- 1
Find your group
From the date you were first hired into a pension job: before January 1, 2012, or on or after it.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 18, Table 2; SEPP FAQs (saved Nov. 12, 2026), 'Am I eligible to retire?' (A001/A002); 29 Del. C. §5501(i) - 2
Project your service
We add a year of service for each year from today to your pension start, unless you tell us the years are already what you'll have. Service is counted to the nearest twelfth of a year. Bought service raises the pension but doesn't count toward eligibility.
29 Del. C. §5527(a)(1) ('taken to the nearest twelfth of a year'); Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 10, Earned Service; 29 Del. C. §5501(e)(8), (9), (11), (19), (20) (purchased credit 'shall not be used to determine eligibility'); SEPP FAQs (saved Nov. 12, 2026), medical leave and military answers - 3
Apply the formula
Your three highest years of pay ÷ 36 = FAE, capped at the IRS limit. FAE × 2% × years before January 1, 1997 + FAE × 1.85% × later years and bought years.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 23, Service Pension Calculation, Figure 1; Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 22, Calculating Your Pension; p. 13 (highest period 'can be any consecutive 12-month period and is often not a calendar year'); Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 21-22 (3 months of sick leave adds $25.69 and 1 year of actuarial buy-in adds $102.78 on an FAE of $5,555.56, i.e. 1.85% a year) - 4
Check for an early cut
Full pension: before 2012, age 62 with 5 years, age 60 with 15 years, 30 years at any age; 2012 or later, age 65 with 10 years, age 60 with 20 years, 30 years at any age. Otherwise at 55 with 15 years or with 25 years: 0.2% or 0.4% a month, counting the months to age 60 or to 30 years, whichever is closer. We count whole months of age on your last day of work.
Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 18, Table 2 (Service); Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 7; SEPP FAQs (saved Nov. 12, 2026), 'Am I eligible to retire?'; Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 18, Table 2 (Early/Reduced); p. 24, Reduced Pension Calculation, Figure 2 ('The number of months away from 30 years of service or from the age of 60, whichever is closest'); Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 8 - 5
Add options, dates and health
The four survivor options in dollars, your full-pension date, the next three years, and the State's share of your retiree health premium.
Summary Plan Description (2026), pp. 19-20, Survivor Pension, Table 3; p. 31, Joint Survivor Benefit Form; Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 14-15; Summary Plan Description (2026), pp. 33-34, Retiree Benefits; Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 24-31
What the calculator doesn't cover
- Your FAE. We use the pay you enter; the Office of Pensions works it out from payroll, including final lag pay.
- Whether 5 of your years are consecutive. We assume they are.
- Special groups (911 operators, correctional and peace officers), disability pensions and unified service from other Delaware plans.
- The cost of buying military or other service: it's set by the Board and not published.
- Future post-retirement increases, Social Security and taxes.
The guides cover the rest: buying service, retiree health and survivor benefits.
How we check the math
The calculator runs on a small engine that reads every rule from one data file, with a source for each. Automated tests check it against every worked example in the Office of Pensions' publications, plus the edges of each rule (5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 years; ages 55, 60, 62, 65; the 1997 and 2012 dates). The tests run every time the site is built.
