aug. 31, 2014. Tiers 1, 4 and 6 are the grandfathered ones. You were grandfathered if, before Sept. 1, 2005, you were 50 or older, your age plus service was at least 70, or you had 25 years.
What is the Rule of 80 for Texas teachers?
Your age plus years of service credit totals at least 80. In Tiers 1 and 2 it gives an unreduced annuity at any age. Tiers 3 and 4 also need to be at least 60, and Tiers 5 and 6 at least 62. Below that age, meeting the Rule of 80 still lets you retire, but the annuity drops 5% for each year under 60 or 62. Grandfathered Tiers 4 and 6 skip that cut if they are 55 or older with 20 or more years. Everyone can retire unreduced at 65 with 5 years.
How much is the early retirement reduction?
At 55 with 5 years but no Rule of 80, TRS cuts the annuity using actuarial tables in its rules, up to 53% at age 55. Grandfathered members aged 55 to 59 with 20 to 24 years lose 2% a year before age 60 or the age at which they'd meet the Rule of 80, whichever comes first, so at most 10%. With 30 or more years but no Rule of 80, it's 2% a year under 50 for Tiers 1-2 and 5% a year under 60 or 62 for Tiers 3-6. It isn't a flat 5% a year across the board. MyTRS shows your exact figure.
Can I take a lump sum from Texas TRS?
Through the Partial Lump Sum Option (PLSO), you can take 12, 24 or 36 months of your standard annuity as a lump sum at retirement, and your monthly annuity is permanently reduced. Grandfathered members qualify if they're eligible for an unreduced annuity. Tiers 2, 3 and 5 need age plus service of at least 90. TRS doesn't publish the reduction factors in the handbook, so get the reduced monthly amount from MyTRS or a TRS estimate.
Does Texas TRS have a COLA?
No automatic one. Any increase for retirees takes an act of the Texas Legislature. A fixed pension loses about half its buying power over 25 years at 3% inflation, so plan for that. Confirm with TRS whether a recent law changed your benefit.
What happens to my TRS if I leave Texas teaching?
With at least 5 years of service credit you can leave your account at TRS and retire later when you meet your tier's age and service rules. Or you can take a refund of your accumulated contributions, but with 5 or more years you must sign a waiver of all future retirement benefits to do it.