Tier 1
Before July 1, 2007
- Formula
- Years ÷ 55 × final average salary
- Final average salary
- 3 years (36 months, or 30 on a 10-month contract)
- Full pension at
- Age 60, any service
- Early Retirement
- 25 years of service before age 60. Reduced 1/4 of 1% for each month (3% a year) under age 55; no reduction from 55 to 60.
- Pay limit
- Federal limit only
- Disability retirement
- Yes
Enrolled before July 1, 2007 (minimum pensionable salary $500).
Guidebook p. 7, TPAF Membership Tiers; Guidebook p. 25, Early RetirementTier 2
July 1, 2007 to November 1, 2008
- Formula
- Years ÷ 55 × final average salary
- Final average salary
- 3 years (36 months, or 30 on a 10-month contract)
- Full pension at
- Age 60, any service
- Early Retirement
- 25 years of service before age 60. Reduced 1/12 of 1% for each month (1% a year) under 60 down to 55, plus 1/4 of 1% for each month (3% a year) under 55.
- Pay limit
- Social Security wage limit ($184,500 in 2026)
- Disability retirement
- Yes
Eligible to enroll on or after July 1, 2007 and before November 2, 2008 (minimum pensionable salary $500).
Guidebook p. 7, TPAF Membership Tiers; Guidebook p. 25, Early RetirementTier 3
November 2, 2008 to May 21, 2010
- Formula
- Years ÷ 55 × final average salary
- Final average salary
- 3 years (36 months, or 30 on a 10-month contract)
- Full pension at
- Age 62, any service
- Early Retirement
- 25 years of service before age 62. Reduced 1/12 of 1% for each month (1% a year) under 62 down to 55, plus 1/4 of 1% for each month (3% a year) under 55.
- Pay limit
- Social Security wage limit ($184,500 in 2026)
- Disability retirement
- Yes
Eligible to enroll on or after November 2, 2008 and on or before May 21, 2010 (must meet the minimum salary for the year).
Guidebook p. 7, TPAF Membership Tiers; Guidebook p. 25, Early RetirementTier 4
May 22, 2010 to June 27, 2011
- Formula
- Years ÷ 60 × final average salary
- Final average salary
- 5 years (60 months, or 50 on a 10-month contract)
- Full pension at
- Age 62, any service
- Early Retirement
- 25 years of service before age 62. Reduced 1/12 of 1% for each month (1% a year) under 62 down to 55, plus 1/4 of 1% for each month (3% a year) under 55.
- Pay limit
- Social Security wage limit ($184,500 in 2026)
- Disability retirement
- No (long-term disability insurance instead)
Eligible to enroll after May 21, 2010 and before June 28, 2011 (32 or more fixed hours a week; 35 for State employees).
Guidebook p. 7, TPAF Membership Tiers; Employers' Manual p. 5; Guidebook p. 25, Early RetirementTier 5
June 28, 2011 or later
- Formula
- Years ÷ 60 × final average salary
- Final average salary
- 5 years (60 months, or 50 on a 10-month contract)
- Full pension at
- Age 65, any service
- Early Retirement
- 30 years of service before age 65. Reduced 1/4 of 1% for each month (3% a year) under age 65.
- Pay limit
- Social Security wage limit ($184,500 in 2026)
- Disability retirement
- No (long-term disability insurance instead)
Eligible to enroll on or after June 28, 2011 (32 or more fixed hours a week; 35 for State employees).
Guidebook p. 7, TPAF Membership Tiers; Employers' Manual p. 5; Guidebook p. 25, Early RetirementPay above the limit in Tiers 2-5 goes into a separate Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP) account. See The pension formula.
How each tier's rules play out: early retirement by tier and age, and leaving teaching for vesting and Deferred Retirement.
Part-time and other school jobs
Not every school job is in the TPAF. Tiers 4 and 5 need a job with at least 32 fixed hours a week, and Tier 3 had a yearly minimum salary.
