- 1
Find your tier
From the date your membership began: Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3, Tier 4, unless you tell us a different tier (after a refund and return, for example).
Member Handbook 2025, p. 12, TIER 1: Membership Prior to July 1, 2010; Member Handbook 2025, p. 13, TIER 2: Membership began on or after July 1, 2010, but prior to July 1, 2013; Member Handbook 2025, p. 13, TIER 3: Membership began on or after July 1, 2013, but prior to July 1, 2019; Member Handbook 2025, p. 14, TIER 4: Membership began on or after July 1, 2019 - 2
Project your service
We add a year of earned service for each year from today to your retirement date. Bought (allowed) service stays as you enter it. Benefits start on the first of a month.
Member Handbook 2025, p. 7, Earned Service Credit; Member Handbook 2025, p. 17, Effective Date of Retirement - 3
Check the three rules
Each tier has three ways to retire (25 or 30 and Out, the Rule of 75 or 80, 65 or 67 and 5). We pick an unreduced rule if you meet one; otherwise the Rule of 75 or 80 with its cut. You need 5 years of earned service.
Member Handbook 2025, p. 12, TIER 1; Member Handbook 2025, p. 13, TIER 2; Member Handbook 2025, p. 14, TIER 4 - 4
Apply the formula
Final average salary × service × 2.35% (Tiers 1-3), or × Tier 4's band rates (1.35%, 2.35%, 3.35%, 2.4%). Then the early cut: 0.6% or 1.8% per quarter year before the birthday.
Member Handbook 2025, p. 6, Defined Benefit Plan; p. 16, Calculating Retirement Benefits; Member Handbook 2025, p. 14, New Tiered Multipliers; p. 15; Member Handbook 2025, p. 12, TIER 1, Rule of 75; Member Handbook 2025, p. 13, TIER 2 and TIER 3, Rule of 80; p. 14, TIER 4, Rule of 80 - 5
Flag what isn't published
Below the soft minimum age (55 in Tier 3, 58 in Tier 4) with 30 years, and for Options B and C, NMERB publishes no factors. We show "up to" the full amount, or no amount, with the label "Check with NMERB".
Member Handbook 2025, p. 13, TIER 3 '30 and Out'; p. 14, TIER 4 '30 and Out'; Member Handbook 2025, pp. 18-19, Benefit Options; NMSA 1978, §22-11-29(A)-(B) - 6
Add dates
Your earliest date, your full-benefit date and your first COLA date, by projecting your service month by month.
Member Handbook 2025, p. 21, Cost of Living Adjustment; NMERB web page Cost of Living Adjustment (updated May 29, 2026)
Each step has a plain-English guide: tiers, the retirement rules and early cut, the formula, payment options and the COLA. To try them with your own numbers, open the calculator.
What the calculator doesn't cover
- Your final average salary. We use the number you enter; NMERB works it out from your records, including the anti-spiking limit.
- Options B and C in dollars, and the cut for a Tier 3 or 4 '30 and Out' below the soft minimum age: NMERB doesn't publish the factors.
- Disability benefits, and reciprocity with NMPERA service.
- The cost of buying service, which NMERB quotes.
- Retiree health premiums and subsidies, which NMRHCA sets.
- Future COLAs, which depend on each year's inflation, funded ratio and median benefit.
- Income tax.
How we check the math
The calculator runs on a small engine that reads every rule from one data file, with a source for each. Automated tests check it against the worked examples in NMERB's publications and the edges of each rule (the tier dates, ages 55, 58, 60, 65 and 67, 5, 25 and 30 years, the Tier 4 bands, the $25,000 limit). The tests run every time the site is built.
