Annuity Certain
A lifetime benefit with a guaranteed number of years; if you die sooner, your beneficiary gets the rest (Plan III).
Base benefit
The benefit used to figure a COLA; increases are a percent of the base, not compounded.
Benefit calculation table
STRS Ohio's chart of the percent of final average salary you get at each whole age and year of service. Shaded cells are reduced.
COLA (cost-of-living adjustment)
An increase to your benefit the board may grant, starting on the fifth anniversary of your retirement.
Combined Plan
An STRS Ohio plan with a small pension (1% per year of service) plus an account you invest.
Defined Benefit Plan
STRS Ohio's pension plan; your benefit comes from a formula using your salary and years of service.
Defined Contribution Plan
An STRS Ohio plan where your benefit is an account you invest; there's no pension formula.
Final average salary (FAS)
The average of your five highest years of Ohio public earnings.
Joint and Survivor Annuity
A lower lifetime benefit that keeps paying your beneficiary after you die (Plan II).
Online Personal Account
Your account on STRS Ohio's website, where you can get estimates and apply to retire.
Plans of payment
STRS Ohio's name for the ways your benefit can be paid (Plan I, II or III, with or without a PLOP).
PLOP (Partial Lump-Sum Option Plan)
A lump sum at retirement of 6 to 36 times your monthly Single Life Annuity, paid for by a permanently lower monthly benefit.
Qualifying service credit
Service earned with STRS Ohio, OPERS or SERS, restored credit, and some transferred and military credit. It counts toward the 5 years you need to retire at 60 or 65.
Reduced benefit
A benefit cut for retiring before you qualify for an unreduced one, because it's paid for longer.
Reemployed retiree
A retiree working again for an Ohio public employer; they pay contributions toward a separate benefit.
Retirement effective date
The first of the month your benefit starts.
Reversion
In a Joint and Survivor plan, going back to the Single Life amount if your beneficiary dies first or your marriage ends.
Service credit
The years and parts of years of Ohio public service that count toward your benefit, including credit you buy.
Single Life Annuity
The full monthly benefit, paid for your life only. Survivor plans and the PLOP are figured from it.
Unreduced benefit
A benefit with no early-retirement cut, paid once you meet the age or service requirement for your retirement date.
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Plain English, not the official wordingThese definitions put STRS Ohio's brochures into everyday words. They aren't STRS Ohio's official definitions, and they aren't legal or financial advice. STRS Ohio decides your benefit.
Source: STRS Ohio, Understanding Your STRS Ohio Benefits: Plan Summary, 2026|2027 (form 20-101, Aug. 2026), pp. 2-3, 4-5, 14-15, 16-17, 24-27, 28-33, 34-49. Also: STRS Ohio Service Retirement and Plans of Payment (Defined Benefit Plan), 2026|2027 (form 15-126, 6/26), pp. 2-3, 4-5, 8-15, 8-11, 10-13, 12-15, 14-15. Also: STRS Ohio Employment After Retirement (all plans), 2026|2027 (form 15-131, 6/26), pp. 4-5. Also: STRS Ohio Purchasing Service Credit (Defined Benefit Plan), 2026|2027 (form 15-119, 6/26), pp. 1-3. Background: Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3307; STRS Ohio Actuarial Valuation as of June 30, 2025 (Cheiron). Last reviewed .