Connecticut TRB Plans N, C and D: what each one pays

• Plan N pays the most for your life; at your death your beneficiary gets your account balance less 25% (or 50%) of benefits paid. Plan C lowers the payment to guarantee 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 years of payments. Plan D lowers it so a co-participant gets 100%, 75%, 2/3, 1/2 or 1/3 for life after you die, and pops back up to Plan N if they die first or you divorce.Active Teachers' Handbook (2022), pp. 28-31, Benefit Payment Options
• Connecticut TRB publishes Plan C and Plan D factors in two tables, depending on whether you became vested before or after July 1, 2019. For example, the factor for Plan C 20 years at age 60 is 0.965 in both.Connecticut TRB webpage 'Estimate Your Benefit', Payment Plan C and Payment Plan D Reduction Factors
• You may change or revoke your payment plan only before your retirement date.C.G.S. § 10-183j(a) (2025 rev.); Filing for Retirement / New Retiree Q&A (AI_FNRQA_200628), p. 1

The three plans

• Plan N (single life, partial refund): Largest monthly benefit for your life. At death your beneficiary gets your account balance at retirement minus 25% of benefits paid (10 Connecticut years before July 1, 2019) or 50% (otherwise). Active Teachers' Handbook (2022), p. 29, Plan N Single Life Option; C.G.S. § 10-183g(h) (2026 Supp.)
• Plan C (life with period certain): Reduced benefit for life with 5, 10, 15, 20 or 25 years of payments guaranteed from the retirement date; a beneficiary gets the rest of the period. Active Teachers' Handbook (2022), pp. 29-30, Lifetime and Period Certain Option (Plan C); C.G.S. § 10-183j(c) (2025 rev.)
• Plan D (co-participant): Reduced benefit over two lives; at your death your one co-participant gets 100%, 75%, 2/3, 1/2 or 1/3 of it for life. Pops up to Plan N if the co-participant dies first or you divorce (or legally separate on or after July 1, 2020) unless you keep the option by a domestic relations order. Active Teachers' Handbook (2022), pp. 30-31, Co-Participant Plan Option (Plan D); C.G.S. § 10-183j(d) (2025 rev.)

In dollars: a $3,000 Plan N at age 60

The handbook's example member gets $3,000 a month under Plan N at 60; the Plan D co-participant is 55. With Connecticut TRB's current factor workbooks:

Monthly amount = Plan N × the factor. For Plan D, "then" is what your co-participant gets for life after you die. Connecticut TRB webpage 'Estimate Your Benefit', Payment Plan C and Payment Plan D Reduction Factors (two workbooks)

Plan C factors by age

Share of Plan N you'd get, by your age at retirement and the guaranteed period. Members who reached ten years on or after July 1, 2019:

Members who reached ten years before July 1, 2019:

Whole ages shown; Connecticut TRB's tables also give quarter-year ages. Connecticut TRB webpage 'Estimate Your Benefit', Payment Plan C and Payment Plan D Reduction Factors (two workbooks)

Plan D factors at 60

Ten years before July 1, 2019, retiring at 60, by your co-participant's age:

Ten years on or after July 1, 2019, retiring at 60, by your co-participant's age:

The Plan N death refund

Under Plan N, when you die your beneficiary gets your account balance at retirement less 25% of the benefits you were paid (if you reached ten Connecticut years before July 1, 2019) or 50% (on or after). If that's zero or less, nothing is paid. Active Teachers' Handbook (2022), p. 29, Plan N Single Life Option; C.G.S. § 10-183g(h) (2026 Supp.)

Each matches the source: Active Teachers' Handbook (2022), p. 29, Plan N example; Connecticut TRB webpage 'Payment Plan Options (N, C, D)', Plan N Example; Connecticut TRB webpage 'Payment Plan Options (N, C, D)', Plan N Example; Connecticut TRB Retirement Overview (AI_RETPRESPP_240122), p. 17, Plan N Death Benefit Determination

Plan D's death benefit is not modelled here: C.G.S. § 10-183j(d)(1) compares 25% of aggregate Plan D benefits to contributions; handbook p. 31 and the webpage say the Plan D death benefit is figured like Plan N; the 2024 presentation p. 18 uses 50%.

Extra annuity from your 1% or voluntary account

Your pre-July 1989 1% supplemental account and any voluntary account can be taken as a lump sum or as an extra fixed monthly annuity (no COLA). Each account is all one or the other. Monthly annuity = balance / 1,000 x the rate for your age (quarter-year columns). Plan C or D reduces it the same way as the pension. Annuity Bulletin (AI_VOLSUP20_210630), pp. 1-5; C.G.S. § 10-183g(f) (2026 Supp.)

Example: $10,000 at age 60 × 6.46 per $1,000 = $64.60 a month (the bulletin shows $64). Annuity Bulletin (AI_VOLSUP20_210630), p. 1, Extra Annuity example ($10,000 x .00646 = $64)

You may change or revoke your plan choice only before the retirement date; it is irrevocable once benefits begin. C.G.S. § 10-183j(a) (2025 rev.); Filing for Retirement / New Retiree Q&A (AI_FNRQA_200628), p. 1 The calculator shows Plans N, C and D for your own numbers; add your co-participant's date of birth under "More details".

Questions