- Each extra year of work adds a year of service, and can move you up the percentage-value chart once you are past 62 or 30 years (65 or 33 years if enrolled on or after July 1, 2011).Handbook (2026), p. 30
- If you are short of normal retirement, each extra year also removes 5% of early-retirement cut.Handbook (2026), p. 46, Early Retirement
- A new fiscal year of pay can replace a lower year in your average final compensation.Handbook (2026), p. 29, Average Final Compensation
- Once you are at normal retirement you can join DROP instead: your benefit is fixed at that point, and you keep working for up to 96 months while it builds up in an account.Handbook (2026), p. 40
Our example
A member enrolled before July 1, 2011, 59 with 28 years and a $50,000 AFC, held flat. Load it in the calculator
| Retire on | Years | Rate · cut | A month | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2026age 59 | 28 | 1.6%−13.33% | $1,617.78 | — |
| Jul 1, 2027age 60 | 29 | 1.6%−8.33% | $1,772.22 | +$154.44 |
| Jul 1, 2028age 61 | 30 | 1.6% | $2,000.00 | +$227.78 |
| Jul 1, 2029age 62 | 31 | 1.63% | $2,105.42 | +$105.42 |
| Jul 1, 2030age 63 | 32 | 1.65% | $2,200.00 | +$94.58 |
| Jul 1, 2031age 64 | 33 | 1.68% | $2,310.00 | +$110.00 |
From $1,617.78 to $2,310.00 a month over 5 years. The jump in the first years comes from reaching 30 years, which removes the early cut. Handbook (2026), p. 46, Early Retirement; Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), p. 4, Service Retirement; Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slide 31; F.S. 121.091(3)(a)1.; Handbook (2026), p. 30, Percentage Value for a Year of Retirement Credit; Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), p. 5, Benefit Calculation; Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slide 24
The calculator projects vesting and the 30- or 33-year date at one month of credit per calendar month. Teachers earn credit by work year (9, 10 or 11 months can be a full year), so your real dates come from FRS's records.
We add one year of service per year you keep working.
What would settle it: Your Member Annual Statement or FRS Online service history.
Three smaller things a year changes
- Your health subsidy. $7.50 for each year of service at retirement; minimum $45 a month; maximum $225 a month (30 or more years). So each year up to 30 adds $7.50 a month; see the HIS. Handbook (2026), p. 58, Health Insurance Subsidy (HIS); F.S. 112.363(3)(f)1.
- Your COLA share. Members who retire on or after July 1, 2011 receive an individually calculated COLA: service before July 1, 2011 divided by total service at retirement or DROP entry, times 3%. Each year you work now is after July 1, 2011, so it slightly lowers that share. Members initially enrolled on or after July 1, 2011 do not receive a COLA after retirement, unless they are eligible Special Risk Class retirees. Handbook (2026), p. 58, Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA); DROP Guide (2026), p. 7; F.S. 121.101(4)(c); Handbook (2026), p. 43, note 11; Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), p. 9
- DROP instead. There is no penalty for delaying DROP entry and participating for the full 96 months after you reach normal retirement. In DROP you stop paying the employee contribution, but no HIS while in DROP, and DROP years earn no HIS credit. HIS can start after DROP ends, retroactive at most six months. DROP Guide (2026), p. 17, When do I have to enter the DROP?; Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slide 13; Handbook (2026), p. 23, Contributions; DROP Guide (2026), p. 25, Am I eligible to receive the HIS benefit while I am in the DROP?
Before choosing DROP, the Division suggests reviewing your whole financial picture, including your Social Security benefits, and asking for estimates that compare DROP with working longer and retiring later. The free FRS Financial Guidance Line is 866-446-9377. DROP Guide (2026), p. 12
Next: DROP or payment options.
Questions
What does one more year add to an FRS pension?
A year of service in the formula; possibly a higher percentage value on the chart; less of any early-retirement cut; and maybe a better year in your average final compensation.
Should I join DROP instead?
Once you reach normal retirement, DROP fixes your benefit and pays it into an account for up to 96 months while you work. Working on outside DROP keeps adding service instead. The calculator shows both.
Source: FRS Pension Plan Member Handbook, 2026 Edition, pp. 23, 29, 30, 40, 43, 46, 58. Also: DROP Guide (2026), pp. 3, 7, 12, 17, 25; Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), pp. 4, 5, 9; Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slides 13, 21, 24, 31; F.S. 112.363, 121.091, 121.101. Last reviewed .