In short: the calculator picks your plan from your dates (which plan), applies the formula (2% or 1% × years × AFC), uses DRS's early retirement factors, and shows the survivor options from DRS's published factors. Try the calculator.
What the calculator does
- Picks your plan from the date you joined: Plan 1 before Oct. 1, 1977. Later, the plan you enter, or the default for your hire date (Plan 3 for July 1, 1996 - June 30, 2020, Plan 2 otherwise). RCW 41.32.010(31); DRS Washington TRS Plan 1 page, Plan eligibility; RCW 41.32.010(32); RCW 41.32.835(1); RCW 41.32.010(33); RCW 41.32.817; RCW 41.32.835(1)(a); DRS Washington TRS Plan 2 page, Transferring to Washington TRS Plan 3
- Projects your service. We add one year of service for each year from today to your start date, unless you tell us you've left.
- Checks eligibility on your start date. Plan 1: 30 years at any age, 25 at 55, 5 at 60. Plan 2: 65 with 5 years, or 55 with 20. Plan 3: 65 once vested, or 55 with 10. Ages count from the 1st of the month after your birthday month. DRS Washington TRS Plan 1 page, Service retirement; RCW 41.32.480(1); DRS Washington TRS Plan 1 page, Service retirement; RCW 41.32.480(3); DRS Washington TRS Plan 1 page, Service retirement; RCW 41.32.480(2), 41.32.470; DRS Washington TRS Plan 2 page, Early retirement; RCW 41.32.765(2); DRS Washington TRS Plan 3 page, Early retirement; RCW 41.32.875(2); DRS TRS23RAPP 11/2022, p. 3, Employment Information; DRS TRS1RAPP 11/2022, p. 3, Employment Information; DRS Washington TRS Plan 2 page, Separation vs retirement
- Figures the pension: 2% (Plans 1 and 2) or 1% (Plan 3) × years × your monthly AFC, capped at 60% of AFC in Plan 1. RCW 41.32.498(2); DRS Washington TRS Plan 1 page, Your income: Washington TRS Plan 1 formula; RCW 41.32.760; DRS Washington TRS Plan 2 page, Your income: Washington TRS Plan 2 formula; RCW 41.32.840(1); DRS Washington TRS Plan 3 page, Your income: Washington TRS Plan 3 pension formula
- Applies the early retirement factor in Plans 2 and 3 before 65: the actuarial factor (DRS's administrative-factor table for years and months early, 2026 table through Dec. 2026 and 2027 table after) with under 30 years; with 30+ years, the 2008 factor (or the 3% factor if you pick it) if first hired before May 1, 2013, or 5% a year by month if hired later. RCW 41.32.765(2), 41.32.875(2); WAC 415-02-320(1), (3)(a); DRS Administrative Factors workbook 2026, sheet Appx B (ERF), table 'Early Retirement Factors: PERS 2/3, Washington TRS 2/3 and SERS 2/3'; RCW 41.32.765(3)(b)(i) (Plan 2), 41.32.875(3)(b)(i) (Plan 3); DRS Washington TRS Plan 2 page, Early retirement factors for 30 or more years of service (2008 ERF 0.80-1.00); RCW 41.32.765(3)(a), 41.32.875(3)(a); DRS TRS23RAPP 11/2022, p. 4, Early Retirement Factor (ERF) Selection; RCW 41.32.765(3)(c), 41.32.875(3)(c); DRS Washington TRS Plan 2 page, Early retirement - Joined on or after May 1, 2013 ('reduced by 5% for each year (prorated monthly) before you turn age 65')
- Adds Plan 3 indexing if you left with 20+ years: 0.25% a month, compounded, from leaving to the start date or 65. RCW 41.32.840(2) ('compounded for each month from the date of separation to the date that the retirement allowance commences'); DRS Washington TRS Plan 3 page, Plan 3 benefit indexing; Plan 3 pension increases
- Prices payment options with DRS's administrative factors: survivor factors by age difference (your age minus your survivor's, whole years), and for Plan 1 the Option 1 and Optional COLA factors by age. DRS Administrative Factors workbook 2026, sheets Appx E (TRS1 Opt1) and Appx G (J&S); DRS TRS23RAPP 11/2022, p. 6 ('the total life expectancy for you and your survivor determines the exact percentage of reduction')
- Shows the COLA at its 3% cap (the most it could be), starting the first July 1 after a full year of retirement. DRS COLA page, When will I receive a COLA? / How much will the COLA be? / COLA banking; DRS TRS23RAPP 11/2022, p. 14, Glossary (Cost-of-Living Adjustment); RCW 41.32.770, 41.32.845
- Shows the work rules: the 30-day wait, the 867-hour limit, and the first-month cut. DRS Washington TRS Plan 2 page, Working after retirement; DRS Returning to Work page; RCW 41.32.802(1), 41.32.570(1)
Privacy
Your inputs stay in your browser. They're saved in the part of the web address after "#", which is never sent to our server or to analytics.
