Check with TRS of AlabamaEstimate only, not an official benefit amount. Confirm with TRS of Alabama (877-517-0020) before you decide.
Your estimated monthly benefit
Fill in the form and we'll show your TRS of Alabama Maximum Monthly Benefit, your tier, the date it's full, any Tier 2 early cut, and what working longer would add.
Your road to a full benefit
Retire as planned, or work longer?
Your benefit at every age
Taking a lump sum (PLOP)
The handbook's own examples
- Tier 1: $42,000 × 27.5 years × 2.0125% ÷ 12 = $1,937.03 a month. Handbook p. 21, Example
- Tier 2: the same $42,000 and 27.5 years × 1.65% ÷ 12 = $1,588.13 a month. Handbook p. 22, Example; Tier 2 Handbook (2019) p. 16 (age 62)
- PLOP: a 60-year-old with a $3,300 Maximum can take $4,000 to $79,000 in cash. A $50,000 lump sum costs $369 a month, leaving $2,931. Handbook p. 25
The handbook's examples don't name a Tier 2 member's age; we used 62 so the benefit isn't reduced. Its 2019 Tier 2 edition says the same. Link opens the calculator with the example filled in; the date of birth is ours.
Refunded and came back? Check with TRS of Alabama
If you had TRS of Alabama or ERS service before 2013, took a refund and came back later, the sources don't say whether you are Tier 1 or Tier 2.
We go by the first date entered; you can choose your tier yourself.
Ala. Code § 16-25-1(29)-(30); Handbook pp. 6, 11Common questions
How is a TRS of Alabama benefit calculated?
Average final salary × years and months of service × the benefit factor, divided by 12: 2.0125% for Tier 1 and 1.65% for Tier 2. The handbook's example: $42,000 × 27.5 years × 2.0125% ÷ 12 = $1,937.03 a month for Tier 1, $1,588.13 for Tier 2.
Am I Tier 1 or Tier 2?
Tier 1 if you had TRS of Alabama or ERS service credit before Jan. 1, 2013. Tier 2 if your first job covered by TRS of Alabama or ERS started on or after Jan. 1, 2013.
When can I retire with a full benefit?
Tier 1: at 60 with 10 years, or with 25 years at any age. Tier 2: at 62 with 10 years (56 for certified firefighters and law enforcement and correctional officers with 10 years of that service).
Can Tier 2 retire before 62?
Yes, with 30 years of service, but the benefit is cut 2% for each year under 62. At 57 that's 10%.
Do TRS of Alabama benefits get a COLA?
Not automatically. Any increase has to be granted, and funded, by the Alabama Legislature.
Is this the official TRS of Alabama calculator?
No. This is an unofficial estimate built from the TRS of Alabama Member Handbook. It isn't affiliated with TRS of Alabama or the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA). RSA's own calculator is in Member Online Services (mso.rsa-al.gov), and TRS of Alabama decides your benefit. Its phone number is 877-517-0020.
Compare Alabama with other states
- States where teachers don't get Social Security: The handbook's paycheck examples take out Social Security tax, which suggests coverage. No source says so outright.
- Teacher DROP plans by state: No. TRS of Alabama's DROP was for Tier 1 only and closed to new applications on March 24, 2011.
- Teacher pension COLAs by state: No automatic COLA. Only the Legislature can grant one, and from Oct. 2026 at most one per four-year term.
- State taxes on teacher pensions, by state: If you live in Alabama, your pension is not subject to Alabama income tax.
- Teacher pension multipliers by state: Tier 1: 2.0125% × years × average of your best 3 of your last 10 years. Tier 2: 1.65% and best 5 of last 10.
- Teacher retirement age by state: Tier 1: age 60 with 10 years, or 25 years at any age. Tier 2: age 62 with 10 years.
Plain-English guides
How your pension works
Tier 1 or Tier 2?One date decides: Jan. 1, 2013. The two tiers side by side.→The benefit formula2.0125% or 1.65% × service × average final salary, the handbook examples and the 80% cap.→Early retirementTier 1 at 25 years with no cut; Tier 2 at 30 years with 2% a year under 62.→Sick leave and buying serviceThe sick-leave chart and the service you can buy: military, out-of-state, withdrawn.→DROP (closed)Closed to new applications since March 24, 2011. What it was.→TRS of Alabama glossaryPlain-English definitions of the TRS of Alabama terms you'll run into.→
Planning your exit
Leaving teaching: refund or keep the benefit?10-year vesting, deferred benefits at 60 or 62, and the refund interest table.→Taxes on your TRS of Alabama benefitFederal tax applies; Alabama income tax doesn't. Withholding on PLOP and refunds.→Social SecurityWhat our RSA sources show (FICA withheld), and how to check your own record.→
After you retire
Working after retirementThe $40,000 limit for 2026, first-year proration, the 30-day break and Act 2026-286.→COLA: no automatic raiseOnly the Legislature grants increases. The 2026 funding rule and the October 2026 bonus.→PEEHIP health insuranceThe 25-year sliding scale, the age penalty and PEEHIP's own examples.→Death and survivor benefitsWhat your family receives before and after you retire, and the $15,000 term life.→
More calculators
About this site
These pages cover the Teachers' Retirement System of Alabama. State and local government employees in the Employees' Retirement System (ERS) have their own rules that we don't model.
Source: TRS Member Handbook, July 2026 edition (back cover "7-2026"), pp. 6, 8, 17, 21-22, 22, 24-25, 31. Also: Code of Alabama Title 16, Ch. 25 and 25A. Last reviewed .