Check with NYSTRSEstimate only, not an official benefit amount. Confirm with NYSTRS (800-348-7298) before you decide.
Your estimated Maximum benefit
Fill in the form and we'll show your tier, your pension factor, any age factor, the date your age factor goes away, and what working longer would add.
Your tier's rules
Retire as planned, or work longer?
Your pension at every age
Compare two retirement dates
Cost-of-living adjustment (COLA)
The six tiers at a glance
Your tier changes the pension factor, the age factor and when you can retire without one. Scroll sideways on a phone. More on which tier you're in.
| Rule | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | Tier 4 | Tier 5 | Tier 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of membership | Before July 1, 1973Handbook p. 7; Compilation of Laws 2026, Introduction | July 1, 1973 to July 26, 1976Handbook p. 7; Compilation of Laws 2026, Introduction | July 27, 1976 to August 31, 1983Handbook pp. 7, 28-29; Compilation of Laws 2026, Introduction | September 1, 1983 to December 31, 2009Handbook pp. 7, 28; Compilation of Laws 2026, Introduction | January 1, 2010 to March 31, 2012Handbook pp. 7, 30; Compilation of Laws 2026, Introduction | On or after April 1, 2012Handbook pp. 7, 31; Tier 6 deck (2023) slide 10; Compilation of Laws 2026, Introduction |
| Earliest retirement | Age 55 with 2 years of NYS service, or at any age with 35 yearsActuarial Valuation 2024, App. 19, p. 82 | Age 55 with 5 yearsHandbook p. 25; Actuarial Valuation 2024, App. 19, p. 83 | Age 55 with 5 yearsHandbook pp. 16, 25 | Age 55 with 5 yearsHandbook pp. 16, 25 | Age 55 with 5 yearsHandbook pp. 16, 25 | Age 55 with 5 yearsHandbook pp. 9, 16, 25 |
| Full benefit (no age factor) | Age 55, or 35 years, at any ageBenefit Comparison Table 2014 pp. 2-4; Handbook p. 25 (no Tier 1 age factor listed); Actuarial Valuation 2024, App. 19, p. 82 | Age 62, or 30 years (from age 55)Handbook pp. 16, 25 | Age 62, or 30 years (from age 55)Handbook pp. 16, 25 | Age 62, or 30 years (from age 55)Handbook pp. 16, 25 | Age 62, or age 57 with 30 yearsHandbook pp. 16, 25, 30; NYSTRS Regulations § 5005.5 | Age 63, or age 58 with 30 yearsHandbook pp. 16, 25, 31; Compilation of Laws 2026, Introduction |
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| Age factor before then | None. Tier 1 has no age factor.Benefit Comparison Table 2014 pp. 2-4; Actuarial Valuation 2024, App. 19, p. 82 | 73% kept at 55, rising to 100% at 62, prorated by monthActuarial Valuation 2024, App. 19, p. 83; Benefit Comparison Table 2014 pp. 2-4 | 73% kept at 55, rising to 100% at 62, prorated by monthHandbook p. 28 (percent prorated by month); Actuarial Valuation 2024, App. 19, p. 83 | 73% kept at 55, rising to 100% at 62, prorated by monthHandbook p. 28 (percent prorated by month); Actuarial Valuation 2024, App. 19, p. 83 | 61.67% kept at 55, rising to 100% at 62, prorated by monthNYSTRS Regulations § 5005.5 | 48% kept at 55, rising to 100% at 63, prorated by monthNYSTRS Regulations § 5005.6 (6.5/1200 per full month before 63) |
| Final average salary | Highest three consecutive school years. Yearly increases above 20% of the previous year's salary are excluded.Handbook p. 26; N.Y. Educ. Law § 501(11)(b); NYSTRS Regulations § 5003.1 | Highest three consecutive school years. Yearly increases above 20% of the average of the previous two years' salaries are excluded.Handbook p. 26; NYSTRS Regulations § 5003.1 | Highest three consecutive school years. Yearly increases above 10% of the average of the previous two years' salaries are excluded. IRC § 401(a)(17) limits pay counted for members who joined on or after July 1, 1996.Handbook p. 26; NYSTRS Regulations § 5003.4 | Highest three consecutive school years. Yearly increases above 10% of the average of the previous two years' salaries are excluded. IRC § 401(a)(17) limits pay counted for members who joined on or after July 1, 1996.Handbook p. 26; NYSTRS Regulations § 5003.4 | Highest three consecutive school years. Yearly increases above 10% of the average of the previous two years' salaries are excluded.Handbook p. 26; NYSTRS Regulations § 5003.4 | Highest three consecutive school years, excluding yearly increases above 10% of the average of the previous two years. Salary above the NY governor's salary is excluded. With multiple employers, only the two highest-grossing positions per school year count.Handbook p. 26; Bulletin 2024-7 p. 2; Compilation of Laws 2026, Introduction; Actuarial Valuation 2024, App. 19, p. 81 |
Common questions
How is a NYSTRS pension calculated?
