Find your schedule
Did you become an ERSRI member on or after July 1, 2012?
On July 1, 2005, did you have at least 10 years of contributory service (service you worked and paid in for)?
By Sept. 30, 2009, could you already retire? (Age 60 with 10 years of contributory service, or 28 years of service at any age.)
By Sept. 30, 2009, could you already retire? (Age 65 with 10 years of contributory service, or age 59 with 29 years.)
By June 30, 2012, could you retire under the 2009 rules (the age-62 minimum, scaled back for your service)?
By June 30, 2012, had you reached age 65 with 10 years of contributory service?
On June 30, 2012, did you have at least 5 years of contributory service?
This finder follows the handbook's definitions (p. 17). Your ERSRI member portal shows your official schedule.
All eight schedules
| Schedule | Who | Before July 2012 you earned | Maximum | Full-pension age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule A | Vested with 10+ years of contributory service on or before July 1, 2005 and had 28 years of service or age 60 by Sept. 30, 2009 (eligible to retire then).Handbook, p. 17, Schedule A; R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-16-12(a)(i) | Schedule A rates | 80% | Already eligible on Sept. 30, 2009: date unchanged |
| Schedule ABE | 10+ years by July 1, 2005, not eligible on Sept. 30, 2009, but eligible to retire by June 30, 2012. Retirement age 62, scaled back in proportion to service on Sept. 30, 2009.Handbook, p. 17, Schedule ABE | Schedule A rates to Sept. 30, 2009, then Schedule B rates | 80% | Eligible by June 30, 2012: date unchanged |
| Schedule ABNE | 10+ years by July 1, 2005, not eligible to retire by June 30, 2012. Retirement age is your Social Security full retirement age, scaled back in proportion to service on June 30, 2012; never below 59.Handbook, p. 17, Schedule ABNE | Schedule A rates to Sept. 30, 2009, then Schedule B rates | 80% | Social Security full retirement age, scaled back (never below 59) |
| Schedule B | Fewer than 10 years by July 1, 2005, but eligible to retire on Sept. 30, 2009 (10 years of contributory service and age 65, or age 59 with 29 years).Handbook, p. 17, Schedule B | Schedule B rates | 75% | Already eligible on Sept. 30, 2009: date unchanged |
| Schedule B1E | Fewer than 10 years by July 1, 2005, eligible to retire by June 30, 2012 by reaching age 65 with 10 years of contributory service.Handbook, p. 17, Schedule B1E | Schedule B rates | 75% | Eligible by June 30, 2012: date unchanged |
| Schedule B1NE | Fewer than 10 years by July 1, 2005, vested with 5 years by June 30, 2012, not eligible to retire by June 30, 2012. Retirement age is your Social Security full retirement age; once you reach 10 years of contributory service it is scaled back in proportion to service on June 30, 2012; never below 59.Handbook, p. 17, Schedule B1NE | Schedule B rates | 75% | Social Security full retirement age; scaled back once you have 10 years of contributory service (never below 59) |
| Schedule B2 | Active on Oct. 1, 2009 with fewer than 5 years of service by June 30, 2012. Retire at your Social Security full retirement age with 5 years of contributory service.Handbook, p. 17, Schedule B2 | Schedule B rates | 75% | Social Security full retirement age |
| Schedule B3 | Hired on or after July 1, 2012. Retire at your Social Security full retirement age with 5 years of contributory service.Handbook, p. 17, Schedule B3 | None (hired after June 30, 2012) | 75% | Social Security full retirement age |
The rates for each year are on the benefit formula page. Handbook, p. 19, accrual chart column headings; R.I. Gen. Laws § 16-16-13(a)(1)(ii)
The "scaled-back" retirement age
If you had at least 5 years of contributory service on June 30, 2012 but couldn't retire yet (Schedules ABNE and B1NE), ERSRI lowers your retirement age from your Social Security full retirement age. The more of your career you had worked by June 30, 2012, the bigger the cut. It never goes below 59.
Our calculator estimates the scaled-back age from the law's formula and the 2012 guide's examples. ERSRI works it out from your actual service history, and the member portal shows the official date.
What would settle it: The member's ERSRI Pension Projection Tool.
For Schedule B1NE the handbook adds that the age is scaled back only once you reach 10 years of contributory service. It doesn't say whether those 10 years are counted on June 30, 2012 or when you retire. We count them when you retire.
What would settle it: ERSRI or the member portal.
What the handbook says
- Rhode Island public school teachers belong to the Employees' Retirement System of Rhode Island (ERSRI). You qualify if you are certified, teach as your main job, and work at least half time for a city, town, regional district or collaborative. Membership is required.Handbook, p. 6, Membership (Public School Teachers)
- ERSRI is a hybrid plan: a pension (the defined benefit plan) plus a defined contribution account managed by TIAA.Handbook, p. 7, Your Retirement Plan
- Instead of tiers, ERSRI puts you on a 'schedule'. Your schedule depends on when you were hired and how much service you had on July 1, 2005, Sept. 30, 2009 and June 30, 2012. It sets your accrual rates, your maximum pension and your retirement age.Handbook, p. 17, Eligible Retirement Age
- You can see your schedule and your retirement eligibility date in the ERSRI member portal, under the Pension Profile Tool and the Pension Projection Tool.Handbook, p. 17, Eligible Retirement Age
- You are vested (able to collect a pension once you meet the retirement rules) after 5 years of contributory service. Your own contributions are always yours.Handbook, p. 9, Vesting and Purchasing Service Credit
- Teachers pay 3.75% of pay into the pension and 5% into the defined contribution plan (plus 2% in districts without Social Security). If you had 20 or more years on June 30, 2012, you pay 11% into the pension instead and no longer pay into the defined contribution plan.Handbook, p. 41, Appendix A, Contribution Rates
- Earlier service with MERS or as a state employee counts toward vesting as a teacher, if the jobs did not overlap.Handbook, p. 16, Combining Time for Vesting
ERSRI's 2012 guide used the shorter names "AB" (for ABE and ABNE) and "B1" (for B1E and B1NE). ERSRI RIRSA Guide (Jan. 2012), pp. 11-12
Questions
Where can I see my ERSRI schedule?
In the ERSRI member portal, under the Pension Profile Tool and the Pension Projection Tool. They also show your retirement eligibility date. The handbook tells members to use them.
What do the E and NE mean?
E means you were eligible to retire by June 30, 2012. NE means you were not eligible by then. If you were eligible, the 2011 law didn't change your retirement date.
Does my schedule change my pension after 2012?
Every schedule earns the same 1% a year from July 1, 2012 (2% from July 1, 2015 with 20+ years on June 30, 2012). Your schedule decides what your earlier years earned, your maximum (80% or 75%) and your retirement age.
I was hired after July 1, 2012. Which schedule am I?
Schedule B3. Your full-pension age is your Social Security full retirement age (never over 67) with 5 years of contributory service, or the Rule of 95 if that comes first.
Source: ERSRI Membership and Retirement Handbook, 10th edition, June 2020 (with the 2024 Article 12 changes from the Treasurer's guide, July 1, 2024), pp. 6, 7, 9, 16, 17, 18, 19, 41. Also: Rhode Island General Laws; ERSRI's guide to the Retirement Security Act, Jan. 2012. Last reviewed .