Tier 3 has a minimum salary to join that changes each year. We don't have this year's figure.
Not used by the calculator.
N.J.S.A. 18A:66-4(b)(3); Guidebook p. 7- People otherwise eligible for Tier 3 who don't earn the Tier 3 minimum salary but earn at least $5,000.
- People otherwise eligible for Tier 4 or 5 who work fewer than 32 hours a week (35 for State employees) but earn at least $5,000.
Guidebook p. 23, Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP); p. 7, Eligibility Criteria (note)
Other plans
- Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS): Temporary and substitute school employees, long-term substitutes, replacement teachers after a year, and non-certificated school staff (aides, clerical, most non-certificated administrators). Guidebook p. 7 (note); Employers' Manual pp. 4-5, Non-Eligible Titles
- Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP): Pay above the maximum compensation limit for Tier 2-5 members; people who meet Tier 3-5 rules except the minimum salary or hours and earn at least $5,000. Guidebook p. 23
- Alternate Benefit Program (ABP): Faculty at State and county colleges and universities (not modeled). Fact Sheet #86 p. 6; Fact Sheet #11 p. 4
If you enrolled on May 21, 2010
Tier 3 (guidebook: Tier 3 'on or before May 21, 2010', Tier 4 'after May 21, 2010'). N.J.S.A. 18A:66-2(f)(2) and 18A:66-44(b) apply the 5-year FAS and 1/60 to members who join 'on or after the effective date of P.L.2010, c.1', which on its face would include that one day. Guidebook p. 7; Employers' Manual p. 5. N.J.S.A. 18A:66-4(b)(3) also puts 'before or on the effective date of P.L.2010, c.1' in the Tier 3 rules.
What the NJDPB says
- Your tier depends on when you were eligible to enroll in the TPAF: Tier 1 before July 1, 2007; Tier 2 from July 1, 2007 to Nov. 1, 2008; Tier 3 from Nov. 2, 2008 to May 21, 2010; Tier 4 from May 22, 2010 to June 27, 2011; Tier 5 on or after June 28, 2011.Guidebook p. 7, TPAF Membership Tiers; N.J.S.A. 18A:66-4
- Tiers 4 and 5 require a position with fixed hours of at least 32 a week (35 for State employees). Tier 3 requires a minimum salary that is adjusted each year. Tiers 1 and 2 require a salary of $500 or more.Guidebook p. 7; Employers' Manual p. 5
- If you leave and come back within 10 years of your last contribution (15 if you are vested), you keep your original tier. After that, or if you withdrew your money, you join again in the tier in effect when you return.Guidebook pp. 11-12, Transfers and Vesting
Questions
What decides my TPAF tier?
Tiers are set by the date the member was eligible to enroll in the TPAF (the guidebook's wording); a member who transfers from another NJ State-administered defined benefit system keeps the tier of the original enrollment date. Returning within 10 years (15 if vested) of the last contribution keeps the original tier; otherwise a new account opens under the tier in effect on return.
Where can I see my tier?
Your tier is shown in your MBOS (Member Benefits Online System) account. If you're not sure, the date you were first eligible to enroll decides it.
Does my tier change if I leave and come back?
Returning within 10 years (15 if vested) of the last contribution keeps the original tier; otherwise a new account opens under the tier in effect on return.
Source: TPAF Member Guidebook, July 2026 (SP-0733-0726), pp. 7, 10-12, 23, 25, 27-28. Also: Employers' Pensions and Benefits Administration Manual, TPAF (June 2026), pp. 4-6. Also: NJDPB Fact Sheet #79 (Feb. 2026), p. 1. Also: NJDPB Fact Sheet #86 (Sept. 2025), p. 6. Also: NJDPB Fact Sheet #11 (Oct. 2026), p. 4. Statute: N.J.S.A. 18A:66-2, 18A:66-4, 18A:66-43, 18A:66-8a. Last reviewed .