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Teacher Center · Career and money

Retirement (NYSTRS)

How your NYSTRS pension works, including the 2024 and 2026 Tier 6 changes. General information only: check your MyNYSTRS account and talk with NYSTRS before any decision.

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Your union contract, your district's plan documents and your retirement system decide the details for you. Before any decision about money, leave, retirement or your certificate, ask your building union representative, district human resources (or the benefits office), NYSTRS, or NYSED, as the page says. Facts here were checked Nov 7, 2026 from the official sources listed at the bottom. Example numbers marked FICTIONAL are made up to teach the math; they are not anyone's real pay.

How your pension grows (a 30-second picture)

Your NYSTRS pension is a percent of your final average salary. That percent (the pension factor) grows with every year of service. Press play and watch it grow.

Blue bars: 1 to 29 years. Gold bar: the year the higher rate starts. Green bars: 30 years and more. The bars show the pension factor only; an age reduction applies if you retire early (section 7).

1. Which retirement system are you in?

  • Teachers, administrators and other certified staff in NY public schools outside New York City belong to the New York State Teachers' Retirement System (NYSTRS).
  • Non-teaching staff (teaching assistants, aides, secretaries, custodians, bus drivers, many nurses) usually belong to the NYS and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS), run by the State Comptroller: NYSLRS. NYSLRS rules are different; this page is about NYSTRS.
  • Your pension is set by state law, not by your union contract (Civil Service Law §201(4)).

2. Your tier (based on your NYSTRS membership date)

NYSTRS tiers
TierMembership date
Tier 1Before July 1, 1973
Tier 2July 1, 1973 to July 26, 1976
Tier 3July 27, 1976 to Aug. 31, 1983
Tier 4Sept. 1, 1983 to Dec. 31, 2009
Tier 5Jan. 1, 2010 to March 31, 2012
Tier 6April 1, 2012 to now (most newer teachers)

NYSTRS presentation, Oct. 2025 (checked Nov 7, 2026). Your tier is shown in your MyNYSTRS account.

Tier explainer infographic

Find your membership date, then read your card. Everything below comes from NYSTRS (sources at the bottom). Where NYSTRS's public pages do not give a number for a tier, the card says "ask NYSTRS".

Tier 1

Joined
Before July 1, 1973
Vested
5 years
Formula
Maximum pension factor generally 79%
Pays in
Ask NYSTRS
Ages
Ask NYSTRS

Almost all Tier 1 members are retired.

Tier 2

Joined
July 1, 1973 to July 26, 1976
Vested
5 years
Formula
Maximum pension factor generally 79%
Full benefit
Age 62, or 30 years of service (from age 55)
Earliest
55, reduced (73% at 55)

Tier 3

Joined
July 27, 1976 to Aug. 31, 1983
Pays in
3% until 10 years of membership or service
Vested
5 years
FAS
3 highest consecutive years
Formula
Same as Tier 4

Most Tier 3 members retire under Tier 4 rules; Article 14 retirement has a Social Security offset at 62 (NYSTRS).

Tier 4

Joined
Sept. 1, 1983 to Dec. 31, 2009
Pays in
3% until 10 years of membership or service
Vested
5 years
FAS
3 highest consecutive years
Formula
Under 20 yrs: 1.67%/yr · 20-30: 2%/yr · over 30: 60% + 1.5%/yr
Full benefit
Age 62, or 30 years (from 55)
Earliest
55, reduced (73% at 55)

Tier 5

Joined
Jan. 1, 2010 to March 31, 2012
Pays in
3.5% for your whole career
Vested
5 years
FAS
3 highest consecutive years
Formula
Under 25 yrs: 1.67%/yr · 25-30: 2%/yr · over 30: 60% + 1.5%/yr
Full benefit
Age 62, or 30 years (from 57)
Earliest
55, reduced (61.67% at 55, even with 30 years)

Tier 6 (most newer teachers)