| Example | Source shows | Our engine |
|---|---|---|
| Workshop calculator: 23 years, full pensionOffice of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 19-20 (calculator inputs and results) | $2,380.56 | $2,380.56Match |
| Same, reduced at 55 (12%)Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 19-20 (calculator inputs and results) | $2,094.89 | $2,094.89Match |
| Full pension, 66.67% survivor optionOffice of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 19-20 (calculator inputs and results) | $2,332.95 | $2,332.95Match |
| Full pension, 75% survivor optionOffice of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 19-20 (calculator inputs and results) | $2,309.14 | $2,309.14Match |
| Full pension, 100% survivor optionOffice of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 19-20 (calculator inputs and results) | $2,237.73 | $2,237.73Match |
| Reduced pension, 66.67% survivor optionOffice of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 19-20 (calculator inputs and results) | $2,052.99 | $2,052.99Match |
| Reduced pension, 75% survivor optionOffice of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 19-20 (calculator inputs and results) | $2,032.04 | $2,032.04Match |
| Reduced pension, 100% survivor optionOffice of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 19-20 (calculator inputs and results) | $1,969.20 | $1,969.20Match |
| Annual statement sample, Block 4Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 19 ('For Example Only', annual statement Block 4); Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 13, Block 4 | $2,324.35 | $2,324.35Match |
| Sick leave buy-in: 3 monthsOffice of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 21 | $833.34 / +$25.69 | $833.34 / +$25.69Match |
| Actuarial buy-in: 1 yearOffice of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 22 | +$102.78 | +$102.78Match |
| Retiree health, hired 1986, 15 yearsOffice of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 29, Health Insurance Example | $343.30 | $343.30Match |
| Retiree health, hired 2003, 15 yearsOffice of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 29, Health Insurance Example | $905.21 | $905.21Match |
| Retiree health, hired 2007, 15 yearsOffice of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 29, Health Insurance Example | $1,467.11 | $1,467.11Match |
Things to check with the Office of Pensions
The sources don't settle these points. Each is labelled "Check with the Office of Pensions" where it shows up on the site.
If you were first hired in 2012 or later and are 60 or older with 15 to 19 years, you can't get the unreduced pension (that needs 20 years at 60). The reduced pension's cut is measured only to age 60, so it works out to zero. No source shows this case. We show a reduced pension with a 0% cut.
What would settle it: An Office of Pensions estimate for a post-2011 member retiring at 61 with 17 years.
The early cut counts the months you are under 60 (or short of 30 years), but the sources don't say how part of a month counts. We count whole months of age on your last day of work, and your service in whole months.
What would settle it: An Office of Pensions estimate for someone retiring mid-month of age, e.g. 57 years 4 months 15 days.
Every pension needs 5 years of service in a row. The calculator assumes your service includes 5 consecutive years; your annual statement shows whether it does.
What would settle it: The member's Comprehensive Annual Statement (Block 2) or the Office of Pensions.
A pension starts the month after you stop working (or the month after the birthday, for a former employee). We show the earliest start as the 1st of the month after the day you first meet both the age and the service rule.
What would settle it: An Office of Pensions confirmation of the effective date for a member who turns 60 on the 1st of a month.
Both of the Office of Pensions' buy-in examples add 1.85% of your monthly FAE for each year bought, the rate for service from 1997 on. The sources don't say which rate applies to other purchases. We use 1.85% for all bought service.
What would settle it: A buy-in worksheet from the Office of Pensions.
Military and other governmental service cost their 'actuarial value', set by the Board of Pension Trustees. No table is published; the only figure is the workshop's one-year example, so we can't price your purchase.
What would settle it: The Board's actuarial purchase factors, or an online calculator estimate for the member.
A surviving spouse under 50 gets a pension reduced by Board tables that aren't published, so we can't show that amount.
What would settle it: The Board of Pension Trustees' actuarial tables.
The 2026 Summary Plan Description leaves out the health schedule for people first hired on or after January 1, 2025. We use the schedule in the law and the workshop. A different schedule applies to 2025 hires 'subject to mandatory retirement', which the sources don't define; we assume teachers aren't (the Office of Pensions says SEPP has no mandatory retirement age).
What would settle it: A revised Summary Plan Description or a Statewide Benefits Office eligibility chart.
The Summary Plan Description gives only the 2026 IRS limit on pay that can count. We cap your yearly FAE at that figure; it matters only for very high earners.
What would settle it: Not needed for typical teacher salaries.
For 10-month employees the Summary Plan Description says 18 sick days buy a month; the law says credit follows the school-year contract, and the Office of Pensions' own calculator warns 10-month employees its result may be off.
What would settle it: A sick-leave buy-in worksheet for a 10-month teacher.