Your Maximum yearly benefit is your pension factor times your final average salary (FAS). The pension factor depends on your years of service and your tier. If you retire before your tier's full-benefit rule, an age factor lowers it. The yearly amount is paid in 12 monthly payments.
Which tier am I in?
Your date of membership decides your tier. It is on your annual Benefit Profile. Tier 4: September 1, 1983 to December 31, 2009. Tier 6: on or after april 1, 2012.
When can I retire without an age factor?
Tier 4: age 62, or 30 years (from age 55). Tier 6: age 63, or age 58 with 30 years. Each tier is different; the table below shows all six.
Does NYSTRS give a cost-of-living increase?
Yes, once you're eligible: COLA = 50% of the CPI increase from one March to the next, rounded up to the nearest tenth of a percent, but no less than 1% and no more than 3%. It applies only to the first $18,000 of the Maximum retirement benefit.
Is this the official NYSTRS calculator?
No. This is an unofficial estimate built from NYSTRS's published handbooks and rules. It is not affiliated with NYSTRS. Your MyNYSTRS account has the official Pension Estimator, and NYSTRS decides your benefit. NYSTRS's phone number is 800-348-7298.
Compare New York with other states
- States where teachers don't get Social Security
- Teacher DROP plans by state
- Teacher pension COLAs by state: Automatic: half of inflation (CPI), 1% to 3%, on the first $18,000. Usually from age 62 after five years retired.
- State taxes on teacher pensions, by state: Your NYSTRS benefit is exempt from New York State income tax.
- Teacher pension multipliers by state: Tier 6: 1.67% a year under 20 years, then 35% plus 2% a year past 20. Older tiers: 1.67% to 2%. Average of best 3 years in a row.
- Teacher retirement age by state: Tier 6: age 63, or 58 with 30 years. Tiers 2-4: age 62, or 30 years of service. Tier 1: age 55, or 35 years.
Plain-English guides
How your pension works
Which tier am I?Your date of membership sets your tier. All six tiers side by side.→Pension factor and age factor tablesThe formula, and full tables by tier, age and years of service.→Retiring earlyWhen the age factor applies in each tier, and what it costs.→Service creditHow credit is counted, and buying prior or military service.→NYSTRS glossaryPlain-English definitions of the NYSTRS terms you'll run into.→
Planning your exit
After you retire
Working after retirementThe Section 212 limit, the school district waiver, and age 65.→The NYSTRS COLAWho qualifies, when it starts, and how it's figured.→Health insurance in retirementNYSTRS doesn't provide it. Here's who to ask.→Death and survivor benefitsWhat a family receives before and after you retire.→
More calculators
Some states have a DROP program. NYSTRS's handbooks don't describe one. New York City public school teachers are in a different system, the Teachers' Retirement System of the City of New York; this calculator is for NYSTRS only.
Source: NYSTRS Active Members' Handbook, Updated October 2026, pp. 7, 16, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 45. Also: Compilation of Laws 2026 Introduction; Benefit Comparison Table 2014 pp. 2, 3, 4; Actuarial Valuation 2024 App. 19, pp. 81, 82, 83, 84; N.Y. Educ. Law; NYSTRS Regulations §§ 5003.1, 5003.4, 5005.5, 5005.6; Tier 6 deck slide 10, slide 28; Bulletin 2024-7 p. 2. Last reviewed .