Joined
April 1, 2012 to now
Pays in
3% to 6% for your whole career (bars below)
Vested
5 years (was 10 before 2022)
FAS
3 highest consecutive years (was 5 before 2024); pay above $250,000 not counted
Formula
Under 20 yrs: 1.67%/yr · 20 yrs or more: 35% + 2%/yr past 20
Full benefit
Age 63, or age 58 with 30+ years (new, from April 1, 2026)
Earliest
55, reduced (48% at 55)
$45,000 or less3%
$45,001-55,0003.5%
$55,001-75,0004.5%
$75,001-100,0005.75%
Over $100,0006%

Rate set by base wages from two school years earlier (first 3 years: projected pay). Base-wage-only rule runs through June 30, 2028.

3. What you pay in (member contributions)

Contributions by tier
TierYour contribution
Tiers 3 and 43% of salary until 10 years of membership or service credit, whichever comes first
Tier 53.5% of salary for your whole career
Tier 63% to 6%, depending on earnings (table below)
Tier 6 rates
Tier 6 earnings used to set the rateRate
$45,000 or less3.0%
More than $45,000 to $55,0003.5%
More than $55,000 to $75,0004.5%
More than $75,000 to $100,0005.75%
More than $100,0006.0%
  • Which year's pay sets the rate: in your first three years, the employer's projected earnings; from year 4, your earnings from two school years earlier (a two-year lookback).
  • Base pay only (for now): for school years ending June 30, 2023 through June 30, 2028, only annual base wages set your rate; coaching and other extra pay do not push you into a higher bracket. You still pay the rate on all pensionable earnings. (Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2022, extended in 2024 and in 2026.)
  • Pay cap: pensionable salary is capped at the Governor's salary, now $250,000.
  • Don't mix up systems: the 2026-27 state budget also lowered Tier 6 rates from Oct. 1, 2026 for NYSLRS members (ERS and PFRS). The Comptroller says that summary does not cover NYSTRS. NYSTRS's own 2026 notice lists the base-wage extension and the new retirement age (below).

FICTIONAL EXAMPLE If a Tier 6 teacher's base wages in the lookback year were $69,000, the rate is 4.5%. On $69,000 of pensionable pay, that is $3,105 for the year.

NYSTRS member contributions · NYSTRS 2026 notice · Comptroller NYSLRS 2026 summary (checked Nov 7, 2026).

4. Vesting: when the pension is yours

  • 5 years of service credit makes you vested in every tier (Tiers 5 and 6 needed 10 years before a 2022 change).
  • Vested means you can leave teaching and still collect a pension later. Leaving before vesting usually means you can only withdraw your own contributions. Talk to NYSTRS before withdrawing; it ends your membership.
  • A vested death benefit (if you die after leaving service but before retiring) needs at least 10 years.

NYSTRS presentation · NYSTRS Active Members' Handbook (checked Nov 7, 2026).

5. Final average salary (FAS)

  • FAS is the average of your three highest consecutive school years of regular salary.
  • Tier 6 change (2024): Tier 6 FAS used to use five years; Chapter 56 of the Laws of 2024 (Part QQ), effective April 20, 2024, changed it to three consecutive years, like Tier 4 (NYSTRS 2024 legislation).
  • Anti-spiking limit (Tiers 3 to 6): a year's salary used in FAS cannot be more than 10% above the average of the two years before it.
  • Not counted: termination pay, local retirement incentives, payment for unused leave, health insurance opt-out stipends and bonuses. Tier 6 also excludes pay above the Governor's salary ($250,000).

6. The pension formula, with worked examples

Yearly pension = pension factor × FAS × age factor (if you retire early).

