Short answer: no. A WRS pension doesn't rise on its own each year. When you retire you can choose a self-funded COLA of 1%, 2%, 3% a year, paid for by a smaller starting check. You pick it along with your payment option, and it's final. See also survivor benefits and what one more year adds, or estimate your starting check.
Legislated COLAs
There is no automatic COLA. The Legislature may grant one, but by law a benefit change (including a COLA) cannot be recommended unless the plan stays at least 100% funded, plus a margin, for the life of the change. The plan's actuarial funded ratio was 82.5% in 2026, and WRS says legislated COLAs are rare and not guaranteed. A legislated COLA would be added on top of a self-funded COLA. Handbook p. 12, Future Benefit Adjustments, and p. 20, Legislatively Approved COLAs; W.S. 9-3-454(a)(i)-(ii); WRS Summary Report (2026) p. 1, Overview and p. 3, 30 Year Funding Projections
The self-funded COLA
At retirement you can take a smaller starting benefit in exchange for a fixed 1%, 2% or 3% raise each year, compounding. The starting cut is about 9-10%, 18-20% or 27-30%. Raises start on the July 1 after your two-year retirement anniversary. It usually takes 12 to 15 years for the COLA benefit to catch up to the no-COLA amount. If your option continues to a beneficiary, the COLA continues too. The choice is final. Handbook p. 19, Self-Funded Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) Feature and How the Trade-off Works; p. 20, Timeline & The Break-Even Point
| Yearly raise | Starting check drops by about |
|---|---|
| 1% | 9% to 10% |
| 2% | 18% to 20% |
| 3% | 27% to 30% |
Handbook p. 19, Self-Funded Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) Feature and How the Trade-off Works; p. 20, Timeline & The Break-Even Point
Our example: $2,500 a month
Retiring August 1, 2026 with a $2,500 Option 1 benefit. WRS gives only a range for the cut, so we show both ends.
| Raise | Starting check | After 10 raises | Catches up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | $2,250 to $2,275 | $2,485 to $2,513 | 2038 to 2039 (about 12 to 13 years) |
| 2% | $2,000 to $2,050 | $2,438 to $2,499 | 2039 to 2040 (about 13 to 14 years) |
| 3% | $1,750 to $1,825 | $2,352 to $2,453 | 2039 to 2041 (about 13 to 15 years) |
Without a COLA the check stays $2,500. "Catches up" is the July 1 when the COLA check first reaches $2,500, matching WRS's 12-to-15-year rule of thumb. Handbook p. 19, Self-Funded Cost-of-Living-Adjustment (COLA) Feature and How the Trade-off Works; p. 20, Timeline & The Break-Even Point
We show a range for the smaller starting check with a self-funded COLA, based on the handbook. WRS will give you the exact amount.
Why
The handbook gives only approximate starting cuts (about 9-10%, 18-20%, 27-30%). The exact factors depend on age and option and are not published. The two-year wait is described as 'by law', but no statute section was found; the July 1 rule when the anniversary itself is July 1 is not stated (our calculator uses the next July 1 strictly after the second anniversary).
From the sources
- WRS benefits have no automatic cost-of-living raise. The Legislature can grant one, but state law blocks benefit increases unless the plan stays at least 100% funded. The plan was 82.5% funded in 2026, so WRS calls legislated COLAs rare and not guaranteed.Handbook p. 12, Future Benefit Adjustments; W.S. 9-3-454(a); WRS Summary Report (2026) p. 1
- You can buy your own COLA at retirement: a 1%, 2% or 3% raise every year, compounding, in exchange for a starting benefit about 9-10%, 18-20% or 27-30% lower. Raises begin on the July 1 after your second retirement anniversary.Handbook p. 19, How the Trade-off Works; p. 20, 2-Year Wait
- It usually takes 12 to 15 years for a self-funded COLA benefit to catch up to the no-COLA amount. After that it keeps growing. If your option pays a survivor, the COLA carries over to them. You can't change the choice later.Handbook p. 19, Survivor Protection and Decision is Final; p. 20, 12-to-15-Year Catch Up
Questions
Do WRS pensions get a yearly raise?
Not automatically. The Legislature can grant one, but state law blocks it unless the plan stays at least 100% funded, so WRS calls it rare.
What is a self-funded COLA?
A raise you pay for yourself. At retirement you take a smaller starting check (about 9-10%, 18-20% or 27-30% less) in exchange for a fixed 1%, 2% or 3% raise every year, compounding.
When does the first raise come?
On the July 1 after your second retirement anniversary. You live on the lower starting check until then.
When does it pay off?
WRS says it usually takes 12 to 15 years to catch up with the no-COLA amount. After that it keeps growing.
Source: WRS Public Employee Pension Plan Handbook, Updated August 2026, pp. 2, 12, 19, 20. Also: WRS Summary Report (2026); Actuarial valuation (2026); W.S. § 9-3-454. Last reviewed .