- Your first cost-of-living adjustment comes on the first January 1 or July 1 after nine months of retirement: May-October retirements get July COLAs, November-April retirements get January COLAs.Filing for Retirement / New Retiree Q&A (AI_FNRQA_200628), p. 3; Connecticut TRB webpage 'Cost of Living Adjustments'
- If you retired on or after Sept. 1, 1992 and joined before July 1, 2007, the COLA equals Social Security's COLA up to 6%, but no more than 1.5% if the pension fund earned under 6.9% the year before. If you joined on or after July 1, 2007, it is Social Security's COLA capped at 1% (fund return under 6.9%), 3% (6.9% to 9.9%) or 5% (over 9.9%). Members who retired before Sept. 1992 get 3% to 5%, tied to inflation.C.G.S. § 10-183g(j)-(l) (2026 Supp.); Connecticut TRB webpage 'Cost of Living Adjustments'
- For January and July 2026, Social Security's COLA was 2.8% and the fund returned 10.15%, so post-1992 retirees received 2.8% each time.Connecticut TRB webpage 'Cost of Living Adjustments'; Cost of Living Adjustments Granted from 1978 (RT_COLAHIST_260114)
The three groups
- Retired before September 1, 1992: 5% a year, lowered to the CPI-W rise for the 12 months to the prior November (January COLA) or May (July COLA), but never below 3%. C.G.S. § 10-183g(j) (2026 Supp.); Connecticut TRB webpage 'Cost of Living Adjustments'
- Retired on or after Sept. 1, 1992 and joined before July 1, 2007: The Social Security COLA for the year, up to 6%; if the pension fund's total return for the prior fiscal year is under 6.9%, at most 1.5%. C.G.S. § 10-183g(l)(1) (2026 Supp.); Connecticut TRB webpage 'Cost of Living Adjustments'
- Joined on or after July 1, 2007: The Social Security COLA, capped at 1% if the prior fiscal year's return is under 6.9%, 3% if between 6.9% and 9.9%, 5% if over 9.9%. C.G.S. § 10-183g(l)(2) (2026 Supp.); Connecticut TRB webpage 'Cost of Living Adjustments'; Active Teachers' Handbook (2022), pp. 47-48
The caps by fund return
If Social Security's COLA were 2.8%, as in 2026, and if it were 6%, each post-1992 group would get:
| Fund return | Joined before July 2007 | Joined July 2007 on |
|---|---|---|
| 5% | 1.5%1.5% at 6% | 1%1% at 6% |
| 6.9% | 2.8%6% at 6% | 2.8%3% at 6% |
| 8% | 2.8%6% at 6% | 2.8%3% at 6% |
| 9.9% | 2.8%6% at 6% | 2.8%3% at 6% |
| 10.15%2026 | 2.8%6% at 6% | 2.8%5% at 6% |
| 12% | 2.8%6% at 6% | 2.8%5% at 6% |
Our engine on the statute's rules. C.G.S. § 10-183g(l)(1) (2026 Supp.); Connecticut TRB webpage 'Cost of Living Adjustments'; C.G.S. § 10-183g(l)(2) (2026 Supp.); Connecticut TRB webpage 'Cost of Living Adjustments'; Active Teachers' Handbook (2022), pp. 47-48
For members who joined on or after July 1, 2007, the COLA cap depends on the pension fund's return. The law doesn't say what happens at exactly 9.9%. We use the 3% cap from 6.9% through 9.9%.
What would settle it: Connecticut TRB ruling or a historical year at exactly 9.9%.
The 2022 handbook says the COLA for retirees since 1992 who joined before 2007 is capped at 1.5% when the fund earns under 8.5%. The statute, as changed in 2021, and Connecticut TRB's current COLA page both say 6.9%. We use 6.9%.