Pension factors
TierPension factor
Tiers 3 and 4Under 20 years: 1.67% per year · 20 to 30 years: 2% per year · over 30: 60% + 1.5% per year past 30
Tier 5Under 25 years: 1.67% per year · 25 to 30 years: 2% per year · over 30: 60% + 1.5% per year past 30
Tier 6Under 20 years: 1.67% per year · 20 years or more: 35% + 2% per year past 20

FICTIONAL EXAMPLE Tier 6 teacher, FAS $100,000:

Fictional pension examples
SituationMathYearly pension
15 years, retires at 6315 × 1.67% = 25.05%$25,050
25 years, retires at 6335% + 2% × 5 = 45%$45,000
25 years, retires at 60 (early)45% × age factor 80.5%$36,225
30 years, retires at 58 (new 2026 rule, no reduction)35% + 2% × 10 = 55%$55,000

Formulas and Tier 6 age factor from the NYSTRS presentation; the 2026 age-58 rule from the NYSTRS 2026 notice (checked Nov 7, 2026). Real estimates: use the calculator in your MyNYSTRS account.

🧮 Pension estimator (an estimate, not a promise)

Example values are made up Change the numbers to see how the formula works. For your real numbers, use the benefit calculator in your MyNYSTRS account.

Uses the NYSTRS formulas and age factors on this page. NYSTRS calls the formula result the maximum pension; ask NYSTRS how the payment options that continue to a beneficiary change it. It ignores taxes, cost-of-living increases, loans and part-year credit.

7. Retirement age and early-retirement reductions

  • Tier 6, full benefit: age 63; or, new in 2026, age 58 with 30 or more years of service credit (Chapter 58 of the Laws of 2026, Part XX, in effect from April 1, 2026).
  • Tier 6, earliest: age 55, with a reduction.
  • Tiers 2 to 4: full at 62, or with 30 years from age 55. Tier 5: full at 62, or with 30 years from age 57.
Age factors
AgeTier 6 (under 30 years)Tier 5Tiers 2 and 4 (under 30 years)
6293.5%100%100%
6187%93.33%94%
6080.5%86.67%88%
5974%81.67%85%
5867.5%76.67%82%
5761%71.67%79%
5654.5%66.67%76%
5548%61.67%73%

Percent of the full pension paid at each age (NYSTRS presentation, checked Nov 7, 2026). Tier 5 reductions at 55 and 56 apply even with 30 years. Tier 2 and 4 reductions are prorated by month.

8. Service credit, buying service and loans

  • Service credit: up to one year per school year (July 1 to June 30).
  • Buy prior service (for example, earlier public school work or substitute teaching that was not credited): file a prior service claim (PRS-2) in MyNYSTRS. NYSTRS advises claiming early to reduce interest. Buying prior service does not change your tier.
  • Reinstatement to an earlier membership date (and possibly an earlier tier) if you were a member before and withdrew; this is irrevocable and has a cost for Tiers 3 to 6.
  • Military service: may be purchased with a DD-214; rules apply.
  • Loans: after 1 year of service you can borrow from your own contributions (one loan per calendar year). Members who joined on or after July 1, 2022: up to 50% of contributions or $50,000. Interest 5.95% for loans issued after July 1, 2022; repay within five years by payroll deduction. An unpaid balance at retirement permanently reduces your pension, and some loans are taxable.

NYSTRS presentation · NYSTRS handbook (checked Nov 7, 2026).

9. Beneficiaries and death benefits

  • Name your beneficiary in MyNYSTRS and update it after marriage, divorce, a birth or a death. A new designation replaces the old one.
  • In-service death benefit (Tiers 2 to 6): a lump sum of up to three times your salary (one year's salary per year of service, up to 3). It begins to reduce 4% a year from age 62 (Tiers 2 to 5) or 63 (Tier 6), up to a 40% reduction.
  • Your district or union may offer separate group life insurance. Name beneficiaries there too.

10. How to read your yearly Benefit Profile

NYSTRS issues a Benefit Profile each fall; view it in your MyNYSTRS account. Check these lines every year:

  1. Tier and membership date. Wrong? Call NYSTRS now.
  2. Service credit. Does it match the years you worked? Missing years may be buyable.
  3. Salary history. Compare with your W-2s.
  4. Contribution balance and any loan balance.
  5. Beneficiaries. Still the right people?
  6. Benefit estimates at different ages. Use them as a guide, not a promise.

