Initially enrolled before July 1, 2011
62 or 30 years
Vested at 6 years; AFC = 5 best years; a COLA.
Handbook (2026), p. 45, Normal Retirement; Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slide 8; F.S. 121.021(29)(a)1.Initially enrolled on or after July 1, 2011
65 or 33 years
Vested at 8 years; AFC = 8 best years; no COLA.
Handbook (2026), p. 45, Normal Retirement; Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slide 8; F.S. 121.021(29)(a)2.| Rule | Before July 1, 2011 | On or after |
|---|---|---|
| VestingHandbook (2026), p. 26, Vesting | 6 years | 8 years |
| Normal retirementHandbook (2026), p. 45, Normal Retirement | Age 62, or 30 years at any age | Age 65, or 33 years at any age |
| Early retirementHandbook (2026), p. 46, Early Retirement | 5% a year before 62 | 5% a year before 65 |
| Average final compensationHandbook (2026), p. 29, Average Final Compensation | 5 highest fiscal years | 8 highest fiscal years |
| Percentage valueHandbook (2026), p. 30, Percentage Value for a Year of Retirement Credit | 1.6% at 62 or 30 years, up to 1.68% | 1.6% at 65 or 33 years, up to 1.68% |
| COLA after retirementHandbook (2026), p. 58, Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) | 3% × your share of service before July 1, 2011 | None |
The seminar deck says 'Members enrolled after July 1, 2011 - Tier 2'. The handbook, SPD and statute say 'on or after July 1, 2011'.
We follow the handbook: enrolled on July 1, 2011 is Tier 2.
Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slide 7; Handbook (2026), p. 26
The handbook and SPD say members enrolled on or after July 1, 2011 use their eight highest fiscal years. F.S. 121.091(1)(d) still mentions the five highest; the definition in F.S. 121.021(24)(a)2. says eight.
We follow the handbook: eight years.
Handbook (2026), p. 29; Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), p. 5; F.S. 121.091(1)(d); F.S. 121.021(24)(a)2.
If covered employment ended before July 1, 2001, vesting was 10 years for the Regular Class; a member more than one year from vesting then must return for one work year to qualify for six-year vesting. Such members are outside this calculator.
Pension Plan or Investment Plan?
The tier rules on this page are for the Pension Plan. The FRS also has an Investment Plan, an account instead of a pension. How the two compare
Investment Plan SPD (2026), p. 8, Investment Plan Defined; Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slide 2The facts
- Your Pension Plan rules depend on when you were first enrolled in the FRS: before July 1, 2011, or on or after July 1, 2011.Handbook (2026), p. 26, Vesting; p. 45, Normal Retirement
- Enrolled before July 1, 2011: you vest after 6 years, reach normal retirement at 62 or with 30 years, and your average final compensation (AFC) is your 5 highest fiscal years.Handbook (2026), p. 26, p. 29, p. 45
- Enrolled on or after July 1, 2011: you vest after 8 years, reach normal retirement at 65 or with 33 years, and your AFC is your 8 highest fiscal years.Handbook (2026), p. 26, p. 29, p. 45
- Teachers are in the Regular Class, the class for every member who does not qualify for the Special Risk, Special Risk Administrative Support, Elected Officers' or Senior Management Service Class.Handbook (2026), p. 10, Regular Class
- FRS has two main plans: the Pension Plan (a lifetime monthly benefit from a formula) and the Investment Plan (an account whose value depends on contributions and investment returns).Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slide 2
- Vested active members get a Member Annual Statement with benefit estimates in their birth month.Handbook (2026), p. 9, Automatically Generated Statements
Other plans you might be in
- State University System Optional Retirement Program (SUSORP): State university faculty and certain administrative and professional staff (instead of the FRS unless they elect it). Handbook (2026), p. 21, Optional Retirement Programs
- State Community College System Optional Retirement Program (SCCSORP): State College System faculty and certain administrators who elect it within 90 days. Handbook (2026), p. 21, Optional Retirement Programs
- Teachers' Retirement System (TRS): Closed system consolidated into the FRS on Dec. 1, 1970; remaining TRS members can still join DROP. Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), p. 1, Creation; DROP Guide (2026), p. 4
Next: the formula or early retirement.
Questions
Which FRS tier am I in?
It depends on when you were first enrolled in the FRS: before July 1, 2011, or on or after it. Leaving and coming back doesn't change it.
What changed in 2011?
For members enrolled on or after July 1, 2011: vesting went from 6 to 8 years, normal retirement from 62 (or 30 years) to 65 (or 33), AFC from 5 to 8 years, and there's no COLA.
Are teachers in the Regular Class?
Yes. The Regular Class is for every member not in the Special Risk, Special Risk Administrative Support, Elected Officers' or Senior Management Service Class.
Source: FRS Pension Plan Member Handbook, 2026 Edition, pp. 9, 10, 21, 26, 29, 30, 43, 45, 46, 58. Also: Seminar slides (Sept. 24, 2025), slides 2, 8, 24, 31, 33; Pension Plan SPD (July 1, 2026), pp. 1, 2, 4, 5, 9; DROP Guide (2026), pp. 4, 7; F.S. 121.021, 121.091. Last reviewed .