Teacher Pension CalculatorPlain-English estimates for Utah teachers and school employeesUnofficial
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What will your Utah URS pension actually pay?

Utah Retirement Systems (URS) runs the pension plans for Utah's public school employees. Estimate your benefit: your tier, your monthly Option One amount, when you can retire with no reduction, and what one more year is worth.

Updated for the URS Tier 1 Noncontributory and Tier 2 Public Employees Retirement System Highlights, 2026-27, effective July 1, 2026 · Last reviewed

  • 2% a year in Tier 1 Noncontributory, on your highest 3 years
  • 1.5% a year in the Tier 2 Hybrid, on your highest 5 years
  • July 1, 2011 the hire date that splits Tier 1 from Tier 2

Utah teacher pension calculator

1 About you
2 Your URS account
More details (optional)
Your estimated monthly benefit

Fill in the form and we'll show your tier, your Option One benefit, when you can retire with a full benefit, any early-retirement reduction, what working longer adds, and the rules for going back to work.

Options Two to Six and the benefit after a partial lump sum are labeled "Check with URS": URS doesn't publish the factors behind them.

URS's own example

URS's Comparing Tier 2 Plans works one Hybrid example. Tap it to load it into the calculator.

URS gives no age or dates for this example. With 35 years the benefit is full at any age, so we use a member hired on July 1, 2011 who retires in 2046. See How we calculate.

Common questions

How is a URS pension calculated?

Tier 1 Noncontributory: 2% × years of service × your final average monthly salary (highest 3 years). Tier 2 Hybrid: 1.5% × years × final average salary (highest 5 years). Retiring early reduces it.

Am I in Tier 1 or Tier 2?

Tier 1 if you initially began full-time work with a URS employer before July 1, 2011. Tier 2 if you started on or after that date. Tier 2 members choose the Hybrid (pension plus 401(k)) or the Defined Contribution Plan (401(k) only).

When can I retire with a full benefit?

Tier 1: at 65, or at any age with 30 years. Tier 2 Hybrid: at 65, or at any age with 35 years. Earlier retirement is possible with a reduction: 62 with 10 years, 60 with 20 years, and in Tier 1 any age with 25 years.

How much does URS reduce early retirement?

In Tier 1, 3% a year from 60 to 65 (you keep 85% at 60) and a full actuarial reduction before 60 (54.11% at 55). In Tier 2, a full actuarial reduction before 65 (61.75% at 60). These factors are from URS's actuarial valuation.

Does URS have a cost-of-living increase?

Yes. Each year on your retirement anniversary, starting one year after you retire: the CPI increase, up to 4% (Tier 1) or 2.5% (Tier 2) of your original benefit.

Is this the official URS calculator?

No. This is an unofficial estimate built from Utah Retirement Systems (URS) publications and Utah law. It isn't affiliated with URS. URS can give you an official estimate; its phone number is 800-695-4877.

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Plain-English guides

How your pension works

Tier 1 or Tier 2?The July 1, 2011 hire date that decides your tier, and the two tiers side by side.Tier 2: Hybrid or DC?The 1.5% pension plus 401(k), or the 401(k)-only Defined Contribution Plan, in words.The benefit formula2% a year on your highest three years (Tier 1), 1.5% on your highest five (Tier 2), with URS's $1,750 example.Early retirement factorsWhen you can retire, and URS's exact age-by-age reduction tables for Tier 1 and Tier 2.Buying service creditMilitary, other public and private school service, leaves, and up to five years of future service.URS glossaryPlain-English definitions of Option One, the PLSO, the career benefit, bona fide termination and more.

Planning your exit

Leaving: refund or wait?Refunds of member contributions (if any), vesting after four years, and Tier 2 401(k) money.Taxes and Utah's creditsFederal and Utah tax on URS benefits, the $450 retirement credit and the Social Security credit.URS and Social SecurityWhat URS's booklets and Utah law say, and what they don't.

After you retire

Working after retirement60 days, 90 days, one year: the $21,000 limit, the 20% option and phased retirement.The COLAUp to 4% (Tier 1) or 2.5% (Tier 2) of your original benefit, with CPI above the cap banked.Retiree health insuranceIt depends on your employer; Medicare supplement coverage through PEHP at 65.Death and survivor benefits75% of highest salary while working, the spouse's career benefit, and what each option leaves.

More calculators

One more year?A year of 2% or 1.5% service plus a higher reduction factor, until 30 or 35 years ends the reduction.Payment options and the lump sumOptions One to Six in plain English, who can be your survivor, and Tier 1's 12- or 24-month partial lump sum.

URS has no DROP (deferred retirement option plan): none of our URS sources describes one. Utah law has phased retirement instead; see Working after retirement. Utah Code 49-11-1302, 49-11-1303(1)-(3); table of contents of URS Tier 1 Noncontributory Highlights (2026-27) and Tier 2 Public Employees Highlights (2026-27) (no DROP) These pages cover Tier 1 Noncontributory and Tier 2 Public Employees members, which includes teachers and other school employees. Tier 1 Highlights (2026-27), p. 1; Tier 2 Highlights (2026-27), p. 1; Utah Code 49-13-103, 49-22-103 Some Tier 1 members are in the Contributory System, and some college employees are in other plans. URS Actuarial Valuation (Jan. 1, 2025), App. 2, pp. 96-97; URS Employer Guide, Tier 1 Summary of Benefits by System; Tier 1 Highlights (2026-27), pp. 11-12, 18

Source: URS Tier 1 Noncontributory and Tier 2 Public Employees Retirement System Highlights, 2026-27, effective July 1, 2026, Tier 1 pp. 1-2, 15, 22; Tier 2 pp. 1, 2, 4, 6, 15. Also: Comparing Tier 2 Plans (2026-27); URS Actuarial Valuation (Jan. 1, 2025); Tier 1 Retirement Guidebook (Sept. 2026); Utah Code §§ 49-11-1302, 49-11-1303, 49-13-401, 49-13-402, 49-13-407, 49-22-201, 49-22-304, 49-22-305, 49-22-308. Last reviewed .