SAMPLE yearly statement, explained line by line

SAMPLE · made-up numbers This is our own drawing, not the real NYSTRS form and not anyone's real account. Your real Benefit Profile looks different; the same kinds of lines are on it. Tap a red number to see what it means.

Yearly Retirement Statement Sample teacher retirement account · as of June 30, 2026 Page 1 of 1 Member: A. Teacher (made-up) · ID: 000-000-000 1 Tier / membership dateTier 6 · Sept. 1, 2016 StatusVested 2 Service credit10.00 years 3 Salary reported (last 3 school years) 2023-24$71,400.00 2024-25$73,800.00 2025-26$76,100.00 4 Contributions this year (4.5%)$3,424.50 Contribution balance with interest$27,940.00 5 Loan balance$0.00 6 Beneficiaries on file1 primary · updated 2019 7 Benefit estimates (yearly, before taxes) Final average salary used$73,766.67 Earned so far, paid from age 63$12,319.03 At 30 years (age 58), same salary$40,571.67 8 In-service death benefit (3 × salary)$228,300.00 Estimates are not a guarantee. Check every line; report errors to your retirement system. This sample is a teaching drawing by Goal100 Learning. All names and numbers are made up. SAMPLE · made-up numbers
  1. Tier and membership date. Your tier sets every rule on this page. A wrong date can mean a wrong tier: call NYSTRS right away. "Vested" appears after 5 years of service credit.
  2. Service credit. Up to one year per school year (July 1 to June 30). Count your years of work; a missing year may be buyable (prior service).
  3. Salary history. Compare each year with your W-2 and your contract's salary schedule. These years become your final average salary later.
  4. Contributions. Check the rate: in this sample, 2023-24 base pay was $71,400, which is in the $55,001-$75,000 band, so 4.5% applies two years later: $76,100 × 4.5% = $3,424.50. NYSTRS says contributions earn 5% interest a year.
  5. Loan balance. A loan not repaid by retirement permanently lowers your pension (NYSTRS example: $10,000 unpaid at age 58 = $613.50 less every year).
  6. Beneficiaries. "Updated 2019" is a warning sign. After a marriage, divorce, birth or death, update it in MyNYSTRS.
  7. Estimates. FAS = ($71,400 + $73,800 + $76,100) ÷ 3 = $73,766.67. Earned so far: 10 × 1.67% = 16.7% × $73,766.67 = $12,319.03 a year from 63. At 30 years: 55% × $73,766.67 = $40,571.67 (real FAS will likely be higher by then).
  8. Death benefit while working. One year's salary per year of service, up to 3 times: 3 × $76,100 = $228,300. It begins to shrink 4% a year from age 63 in Tier 6 (up to 40%).

Get help: NYSTRS member line (800) 348-7298. NYSTRS offers one-on-one benefit consultations to members age 53 or older who expect to retire within three years. Also ask your union's retirement consultant if your local has one.

11. Scenarios with numbers

Example with made-up numbers Every person, salary and dollar amount below is made up to show the math. The rules come from NYSTRS (sources at the bottom). Try your own version in the pension estimator.

A. Tier 6: 30 years or 35 years?

Ms. A started teaching at 28. Final average salary (FAS) $100,000 either way (to keep the math simple).

  1. 30 years, retires at 58: factor 35% + 2% × 10 = 55%. Age 58 with 30+ years = no reduction (2026 law).
  2. 35 years, retires at 63: factor 35% + 2% × 15 = 65%.
30 years · age 58$55,000/yr
35 years · age 63$65,000/yr

5 more years = +10 points = +$10,000 a year, but 5 fewer years of collecting.

B. Leaving after 8 years (Tier 6)

Mr. B teaches 8 years, FAS $70,000, then leaves for another career. He is vested (5+ years).