| Example | Source shows | Our engine |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 4, 15 yearsMember Handbook 2025, p. 15, For example (15 years) | 25.25% | 25.25%Match |
| Tier 4, 32 yearsMember Handbook 2025, p. 15, Another example (32 years) | 75.3% | 75.3%Match |
| Tier 1 Rule of 75, 6 months before 60Member Handbook 2025, p. 12, TIER 1, Rule of 75 | 1.2% | 1.2%Match |
| Survivor cut: starts right away (age 42)Member Handbook 2025, p. 20, Death Prior to Retirement (example); NMERB web page Plan Features, Options Before Retirement (also 12% at 55, none at 60; 'initial benefit of 35% of FAS') | 105.6% | 100%Match |
| Survivor cut: deferred to the member's 50th birthdayMember Handbook 2025, p. 20, Death Prior to Retirement (example); NMERB web page Plan Features, Options Before Retirement (also 12% at 55, none at 60; 'initial benefit of 35% of FAS') | 48% | 48%Match |
| Survivor cut: deferred to the member's 55th birthdayMember Handbook 2025, p. 20, Death Prior to Retirement (example); NMERB web page Plan Features, Options Before Retirement (also 12% at 55, none at 60; 'initial benefit of 35% of FAS') | 12% | 12%Match |
| Survivor cut: deferred to the member's 60th birthdayMember Handbook 2025, p. 20, Death Prior to Retirement (example); NMERB web page Plan Features, Options Before Retirement (also 12% at 55, none at 60; 'initial benefit of 35% of FAS') | 0% | 0%Match |
| COLA at a 2% CPI rise, 90% or less funded, long serviceMember Handbook 2025, pp. 21-22, examples based on a 2% annual increase in the CPI | 1.8% | 1.8%Match |
| COLA at a 2% CPI rise, 90% or less funded, othersMember Handbook 2025, pp. 21-22, examples based on a 2% annual increase in the CPI | 1.6% | 1.6%Match |
| COLA at a 2% CPI rise, over 90% and under 100% funded, long serviceMember Handbook 2025, pp. 21-22, examples based on a 2% annual increase in the CPI | 1.9% | 1.9%Match |
| COLA at a 2% CPI rise, over 90% and under 100% funded, othersMember Handbook 2025, pp. 21-22, examples based on a 2% annual increase in the CPI | 1.8% | 1.8%Match |
| COLA at a 2% CPI rise, 100% or more funded, long serviceMember Handbook 2025, pp. 21-22, examples based on a 2% annual increase in the CPI | 2% | 2%Match |
| COLA at a 2% CPI rise, 100% or more funded, othersMember Handbook 2025, pp. 21-22, examples based on a 2% annual increase in the CPI | 2% | 2%Match |
| COLA on 2026-07-01, long service2026 COLA and Anti-Spiking Threshold letter (Jan. 19, 2026), pp. 2-3; NMERB web page Cost of Living Adjustment (updated May 29, 2026) | 1.8% | 1.8%Match |
| COLA on 2026-07-01, others2026 COLA and Anti-Spiking Threshold letter (Jan. 19, 2026), pp. 2-3; NMERB web page Cost of Living Adjustment (updated May 29, 2026) | 1.6% | 1.6%Match |
| Sick leave, 38 daysMember Handbook 2025, p. 7, Purchase of Earned Service Credit based on Accumulated Sick Leave; NMERB web page Service Credit | 1 qtr | 1 qtrMatch |
| Sick leave, 83 daysMember Handbook 2025, p. 7, Purchase of Earned Service Credit based on Accumulated Sick Leave; NMERB web page Service Credit | 2 qtr | 2 qtrMatch |
| Sick leave, 128 daysMember Handbook 2025, p. 7, Purchase of Earned Service Credit based on Accumulated Sick Leave; NMERB web page Service Credit | 3 qtr | 3 qtrMatch |
| Sick leave, 173 daysMember Handbook 2025, p. 7, Purchase of Earned Service Credit based on Accumulated Sick Leave; NMERB web page Service Credit | 4 qtr | 4 qtrMatch |
| Return to work, $24,999 a yearMember Handbook 2025, p. 26, Option 3: Return to Work Less Than $25,000 | allowed | allowedMatch |
| Return to work, $25,000 a yearMember Handbook 2025, p. 26, Option 3: Return to Work Less Than $25,000 | not allowed | not allowedMatch |
The survivor example's immediate cut is 105.6% in the handbook; a cut can't go past 100%, so our engine shows 100%: nothing is payable either way.
Things to check with NMERB
The sources don't settle these points. Each is labelled "Check with NMERB" where it shows up on the site.
In Tier 3 under age 55, or Tier 4 under age 58, a '30 and Out' benefit is cut to match what you would get at that age. NMERB doesn't publish the size of the cut, so we show the full amount as 'up to' and you need NMERB's estimate for the real figure.
