Neither ASRS's publications nor the statute use tier names. ASRS sorts members by membership date: before Jan. 1, 1984; Jan. 1, 1984 through June 30, 2011; July 1, 2011 or later. ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, 'Changes in law over time' table; ASRS Session 1, slide 18; ASRS Employer Basics 2025, pp. 8-9; A.R.S. 38-711(5), (27)
Before January 1, 1984
ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, 'Changes in law over time' table; A.R.S. 38-711(5)(a)Normal retirement (no cut)
- 65th birthday
- 62nd birthday with at least 10 years of credited service
- age plus years of total credited service equal 80 (Rule of 80)
Average pay used
Higher of 36 or 60 months in a row, within the last 120 months. Termination pay (unused leave paid when you leave) is included.
ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, Average Monthly Compensation; A.R.S. 38-711(5)(a)(i)-(ii)Early cut measured to
- 20+ years: to age 60
- 10+ years: to age 62
- 5+ years: to age 65
Or, at 77 to 79 points, 3% per point short of 80.
A.R.S. 38-758(B)(1)Refund if you leave
Your contributions, plus part of the employer's from 5 years.
A.R.S. 38-740(A)January 1, 1984 to June 30, 2011
ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, 'Changes in law over time' table; A.R.S. 38-711(5)(b)Normal retirement (no cut)
- 65th birthday
- 62nd birthday with at least 10 years of credited service
- age plus years of total credited service equal 80 (Rule of 80)
Average pay used
36 months in a row, within the last 120 months. Termination pay (unused leave paid when you leave) is left out.
ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, Average Monthly Compensation; ASRS Employer Basics 2025, p. 9; A.R.S. 38-711(5)(b)Early cut measured to
- 20+ years: to age 60
- 10+ years: to age 62
- 5+ years: to age 65
Or, at 77 to 79 points, 3% per point short of 80.
A.R.S. 38-758(B)(1)Refund if you leave
Your contributions, plus part of the employer's from 5 years.
A.R.S. 38-740(A)July 1, 2011 or later
ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, 'Changes in law over time' table; A.R.S. 38-711(5)(c)Normal retirement (no cut)
- 65th birthday
- 62nd birthday with at least 10 years of credited service
- 60th birthday with at least 25 years of credited service
- 55th birthday with at least 30 years of credited service
Average pay used
60 months in a row, within the last 120 months. Termination pay (unused leave paid when you leave) is left out.
ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, Average Monthly Compensation; ASRS Employer Basics 2025, p. 9; A.R.S. 38-711(5)(c)Early cut measured to
- 10+ years: to age 62
- 5+ years: to age 65
Refund if you leave
Your contributions only (unless laid off with 5+ years).
A.R.S. 38-740(B); A.R.S. 38-740(C)Everyone can retire early from age 50 with 5 years of service. ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, table (EARLY: 50 + 5 years); ASRS Employer Basics 2025, p. 8; A.R.S. 38-758(A); A.R.S. 38-711(11)
For membership before 1984, ASRS's eligibility page says the average is the higher of 36 or 60 months, and its employer handbook says 60 months.
The calculator uses the average pay you enter. It does not pick the averaging window for you.
ASRS Retirement Eligibility page; ASRS Employer Basics 2025, pp. 9, 24; A.R.S. 38-711(5)(a). What would settle it: A pre-1984 member's ASRS benefit estimate, or a full ASRS member handbook.If you took a refund and came back
A member keeps the original membership date across employers. A member who refunds (forfeits) and later returns gets a new membership date, even after buying back the forfeited service; the only exception is a pre-1984 member, for including termination pay in compensation. ASRS Employer Basics 2025, p. 24; A.R.S. 38-742(B)
From ASRS and the law
- Arizona teachers and school employees are ordinary members of the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS). Your rules depend on the date your ASRS membership began.ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, table; ASRS Session 1, slide 18; A.R.S. 38-711(5), (27)
- Membership that began before July 1, 2011 uses the Rule of 80 for normal retirement. Membership that began on or after July 1, 2011 does not; it has fixed age-and-service combinations instead.ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, table; ASRS Employer Basics 2025, p. 8; A.R.S. 38-711(27)(a)-(b)
- Membership that began before Jan. 1, 1984 gets the higher of a 36-month or a 60-month average salary. Jan. 1, 1984 to June 30, 2011: 36 months. July 1, 2011 or later: 60 months.ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, Average Monthly Compensation; A.R.S. 38-711(5)(a)-(c)
- You are an ASRS member if you work for a participating employer at least 20 weeks a fiscal year and at least 20 hours a week.ASRS New Member Guide, p. 7; A.R.S. 38-711(23)(b)
- Your ASRS account information, including an estimated benefit, must be available to you from ASRS.A.R.S. 38-755(A)
Your group decides how the average pay in the formula is figured, how big an early-retirement cut is, and what a refund pays if you leave.
Questions
What tier am I in with ASRS?
The law sorts you by the date your ASRS membership began: before January 1, 1984, January 1, 1984 to June 30, 2011, or July 1, 2011 or later (ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, 'Changes in law over time' table; A.R.S. 38-711(5)(b)). ASRS's own publications do not use tier numbers either; they sort members by membership date the same way (ASRS Retirement Eligibility page, 'Changes in law over time' table; ASRS Session 1, slide 18; ASRS Employer Basics 2025, pp. 8-9; A.R.S. 38-711(5), (27)).
Do I need to be full time to be in ASRS?
You are a member if you work for an ASRS employer at least 20 weeks a fiscal year and at least 20 hours a week (ASRS New Member Guide, p. 7; A.R.S. 38-727(A)(1); A.R.S. 38-711(13), (23)(b)).
Source: ASRS Employer Basics 2025 handbook, March 2025 edition, saved Nov. 12, 2026; with other ASRS publications and the Arizona Revised Statutes, pp. 8, 8-9, 9, 24. Also ASRS New Member Guide, p. 7. Also ASRS Basics for Employers, Session 1: Intro to ASRS (slides), slide 18. Also ASRS web page: Retirement Eligibility. Also ASRS web page: Estimate Your Benefits. Also A.R.S. 38-711, 38-740, 38-742, 38-755, 38-758 (Arizona Revised Statutes, Title 38, Ch. 5, Art. 2). Last reviewed .