  1. Factor: 8 × 1.67% = 13.36%.
  2. At 63: $70,000 × 13.36% = $9,352 a year.
  3. If he starts at 55 instead: × 48% age factor = $4,489 a year.

Vested means the pension waits for you. Withdrawing your contributions instead ends your membership: ask NYSTRS whether you can and what you would give up before you do it.

C. Buying back service credit

Ms. C has 18 years in Tier 6 and 2 earlier years of eligible public school work that were never credited. FAS $90,000.

  1. Without the purchase, 18 years: 18 × 1.67% = 30.06% → $27,054 a year.
  2. With 2 years bought, 20 years: 35% → $31,500 a year.
  3. Difference: +$4,446 a year, for life.
  4. If NYSTRS quotes a cost of, say, $9,000 (made up; NYSTRS calculates the real cost), payback ≈ $9,000 ÷ $4,446 ≈ 2 years of retirement.

Crossing 20 years matters a lot in Tier 6. You need 2 years of service credit in your current membership before you can claim prior service. Claim early: it reduces interest.

D. 403(b): saving 5% or 10%

Mr. D earns $65,000, gets 2% raises, saves for 30 years. Assumed return 6% a year (an assumption, not a promise).

  1. 5% = $3,250 in year 1 (about $125 a paycheck if paid 26 times). He puts in $131,846 over 30 years.
  2. 10% = $6,500 in year 1 (about $250 a paycheck). He puts in $263,693.
Saves 5%≈ $319,486
Saves 10%≈ $638,971

Same growth rate, double the saving, double the result. With an assumed 4% return, 10% grows to about $465,412: returns are never certain.

E. Same 25 years: pension at 55 or wait to 63?

Ms. E (Tier 6) stops teaching at 55 with 25 years. FAS $95,000. Factor 35% + 2% × 5 = 45%. Full pension $42,750.

  1. Start at 55: $42,750 × 48% = $20,520 a year.
  2. Wait to 63 (no more work): $42,750 a year.
  3. By 63, starting early collected 8 × $20,520 = $164,160.
  4. Waiting pays $22,230 more each year: $164,160 ÷ $22,230 ≈ 7.4 years → about age 70½ to come out even.

The early pension is smaller forever. Health insurance in retirement, other income and health all matter: talk with NYSTRS before choosing.

F. Same career, different tier

Two teachers, each with 30 years and FAS $100,000.

  1. Tier 4 (joined 2005): 30 × 2% = 60%. Full from age 55 with 30 years → $60,000.
  2. Tier 6 (joined 2015): 35% + 2% × 10 = 55%. Full from age 58 with 30 years → $55,000.
Tier 4$60,000/yr
Tier 6$55,000/yr

Your tier is fixed by your membership date. Buying prior service does not change your tier; reinstating an earlier membership might (ask NYSTRS).

G. Extra pay in the last year (anti-spiking)

Mr. G earned $80,000 and $82,000, then $95,000 in his last year with coaching and summer school.

  1. Average of the 2 years before: $81,000.
  2. Limit: 110% × $81,000 = $89,100.
  3. FAS counts $89,100 for that year, not $95,000. FAS = ($80,000 + $82,000 + $89,100) ÷ 3 = $83,700.

A sudden jump in the last years counts only up to 10% above the two years before (Tiers 3 to 6).

H. New York City teachers are in a different system

Ms. H teaches at a NYC Department of Education school. Appointed DOE teachers automatically become members of the Teachers' Retirement System of the City of New York (TRS), not NYSTRS.

TRS has its own tiers, plans and rules. NYC teachers should use trsnyc.org, not the NYSTRS numbers on this page.

12. Saving more: 403(b) and 457(b), with a growth calculator

Your pension is automatic. A 403(b) (and a 457(b), if your district offers one) lets you save more from each paycheck, before tax or as Roth. Your district picks the plan and the approved vendors. More on fees and vendors: Benefits page.

