West Virginia PERS Calculator: How to Use It
WV PERS is 2% per year of service. Your tier sets the salary average, the vesting period and when the benefit is unreduced.
What this calculator does
It projects your service to your planned retirement age, applies 2% x service x FAS, and checks your tier's rules. You'll see a full benefit, a deferred benefit and the age it starts, or an early retirement where the reduction comes from CPRB.
The figure is the straight life annuity. The 100% and 50% joint and survivor options pay less.
What each input means
Tier
Set by the date you first became a PERS member: before July 1, 2015 is Tier I, on or after is Tier II.
Current age and years of PERS service
Use your credited service from CPRB. The calculator adds a year for each year until retirement. The Rule of 80 counts contributing service, so purchased service may not help you qualify.
Final average salary
Annual average over your highest 36 or 60 consecutive months within the last 15 years.
Planned retirement age
The age you'd stop working. For Tier I it decides whether you meet 60 with 5 years or the Rule of 80. For Tier II, whether you reach 62.
Understanding the outputs
Green means a full or deferred benefit. Yellow means early retirement: the number shown is unreduced, and your actual benefit will be lower. Red means you're not vested at that point.
A Rule of 80 example
A Tier I member who starts at 30 reaches 55 with 25 years: 55 + 25 = 80, so the full benefit starts at 55. With a $50,000 FAS that's 2% x 25 x $50,000 = $25,000 a year. A Tier II member with the same history isn't unreduced until 62, with 32 years and $32,000 a year.
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Frequently asked questions
Which tier am I in?
Tier I if you first became a PERS member before July 1, 2015. Tier II if you first became a member on or after July 1, 2015.
What is final average salary?
Your average annual salary over the highest 36 (Tier I) or 60 (Tier II) consecutive months within your last 15 years of employment. Lump-sum payments are excluded.
Why doesn't the calculator show a reduced early benefit?
West Virginia law sets early benefits at the actuarial equivalent of the full benefit at a later age, using the board's tables. There's no fixed percentage to apply, so the calculator shows the unreduced amount and the age you'd reach it. CPRB will give you the reduced figure.
Does WV PERS cap the benefit at 80%?
No. The formula is 2% per year of service with no percentage cap in state law, subject only to federal IRC 415 limits.
Is there a COLA?
No automatic COLA. Increases for retirees require legislation.