Check with TSERSEstimate only, not an official benefit amount. Confirm with TSERS (919-814-4590) before you decide.
Your estimated maximum allowance
Fill in the form and we'll show your monthly benefit, whether it's reduced for early retirement, the date you'd get an unreduced benefit, and what working longer would add.
The rules that apply to you
Retire as planned, or work longer?
Your benefit at every age
Compare two retirement dates
Retiree health coverage
Increases after you retire
The handbook's own example
Mary retires at 60 with 32.5 years and a $40,954 average. $40,954 × 1.82% = $745.36, × 32.5 years = $24,224.20 a year, or $2,018.68 a month. Our calculator gives the same.
Handbook: Benefit Calculations, Benefit Calculations Table; Benefit Calculation Worksheet, p. 1Retiring at 61 with 24.25 years instead, Fred keeps 88% of his benefit: $15,905.98 a year. How the early-retirement reduction works.
Common questions
How is a TSERS pension calculated?
Your yearly benefit is 1.82% of your average final compensation times your years and months of creditable service. Divide by 12 for the monthly amount. If you retire early, a percentage reduction applies for life.
When can I retire with an unreduced benefit?
Age 65 with five years of membership service; Age 60 with 25 years of creditable service; 30 years of creditable service at any age.
When can I retire early?
Age 50 with 20 years of creditable service; Age 60 with five years of membership service. The benefit is reduced: for example to 85% at 60 with fewer than 25 years.
Does TSERS give a cost-of-living increase?
Not automatically. The General Assembly decides whether to grant one. Recent increases have mostly been one-time supplements, including a 2.5% supplement in October 2026.
Is this the official TSERS calculator?
No. This is an unofficial estimate built from the TSERS Handbook and state law. It isn't affiliated with the N.C. Department of State Treasurer. ORBIT has the official Custom Benefit Estimate, and the Retirement Systems Division decides your benefit. Its phone number is 919-814-4590.
Compare North Carolina with other states
- States where teachers don't get Social Security
- Teacher DROP plans by state: No. TSERS has no DROP or similar program.
- Teacher pension COLAs by state: Not guaranteed. The General Assembly decides each time. Recent raises were mostly one-time; 2026 brought a one-time 2.5%.
- State taxes on teacher pensions, by state: Not taxed by N.C. if you had five or more years of service by Aug. 12, 1989. Otherwise the taxable part is taxed.
- Teacher pension multipliers by state: 1.82% × years of service × average of your 4 highest-paid years in a row (48 months).
- Teacher retirement age by state: Age 65 with five years, 60 with 25 years, or 30 years at any age.
Plain-English guides
How your pension works
Am I in TSERS?One formula for everyone, and the hire dates that still matter.→The 1.82% formulaThe handbook's worksheet step by step, and its chart of benefits by salary.→Early retirement tablesWhat you keep at 50-59 and 60-64, and the handbook's example.→Sick leave and buying serviceHow unused sick leave counts, and the service you can buy.→TSERS glossaryPlain-English definitions of the TSERS terms you'll run into.→
Planning your exit
After you retire
Working after retirementThe six-month wait and the 2026 earnings limit.→COLAs and one-time supplementsNo automatic COLA. Every increase since 2016, and the 2.5% 2026 supplement.→Retiree health (State Health Plan)Who pays what by hire date and service, and the 2021 cutoff.→Death and survivor benefitsWhat your family receives before and after you retire.→
More calculators
TSERS has no DROP program. These pages cover teachers and general state employees; law enforcement officers have different rules that we don't model.
Source: TSERS Handbook, Online handbook, pages modified Nov. 2024 - Oct. 28, 2026 (retrieved Nov. 11, 2026), pages Benefit Calculations, Qualifying for Benefits, Post-Retirement Increases, Retirement Application Process. Also: Benefit Calculation Worksheet. Last reviewed .