What would settle it: NMERB's actuarial reduction factor table for '30 and Out' below the soft minimum age, or an official estimate for such a member.
Options B and C pay less than Option A, by an amount that depends on your age and your beneficiary's age. NMERB doesn't publish those factors, so we show only Option A in dollars.
What would settle it: NMERB option factor tables, or official estimates for a few age pairs.
The handbook doesn't say whether the Rule of 75 or 80 counts your exact age in years and months, or how part years of service count. We use your exact age in months on your retirement date and your service as you enter it.
What would settle it: NMERB confirmation or an official estimate for a member who reaches 80 mid-year.
The early cut is charged for each quarter year 'or portion thereof'. We count three-month steps from your retirement date to the birthday and round any part up. That matches the handbook's example, but the handbook doesn't show a birthday in the middle of a month.
What would settle it: NMERB's Permanently Reduced Rate Calculation Notice for a member with a mid-month birthday.
Future COLAs depend on each year's inflation, the fund's funded ratio and the median benefit. Where we project COLAs we assume this year's rates stay the same, which won't be exactly right.
What would settle it: Each year's NMERB COLA letter.
We have New Mexico's tax-year 2025 rules only. The instructions don't say whether the age-65 exemption amounts rise with inflation or change after 2025.
What would settle it: The tax-year 2026 PIT-ADJ instructions.
The subsidy percentages come from NMRHCA's own rule, not from NMERB. Which table applies to you, and today's premiums and subsidy amounts, are for NMRHCA to confirm.
What would settle it: NMRHCA's current eligibility guide and rate sheet (nmrhca.org).
The handbook says refund interest follows the five-year Treasury Note rate on March 31, but it doesn't give the current rate.
What would settle it: NMERB's current refund interest rate notice.
NMERB's death page mentions a one-time lump sum for survivors of retirees, based on years of service, but gives no amount. It may be NMRHCA life insurance rather than an NMERB benefit.
What would settle it: NMERB or NMRHCA schedule of the retiree death benefit.
Our copy of the Educational Retirement Act is NMERB's 2022 compilation plus the 2025 bills. Any 2026 changes aren't included.
What would settle it: The current compiled NMSA ch. 22 art. 11 from NMOneSource, or NMERB's 2026 legislative summary.
The handbook's survivor example is for a Tier 1 member. It doesn't say which age cuts apply to the survivor benefit of a Tier 2, 3 or 4 member. We use that member's own tier cuts.
What would settle it: An NMERB survivor benefit estimate for a Tier 2, 3 or 4 member who died before retirement.
Where sources disagreed
- NMSA §22-11-31(B), even as amended by SB 75 (2025), sets the age-67 COLA start only for members retiring under §22-11-23.2 (Tier 3); it does not name §22-11-23.3 (Tier 4). The handbook, the COLA web page and the actuary's 2026 letter all say age 67 applies to everyone who joined on or after July 1, 2013 (Tiers 3 and 4). Our calculator follows the handbook. NMSA 1978, §22-11-31(B) (SB 75, 2025); Member Handbook 2025, p. 21; 2026 COLA letter, p. 1
- §22-11-30(J)(2)(c) says a Tier 4 Rule of 80 retiree under 60 gets 'an amount equal to one and eight-tenths percent for each one-fourth ... year before the member reaches sixty' (a drafting slip; it does not say 'reduced by', nor add the 0.6% for ages 60-65). The handbook gives 0.6% per quarter for 60-65 plus 1.8% per quarter before 60, the same as Tiers 2 and 3. Our calculator follows the handbook. NMSA 1978, §22-11-30(J)(2)(b)-(c); Member Handbook 2025, p. 14, TIER 4 Rule of 80