Where sources disagreed
- The 2026 Summary Plan Description's health table has only two schedules after 1991, so by its words someone hired in 2025 would follow the 2007 schedule (full State share at 20 years). Delaware law and the Office of Pensions' August 2026 workshop add a separate schedule for people first hired on or after January 1, 2025, with the full share only at 25 years. We use the law and the workshop. Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 33, Table 6; p. 6 (law takes precedence); Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slide 28; 29 Del. C. §5202(b)(3)c-d
- The Summary Plan Description says the survivor of a member who dies while still working gets 75% of the pension the member would have received. The law's wording could mean 75% after a 2% option reduction. We use the Summary Plan Description's plain 75%. Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 18, Table 2; p. 20; 29 Del. C. §5528(a)(1)
- The August 2026 retiree newsletter says retirees who have reached 59½ must wait three months. The law, the Summary Plan Description, the workshop and the Office of Pensions' return-to-work page all say the three-month wait is for retirees under 59½. We follow the law: under 59½, wait three months; at 59½ or older there is no wait, but a return still can't be arranged before you retire. DPERS Retiree Newsletter (Aug. 2026), p. 1; Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 36; 29 Del. C. §5502(d)(1); Return To Work Criteria page (saved Nov. 12, 2026); DPERS Retiree Newsletter (Aug. 2025), p. 1
- The law granting the July 1, 2021 increase gives 2% to pensions that started on or before June 30, 2001 and 1% to pensions that started after July 1, 2001. Read literally, a pension that started exactly on July 1, 2001 is in neither group. We show no percent for that date. 29 Del. C. §5532(q)
- The law and the Office of Pensions' FAQ let a former employee with 20 years that include service before July 1, 1976 start a vested pension at 60. The Summary Plan Description's table lists only age 62. This matters only to people who worked before mid-1976. 29 Del. C. §5522(b)(1); SEPP FAQs (saved Nov. 12, 2026), Vested Pension; Summary Plan Description (2026), p. 18, Table 2
- Your annual statement rounds every step to cents, while the Office of Pensions' online calculator keeps full precision until the end, so the two can differ by a cent or two. The workshop's buy-in screen adds two rounded amounts and shows a cent more than the formula gives. Office of Pensions workshop slides (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 19-20
Sources
- State Employees' Pension Plan Summary Plan Description 2026 edition (PDF dated May 14, 2026)
- SEPP Retirement Planning (pre-retirement workshop slides), Office of Pensions Aug. 4, 2026
- Office of Pensions, State Employees' Pension Plan page Saved Nov. 12, 2026
- Office of Pensions, State Employees' Pension Plan FAQs Saved Nov. 12, 2026
- Office of Pensions, Return To Work Criteria Saved Nov. 12, 2026
- DPERS Actives Newsletter February 2025 (Winter 2025)
- DPERS Retiree Newsletter August 2025 (Summer 2025)
- DPERS Retiree Newsletter August 2026 (Summer 2026)
- 29 Del. C. Chapter 55, State Employees' Pension Plan (subchapters I-III) delcode.delaware.gov, saved Nov. 12, 2026 (includes 85 Del. Laws through c. 324, the July 1, 2026 increase)
- 29 Del. C. Chapter 52, Health Care Insurance (§5202 state share and proration ratio) delcode.delaware.gov, saved Nov. 12, 2026
- 29 Del. C. Chapter 57, Social Security (federal-state agreement) delcode.delaware.gov, saved Nov. 12, 2026
- 30 Del. C. Chapter 11, Subchapter II (§1106 modifications; pension exclusion) delcode.delaware.gov, saved Nov. 12, 2026
- Delaware Division of Revenue, 2025 Estimated Tax (PIT-EST) instructions Tax year 2025
Summary Plan Description pages are the printed page numbers. Last reviewed Nov. 12, 2026.
Source: State Employees' Pension Plan Summary Plan Description, 2026 edition (PDF dated May 14, 2026), pp. 10, 13, 18-20, 22-24, 31, 33-34. Also: Office of Pensions workshop (Aug. 4, 2026), slides 7-8, 14-15, 19-22, 24-31; Office of Pensions SEPP FAQs; 29 Del. C. §§ 5501, 5527. Last reviewed .
None of the sources we have says outright whether SEPP members, including teachers, pay into Social Security.
What would settle it: Delaware's Section 218 agreement summary, or an Office of Pensions or Statewide Benefits Office statement.