Does TFFR have a COLA?
No. The TFFR plan has no automatic cost-of-living adjustment, so your monthly benefit stays the same unless the North Dakota Legislature passes an increase. It has done so from time to time, most recently with two 0.75% increases in 2001 and 2002 and a one-time payment in December 2009.
Past increases
TFFR has no automatic cost-of-living adjustment. The Legislature has granted occasional ad hoc increases; the last were 0.75% increases on July 1, 2001 and July 1, 2002 and a one-time supplemental payment in December 2009 for those retired before 2009. Handbook p. 25, Cost of Living Adjustments; Retirement Guide (2023) p. 11, Post Retirement Benefit Increases; Valuation (2026) p. 38, Cost of Living Increase; NDCC 15-39.1-10.1 to 15-39.1-10.12; Valuation (2026) pp. 40-43, Summary of Plan Changes
Each one was its own law with its own formula, listed below from the actuarial valuation's summary of plan changes and the statute. Some were flat dollars per year of service, so they did not track your benefit size.
What this means for planning
A pension that stays flat buys less as prices rise. Our calculator shows the same monthly amount for every year after you retire, because that's what the plan provides. That makes the starting amount matter more: it's set by the 2% formula, any early-retirement cut, and the payment option you choose.
From the sources
- TFFR has no automatic cost-of-living adjustment. The Legislature has granted occasional increases; the last were 0.75% increases in July 2001 and July 2002, plus a one-time payment in December 2009 for those retired before 2009.Handbook p. 25; NDCC 15-39.1-10.11, 15-39.1-10.12; Valuation (2026) p. 38
- 1991 and 1993: the Legislature raised benefits for everyone receiving a monthly benefit on June 30 of that year by the greater of 10% or a set amount per year of service that depended on when you retired, at least $5 a month and at most $75 (1991) or $100 (1993).Valuation (2026) p. 40, Summary of Plan Changes
- 1999: an ad hoc increase for all retirees and beneficiaries of $2 a month for each year of service plus $1 a month for each year since retirement.Valuation (2026) p. 41, 1999 Legislative Session; NDCC 15-39.1-10.10
- 2001: the same $2-plus-$1 formula again, plus two 0.75% increases payable July 1, 2001 and July 1, 2002. The 0.75% increases were conditional: the board could reduce or suspend them if an annual actuarial test showed the contribution rate falling short.Valuation (2026) p. 41, 2001 Legislative Session; NDCC 15-39.1-10.11
- 2009: a one-time supplemental payment in December 2009 for those who retired before January 1, 2009: $20 times years of service plus $15 times years since retirement, capped at the greater of 10% of the annual annuity or $750.Valuation (2026) p. 42, 2009 Legislative Session; NDCC 15-39.1-10.12
Questions
Does a TFFR pension get a yearly COLA?
No. TFFR has no automatic cost-of-living adjustment.
Have TFFR retirees ever had increases?
The Legislature has granted occasional ad hoc increases; the last were 0.75% increases on July 1, 2001 and July 1, 2002 and a one-time supplemental payment in December 2009 for those retired before 2009.
Will my check go up with inflation?
Not automatically. Plan as if your monthly amount stays the same unless the Legislature acts.
Related: retiree health insurance and working after retirement.
Source: Teachers' Fund for Retirement Member Handbook, 5/7/2026, p. 25. Also: Retirement Guide (2023); Valuation (2026); NDCC 15-39.1-10.1, 15-39.1-10.10, 15-39.1-10.11, 15-39.1-10.12. Last reviewed .