Three questions
- Before July 1, 1993, did you have at least 10 years of service credit? (Or were you 60 by then, with a year of service right before?) Yes: age 60.
- If not, before July 1, 2011, did you have at least 5 years? (Or were you 62 by then, with a year of service right before?) Yes: age 62.
- Neither? That includes everyone who joined after June 30, 2011: age 65.
Handbook p. 15, Normal Retirement Age
- Normal retirement age 60. Before July 1, 1993 you had at least 10 years of service credit, or had reached age 60 with at least a year of service credit immediately before reaching 60.
- Normal retirement age 62. Not in the age-60 group, and before July 1, 2011 you had at least 5 years of service credit, or had reached age 62 with at least a year of service credit immediately before reaching 62.
- Normal retirement age 65. Before July 1, 2011 you had less than 5 years of service credit and had not reached 62 with a year of service credit.
If before July 1, 1993 (or July 1, 2011) you were eligible to buy enough service to reach 10 (or 5) years and you buy it before you retire, your NRA is 60 (or 62). Handbook p. 15, Note
The handbook tests service 'before July 1, 1993' and 'before July 1, 2011'; the 2023 Ready to Retire slides say 'by June 30, 1993' and 'by June 30, 2011'. These are the same dates.
Handbook p. 15; Ready to Retire (2023) slide 4| Joined | Years before July 1993 | Years before July 2011 | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 1980 | 12.8 | 30.0 | Age 60 |
| September 1986 | 6.8 | 24.8 | Age 62 |
| September 2004 | 0.0 | 6.8 | Age 62 |
| September 2008 | 0.0 | 2.8 | Age 65 |
| September 2013 | 0.0 | 0.0 | Age 65 |
Part-time work, unpaid leave and breaks give you less service than the calendar does, so your real numbers can be lower. The calculator estimates your group the same way unless you tell it.
Your NRA depends on your service credit on July 1, 1993 and July 1, 2011. If you don't enter those, we estimate them from your membership date as if you had worked full time without a break.
What we do: We estimate your service on those dates from your start date unless you tell us.
What would settle it: The member's annual statement or a MainePERS estimate, which shows the NRA plan.What your group changes
| Age 60 group | Age 62 group | Age 65 group | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full benefit from | age 60 | age 62 | age 65 |
| Early cut with 25 years | about 2.25% a year | 6% a year | 6% a year |
| First COLA | after 12 months of payments | 12 months after 62 too | 12 months after 65 too |
| State health share starts | at 60 | at 62 | at 65 |
| 90-day work limit (handbook) | until 60 | until 62 | until 65 |
Handbook p. 17, Note; Handbook p. 22, Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA); 20-A M.R.S. §13451(3)(A)-(F) and last paragraph; Handbook pp. 23-24
The formula (2% of your average final compensation a year) is the same in every group. So is the rule that you need 25 years to retire before your normal retirement age. Early retirement · The formula
Payment begins the first of the month after the month in which you become eligible. The sources don't say what happens when you reach normal retirement age on the 1st of a month.
What we do: We read 'following' strictly: reaching your NRA on June 1 means a July 1 start.
What would settle it: A MainePERS estimate for a member born on the 1st of a month.From the sources
- Maine public school teachers are in MainePERS's State Employee and Teacher Retirement Program. Teachers and State employees share the same plan; legislators, judges and local-district (PLD) employees have different rules.Handbook p. 6, Service Credit with More Than One Employer
- Membership is required from your first day if your job legally counts as 'teacher': a job the Department of Education requires a certificate or license for (and you hold it), or one whose main purpose is introducing new learning to students.Handbook p. 2, Membership
- Substitute teachers choose once, with each employer, whether to join MainePERS; the choice can't be changed. Adult education teachers and coaches are left out unless they are already members through another job.Handbook pp. 2-3, Exceptions
- Your normal retirement age is 60, 62 or 65. It is 60 if you had at least 10 years of service before July 1, 1993 (or had reached 60 with a year of service just before). It is 62 if not, but you had at least 5 years before July 1, 2011 (or had reached 62 with a year of service just before). Otherwise it is 65.Handbook p. 15, Normal Retirement Age
- If before July 1, 1993 (or July 1, 2011) you could have bought enough service to reach 10 (or 5) years, and you buy it before you retire, your normal retirement age is 60 (or 62).Handbook p. 15, Note
- Teachers who started after June 30, 2011, and members with fewer than 5 years by then, have a normal retirement age of 65.Handbook p. 15, Normal Retirement Age
- You are vested with 5 years of service credit (10 years if you left for good before October 1, 1999). If you reach normal retirement age after working at least a year right before it, you can also get a benefit.Handbook pp. 15-16, Eligibility for a Service Retirement Benefit (Being Vested)
- A full-time teacher earns a year of service credit for a year of work. Part-time work earns a share: half-time for a full year is half a year. Substitutes earn days worked over days in the school year (45 of 180 days is 0.25). Hourly staff earn hours over 900.Handbook p. 5, How Service Credit Accumulates
- In a year you work less than full time, each co-curricular or athletic stipend job adds 2 months 20 days (0.222 years), up to a year in total. A half-time teacher who also coaches earns 0.722.Handbook pp. 5-6
Questions
Does the date I was hired decide my retirement age?
Not by itself. What counts is your service credit before July 1, 1993 and before July 1, 2011. 10 years before July 1, 1993 means age 60; 5 years before July 1, 2011 means age 62; otherwise 65.
Where can I see my normal retirement age?
On your MainePERS annual statement or a MainePERS benefit estimate, which shows your plan (age 60, 62 or 65).
Can buying service change my group?
If before July 1, 1993 (or July 1, 2011) you were eligible to buy enough service to reach 10 (or 5) years and you buy it before you retire, your NRA is 60 (or 62).
Can I retire before my normal retirement age?
Only with 25 years of service, and with a cut for life. Without 25 years you wait.
Source: MainePERS Benefits for Teachers: Teacher Member Handbook, 2026, pp. 2-3, 5-6, 15-16, 17, 22, 23-24. Also: Ready to Retire (2023); 5 M.R.S. §§ 17001, 17851; 20-A M.R.S. § 13451. Last reviewed .