- The handbook says the Rule of 80 reduction applies if you are under 65 'and have less than 30 years of earned service credit'. Read literally, a Tier 3 member aged 50-54 (or Tier 4 aged 50-57) with 30 years would retire unreduced under the Rule of 80, which would make the '30 and Out' soft minimum age meaningless. The statute's Rule of 80 reduction (§22-11-30(I)(1), (J)(2)(b)-(c)) has no 30-year exception; the exception arises only because 30-year members retire under '30 and Out'. Our calculator treats 30+ year Tier 3/4 members under the soft minimum age as reduced (actuarial factor unpublished). Member Handbook 2025, pp. 13-14; NMSA 1978, §22-11-23.2(A)(1), §22-11-30(I), (J)
- 2.82.5.17 and 2.82.5.18 NMAC (eff. 07/01/2024) still say 'less than $15,000' and '36 months'. SB 133 (2025) changed §22-11-25.1(H) and (I) to less than $25,000 and 60 months; the handbook and web pages use the new limits. Our calculator uses the statute and handbook. The handbook also says the 60-month program is 'effective May 18, 2022' (the date the 36-month program began under Laws 2022, ch. 20); the 60-month limit came from SB 133 in 2025. 2.82.5.17-.18 NMAC; SB 133 (2025) §1; Member Handbook 2025, pp. 25-26; NMERB web page Recent Legislation
- The handbook says there is no advantage in deferring retirement beyond age 60 in inactive status. That matches Tier 1 (the Rule of 75 reduction ends at 60) but not Tiers 2-4, whose Rule of 80 reduction runs to 65. Guide text should not repeat the age-60 statement for Tiers 2-4. Member Handbook 2025, p. 17, Deferred Retirement; pp. 13-14
- The Service Credit web page says allowed service credit is 'limited to a total of five years', then says military plus other service may total 10 years. The handbook (p. 8) and §22-11-34(C) allow up to 5 years per group and 10 in total. The handbook is followed. NMERB web page Service Credit; Member Handbook 2025, p. 8; NMSA 1978, §22-11-34(C)
- 2.81.11.8(A) NMAC covers non-enhanced-plan retirees eligible 'on or after July 1, 2001 but before July 31, 2021' and (B) those eligible 'on or after January 1, 2021', so January-July 2021 falls in both. Recorded only; the site does not compute NMRHCA subsidies. 2.81.11.8(A)-(B) NMAC
Sources
- NMERB Member Handbook 2025 2025 edition (PDF posted October 2025)
- 2026 Cost of Living Adjustment for Retirees and Anti-Spiking Threshold (GRS letter to NMERB, with CPI table and COLA history since 1990) Jan. 19, 2026
- NMERB Schedule of Contribution Rates (FY27 Contribution Rate Schedule) posted July 2026
- Steps to Retirement 2026 posted January 2026
- NMERB web pages (retirement eligibility, plan features, COLA, service credit, return to work, RTW comparison table, FAQ flip cards, inactive members, disability, reciprocity, death of a member, 1099-R, recent legislation, ERA/rules index, reference tables) saved Nov. 12, 2026
- Educational Retirement Act, NMSA 1978 §§22-11-1 to 22-11-55 (NMERB compilation) Rev. 5.18.2022
- Senate Bill 133 (2025), final version: amends §22-11-25.1 (return to work: $25,000; 60 months) 2025 Regular Session
- Senate Bill 75 (2025), final version: amends §§22-11-11, 22-11-24, 22-11-31, 22-11-34, 22-11-55 2025 Regular Session
- House Bill 251 (2025), final version: retiree change of spousal beneficiary 2025 Regular Session
- 2.82.5 NMAC, Retirement Benefits (NMERB rule) eff. 07/01/2024
- 2.82.4 NMAC, Service Credit (NMERB rule) rev. 7.14.20
- 2.81.11 NMAC, NMRHCA subsidy levels by age and creditable service as amended 7/31/2021 (State Records Center and Archives copy)
- NM Taxation and Revenue Department, 2025 PIT-ADJ Instructions (Schedule of Additions, Deductions and Exemptions) tax year 2025
Cites use printed page numbers; printed = PDF page - 2. Last reviewed Nov. 12, 2026.
Source: NMERB Member Handbook, 2025 edition, pp. 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18-19, 20, 21, 21-22, 26. Also: NMERB web pages 'Cost of Living Adjustment', 'Plan Features', 'Service Credit'; 'initial benefit of 35% of FAS'); NMERB 2026 COLA and Anti-Spiking Threshold letter pp. 2-3; NMSA 1978 § 22-11-29. Last reviewed .
None of the NMERB publications we used says whether NMERB jobs pay into Social Security. The handbook only tells you to count any Social Security benefits when you plan. Ask your employer or NMERB.
What would settle it: An NMERB or NM Social Security Section 218 administrator statement on coverage of NMERB positions.