Handbook (July 1, 2022) p. 47 says the post-1992 COLA is capped at 1.5% when the fund return is under 8.5%. C.G.S. § 10-183g(l)(1) (2025 rev. and 2026 Supp.; P.A. 21-178, effective July 1, 2021) and Connecticut TRB's current COLA webpage say 6.9%. C.G.S. § 10-183g(l)(1) (2026 Supp.); Connecticut TRB webpage 'Cost of Living Adjustments'
Your first COLA
COLAs start on the first January 1 or July 1 after nine months of retirement: retirements May-October get July COLAs, November-April get January COLAs. COLAs apply to the pension, not to an extra annuity, and not to basic survivor benefits granted before retirement. C.G.S. § 10-183g(j)-(l) (2026 Supp.); Filing for Retirement / New Retiree Q&A (AI_FNRQA_200628), p. 3; Connecticut TRB webpage 'Cost of Living Adjustments'
| If you retire | First COLA |
|---|---|
| May 1, 2026 | July 1, 2027 |
| July 1, 2026 | July 1, 2027 |
| October 1, 2026 | July 1, 2027 |
| November 1, 2026 | January 1, 2028 |
| January 1, 2027 | January 1, 2028 |
| April 1, 2027 | January 1, 2028 |
Retired before September 1992
5% a year, lowered to the CPI-W rise for the 12 months to the prior November (January COLA) or May (July COLA), but never below 3%. The latest: 3% in January 2026 and 4.4% in July. C.G.S. § 10-183g(j) (2026 Supp.); Connecticut TRB webpage 'Cost of Living Adjustments'
COLAs for members who retired before September 1992 follow an inflation index. Connecticut TRB's pages don't print the index figure it used, so we show the COLAs it granted, not our own forecast.
What would settle it: BLS CPI-W 12-month change to May 2026.
COLA history
COLAs Connecticut TRB has granted, most recent first (the last 24 of 98 since 1978): Cost of Living Adjustments Granted from 1978 (RT_COLAHIST_260114)
| Date | Retired before 9/1992 | Joined before 7/2007 | Joined after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2026 | 4.4% | 2.8% | 2.8% |
| Jan 2026 | 3% | 2.8% | 2.8% |
| Jul 2025 | 3% | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Jan 2025 | 3% | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Jul 2024 | 3.3% | 3.2% | 3% |
| Jan 2024 | 3% | 3.2% | 3% |
| Jul 2023 | 3.6% | 1.5% | 1% |
| Jan 2023 | 5% | 1.5% | 1% |
| Jul 2022 | 5% | 5.9% | 5% |
| Jan 2022 | 5% | 5.9% | 5% |
| Jul 2021 | 5% | 1.3% | 1% |
| Jan 2021 | 3% | 1.3% | 1% |
| Jul 2020 | 3% | 1.5% | 1% |
| Jan 2020 | 3% | 1.5% | 1% |
| Jul 2019 | 3% | 1.5% | 1% |
| Jan 2019 | 3% | 1.5% | 1% |
| Jul 2018 | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Jan 2018 | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Jul 2017 | 3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Jan 2017 | 3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Jul 2016 | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| Jan 2016 | 3% | 0% | 0% |
| Jul 2015 | 3% | 1.7% | 1.7% |
| Jan 2015 | 3% | 1.7% | 1.7% |
A COLA may be waived; a waived COLA is forfeited forever. C.G.S. § 10-183g(j)-(k) (2026 Supp.) The calculator shows the date of your first COLA and your group.
Questions
How is the Connecticut TRB COLA set?
By a formula in the statute, not a yearly vote. If you retired on or after September 1, 1992 it follows Social Security's COLA, with a cap that depends on the pension fund's return the year before and on when you joined. If you retired earlier it follows inflation, between 3% and 5%.
When is my first COLA?
On the first January 1 or July 1 after nine months of retirement. Retire July 1, 2026 and it's July 1, 2027; retire November 1, 2026 and it's January 1, 2028.
What was the 2026 COLA?
2.8% for retirees since September 1992 in both groups, in January and July 2026: Social Security's COLA was 2.8% and the fund returned 10.15%. Members who retired before September 1992 got 3% in January and 4.4% in July.
Source: CTRS Active Teachers' Handbook, July 1, 2022, pp. 46-48, 47-48. Also: Connecticut TRB webpage 'Cost of Living Adjustments'; Filing for Retirement / New Retiree Q&A p. 3; Cost of Living Adjustments Granted from 1978; C.G.S. § 10-183g. Last reviewed .