2026 IRS limits

403(b)
$24,500 of your own pay
Gov. 457(b)
$24,500, a separate limit
Age 50+
+$8,000 catch-up ($32,500 total)
Ages 60-63
+$11,250 instead of $8,000 ($35,750 total)
IRA
$7,500; +$1,100 at 50+

New in 2026: Roth catch-up

If your wages from this employer last year were more than $150,000, your catch-up contributions in a plan with a Roth option must be Roth (after-tax).

Some 403(b) plans have an extra catch-up after 15 years with the same employer, and governmental 457(b) plans can have a special catch-up near retirement age. Ask your plan; the rules are detailed.

📈 Growth calculator (made-up example; return is an assumption)

Example values are made up Investments can lose value. The assumed return is not a promise and does not subtract fees or taxes.

Money you put inAssumed growth on top

Contributions are held to the 2026 limit ($24,500, no catch-up) every year; real limits change most years.

13. Social Security, and the 2025 WEP and GPO repeal

  • Most NY public school teachers pay Social Security and Medicare on their pay (6.2% and 1.45% for employees; Social Security only up to $184,500 of 2026 pay). Look for these lines on your pay stub.
  • NYSTRS: "NYSTRS benefits and Social Security benefits are completely separate; one does not affect the other." (One exception NYSTRS lists: Tier 3 members who retire under Article 14.)
  • Social Security Fairness Act (signed Jan. 5, 2025): ended the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) for benefits payable for January 2024 and later. These rules used to shrink Social Security for people with a pension from work that did not pay Social Security (for example, teachers from some other states).

Example with made-up numbers Mr. J taught 10 years in a state whose teachers did not pay Social Security, then 20 years in New York (paying Social Security). Before 2024, WEP could have cut his own Social Security because of the other state's pension. Now that WEP is repealed, his Social Security is figured without that cut. Check your own record at my Social Security.

14. Printable: my retirement facts

My retirement facts

Copy from MyNYSTRS. Stays on this device.

What you type stays on this device only.

Sources

  1. NYSTRS: Explore Your NYSTRS Benefits presentation (Oct. 30, 2025, PDF): tiers, vesting, FAS, formulas, age factors, loans, death benefits (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  2. NYSTRS: Member Contributions (tier rates, Tier 6 rate table, base-wage rule) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  3. NYSTRS: 2024 Legislation (Tier 6 final average salary now 3 years; base-wage contribution rule) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  4. NYSTRS Delegate News 2026-6 (June 4, 2026): New legislation impacts Tier 6 NYSTRS members (Chapter 58 of the Laws of 2026, Part XX) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  5. NYSTRS: Active Members' Handbook (updated Oct. 2026, PDF) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  6. NYS Comptroller (NYSLRS): 2026-27 State Budget measures affecting NYSLRS (ERS and PFRS only; not NYSTRS) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  7. NYS and Local Retirement System (NYSLRS), Office of the State Comptroller (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  8. NY Civil Service Law §201, Definitions ("terms and conditions of employment"; retirement benefits not negotiable) (NY Senate) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  9. Teachers' Retirement System of the City of New York: Membership eligibility (appointed DOE teachers become members automatically) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  10. IRS: 401(k) limit increases to $24,500 for 2026; 403(b), governmental 457, catch-up, ages 60-63 and IRA limits (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  11. IRS: Retirement topics, catch-up contributions (Roth catch-up from 2026 when prior-year wages exceed $150,000) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  12. Social Security Administration: Contribution and benefit base ($184,500 for 2026; 6.2% and 1.45% employee rates) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  13. Social Security Administration: Social Security Fairness Act (WEP and GPO ended) (checked Nov 7, 2026)
  14. NYSTRS: Discovering Retirement (PDF): NYSTRS and Social Security benefits are separate (checked Nov 7, 2026)

Teacher Center · written for New York State teachers · last checked Nov 7, 2026. Robert Frost Middle School and Deer Park UFSD do not publish every local procedure online, so always confirm local steps with your building.