New Jersey · Free tool
NJ Teacher Pension Calculator
New Jersey's Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) calculates your pension by dividing your years of service by a tier factor, then multiplying by your final average salary. Most current teachers are Tier 5, which works out to about 1.67% per year. Enter your numbers below for an estimate.
Enter your numbers. The percentage is pre-filled with the New Jersey TPAF factor that fits most members; adjust it for your tier or plan.
TPAF factor depends on tier: Tiers 1-3 use years/55 (about 1.82% per year, 3-year final average salary); Tiers 4-5 use years/60 (about 1.67% per year, 5-year final average salary). Most teachers hired after 2011 are Tier 5. Confirm your tier with the NJ Division of Pensions & Benefits.
Your estimated New Jersey TPAF pension
Updates as you type.
Educational estimate only, not financial advice. Uses a simplified New Jersey TPAF formula and your inputs; your real benefit varies by tier, plan, service, and salary rules.
How the New Jersey TPAF formula works
TPAF uses a divisor formula rather than a flat percentage, but it converts cleanly to a per-year factor. Tiers 1 through 3 use years ÷ 55 × final average salary, which is about 1.82% per year. Tiers 4 and 5 use years ÷ 60 × final average salary, about 1.67% per year. The calculator above defaults to 1.67% for Tier 5, the tier covering most teachers hired after 2011.
Your final average salary also depends on tier. Tiers 1 through 3 average your 3 highest-paid years; Tiers 4 and 5 average your 5 highest. So a Tier 5 member combines the lower 1.67% factor with a 5-year salary average. Change the percentage to 1.82% if you are in an older tier. New Jersey teachers do pay into Social Security, so your pension is one of three retirement income sources. Use the full Teacher Retirement Calculator to combine your pension with your 403(b)/457(b) and Social Security, or read what the WEP and GPO repeal means for teachers.
Questions
How is a NJ TPAF teacher pension calculated?
TPAF divides your years of service by a tier factor and multiplies by your final average salary. Tier 5 members (most teachers hired after 2011) use years ÷ 60, about 1.67% per year. For example, 25 years at an $80,000 final average salary is roughly 25 ÷ 60 × $80,000 = $33,333 per year.
What TPAF tier am I in?
Your tier depends on your enrollment date. Most teachers hired after June 2011 are in Tier 5, which uses the years ÷ 60 factor and a 5-year final average salary. Earlier tiers use years ÷ 55 (about 1.82% per year) and a 3-year final average salary. Confirm your tier with the New Jersey Division of Pensions & Benefits.
Do New Jersey teachers get Social Security?
Yes. New Jersey teachers pay into Social Security, so most receive both a TPAF pension and a Social Security benefit. Coordinating the two, plus any 403(b) or 457(b) savings, is the key to a full retirement income picture.