Colorado · Free tool
Colorado PERA Retirement Calculator
The Colorado Public Employees' Retirement Association (PERA) calculates a pension as 2.5% multiplied by your highest average salary multiplied by your years of service, capped at 100% of your highest average salary. Enter your numbers below for an estimate.
Enter your numbers. The percentage is pre-filled with the 2.5% PERA multiplier; adjust it for your tier or service level.
PERA uses a 2.5% multiplier on your highest average salary (the average of your highest three years). Early retirement before your normal retirement age reduces the benefit. Confirm with Colorado PERA.
Your estimated Colorado PERA pension
Updates as you type.
Educational estimate only, not financial advice. Uses a simplified Colorado PERA formula and your inputs; your real benefit varies by tier, service, age, and salary rules.
How the Colorado PERA formula works
PERA uses a 2.5% multiplier on your highest average salary, the average of your highest three years, and the total benefit is capped at 100% of that salary. An early-retirement reduction applies if you retire before meeting your age-and-service requirement. Colorado is one of the states where teachers generally do not participate in Social Security.
This calculator uses a single percentage and a simplified formula, so treat the result as an estimate and confirm your figure with PERA. Most Colorado teachers do not pay into Social Security for their teaching service, which makes the WEP and GPO repeal especially relevant. Use the full Teacher Retirement Calculator to combine your pension with your 403(b)/457(b), or read what the WEP and GPO repeal means for teachers.
Questions
How is a Colorado PERA pension calculated?
The PERA benefit multiplies a 2.5% multiplier by your highest average salary by your years of service. For example, 30 years at a $60,000 highest average salary is 2.5% × $60,000 × 30 = $45,000 per year before any early-retirement reduction.
What multiplier does Colorado PERA use?
It is 2.5% per year of service. Adjust the percentage on the calculator if your tier or service level uses a different rate.
Do Colorado teachers get Social Security?
Most do not. Colorado teachers generally do not pay into Social Security for their teaching service, so they receive a PERA pension instead. The Social Security Fairness Act, signed in January 2025, repealed the WEP and GPO that previously reduced any other Social Security a teacher had earned.