California ยท Free tool
CalSTRS Pension Calculator
CalSTRS uses a "2% at 60" formula: your years of service times an age factor (2% at age 60, lower if you retire earlier, up to 2.4% at 63 and older) times your final compensation. Enter your numbers below for an estimate.
Enter your numbers. The multiplier is pre-filled with the CalSTRS standard; adjust it if your tier differs.
Hire date matters: CalSTRS 2% at 60 (hired before 2013) and 2% at 62 (hired 2013 or later) use different age benchmarks. Confirm yours with CalSTRS.
Your estimated CalSTRS pension
Updates as you type.
Educational estimate only, not financial advice. Uses the standard CalSTRS formula and your inputs; your real benefit varies by tier, hire date, and age.
How the CalSTRS formula works
CalSTRS multiplies three things: your years of service credit, your age factor, and your final compensation (your highest average annual earnable compensation, often over 12 or 36 months depending on your tier). The age factor is 2% at age 60. Retiring earlier lowers it; waiting past 60 raises it up to 2.4%. Members first hired on or after January 1, 2013 fall under CalSTRS 2% at 62, which uses age 62 as the benchmark.
This calculator gives you the pension piece. Most California educators also have a 403(b) or 457(b) and Social Security, and after the 2025 repeal of WEP and GPO most teachers now keep their full Social Security too. Use the full Teacher Retirement Calculator to see all three sources together, or read what the WEP and GPO repeal means for teachers.
Questions
How is a CalSTRS pension calculated?
CalSTRS multiplies your years of service by an age factor (2% at age 60, up to 2.4% at 63+) by your final compensation. For example, 28 years at a 2% factor on $90,000 final compensation is about $50,400 a year.
Will my pension reduce my Social Security?
No longer for most teachers. The Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset were repealed by the Social Security Fairness Act in January 2025, so most educators now receive their full Social Security benefit alongside their CalSTRS pension.
Should I get a personal CalSTRS analysis?
A free review with a licensed educator-retirement specialist can confirm your tier, model different retirement ages, and coordinate your pension with your 403(b)/457(b) and any old accounts from prior jobs. Talk to a specialist.