Tested against DRS's examples
| Example | Printed | Our result | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan 1: 23 years, $5,400 AFC DRS Washington TRS Plan 1 page, Your income: Example | $2,484 | $2,484 | ✓ yes |
| Plan 2: 23 years, $5,400 AFC DRS Washington TRS Plan 2 page, Your income: Example | $2,484 | $2,484 | ✓ yes |
| Plan 3: 23 years, $5,400 AFC DRS Washington TRS Plan 3 page, Your income: Example | $1,242 | $1,242 | ✓ yes |
| Plan 2 at 55, 22 years, actuarial factor DRS Washington TRS Plan 2 page, Early retirement examples, Example 1 | $648.17 | $648.17 | ✓ yes |
| Plan 3 at 55, 22 years, actuarial factor DRS Washington TRS Plan 3 page, Early retirement examples, Example 1 | $324.08 | $324.09 | ≈ rounding |
| Plan 2 at 60, 30 years, 2008 factor DRS Washington TRS Plan 2 page, Early retirement - Joined before May 1, 2013, Example 2 | $2,508 | $2,508 | ✓ yes |
| Plan 3 at 60, 30 years, 2008 factor DRS Washington TRS Plan 3 page, Example 2 (2008 ERF) | $1,254 | $1,254 | ✓ yes |
| Plan 2 at 62, 30 years, 5% factor DRS Washington TRS Plan 2 page, Early retirement - Joined on or after May 1, 2013, Example 2 | $2,244 | $2,244 | ✓ yes |
| Plan 3 at 62, 30 years, 5% factor DRS Washington TRS Plan 3 page, Example 2 (5% ERF) | $1,122 | $1,122 | ✓ yes |
| Plan 3 indexing: stop at 64, start at 65 DRS Washington TRS Plan 3 page, Benefit indexing example | $1,030 | $1,030.42 | ≈ rounding |
| Plan 3: work to 65 instead DRS Washington TRS Plan 3 page, Benefit indexing example | $1,050 | $1,050 | ✓ yes |
| Plan 1 Post-30: not joining DRS Washington TRS Plan 1 page, How much difference can this choice make? | $2,775 | $2,775 | ✓ yes |
| Plan 1 Post-30: joining DRS Washington TRS Plan 1 page, How much difference can this choice make? | $2,675 | $2,675 | ✓ yes |
| State rule: 8 years 11 months early WAC 415-02-320(3)(a) | $589.16 | $589.16 | ✓ yes |
| State rule: Plan 1 death before retirement WAC 415-02-320(3)(c) | $1,134.73 | $1,134.73 | ✓ yes |
| Application: buy 60 months, monthly increase DRS TRS23RAPP 11/2022, p. 12 | $300 | $300 | ✓ yes |
| Application: buy 60 months, cost DRS TRS23RAPP 11/2022, p. 12 | $42,981 | $42,981 | ✓ yes |
"≈ rounding": DRS's Plan 3 page drops the last fraction of a cent ($324.09 shows as $324.08); we round, as the state rule's examples do. DRS's Francis example uses a simple 3% a year; the law compounds 0.25% a month, which we follow. Our automated tests also check the factor tables against DRS's published tables, plan and eligibility dates (Oct. 1, 1977; July 1, 1996; July 1, 2020; May 1, 2013), vesting edges, the 60% cap, survivor and Plan 1 factors, COLA banking and DRS's July 2026 COLA table, and the first-month work cut.
What we don't do
- The Plan 3 investment account. We describe it in words only.
- Disability retirement, death benefits before retirement, and dual membership with other Washington systems.
- Your AFC from your pay history, part-time service, sick leave and out-of-state service used to qualify. Enter what's on your DRS statement.
- The Plan 1 adjusted minimum benefit and the 2026 one-time Plan 1 increase.
- Taxes, PEBB premiums and Social Security.
Points the sources don't settle
Each of these shows a "Check with DRS" label wherever it matters on this site.
erf table effective date
DRS has published two early retirement factor tables: one for 2026 and one for 2027. The 2026 table runs through Dec. 31, 2026. DRS doesn't say whether the 2027 table goes by your retirement date or the date you apply.
What we use: the 2026 table for retirement dates through Dec. 1, 2026, and the 2027 table from Jan. 1, 2027.
Why: The Administrative Factors page says the 2026 workbook is effective through Dec. 31, 2026 and lists a 2027 workbook, but no saved source states the 2027 start date or which table applies to a retirement date vs. an application date. What would settle it: DRS notice or the OSA letter that accompanies the 2027 factors.
erf pre 2026
We only have the 2026 and 2027 factor tables. Retirements before 2026 used older factors.
What we use: the 2026 table for any date before 2027. Past retirees' real factors may differ slightly.
Why: Only the 2026 and 2027 tables are saved; retirements before 2026 used older factors (the TRS23RAPP and plan pages call their tables illustrative). What would settle it: Prior-year administrative-factor workbooks (not needed for future retirements).
erf2008 monthly proration
The law lists the 2008 early retirement factor by whole age (55, 56, ... 61). It doesn't say whether the months between birthdays count.
What we use: your age in whole years on your retirement date, so 60 and 11 months uses the age 60 factor (5% off).
Why: RCW 41.32.765(3)(b)(i) lists the 2008 ERF by whole retirement age; no source says whether months between birthdays are prorated (the 5% ERF is explicitly 'prorated monthly'). Engine uses age in completed years. What would settle it: WAC 415-02-320 text on alternate early retirement or a DRS estimate for a mid-year age.
erf3pct proration
The 3% early retirement factor is 3% a year before 65. The sources don't say how part years count.
What we use: 3% a year, prorated by month.
Why: 3% ERF proration between birthdays is not stated; engine prorates monthly (3% x months early / 12). What would settle it: DRS rule or estimate; low priority since 2023 c 410 recalculates 3% ERF retirees under the 2008 ERF.
erf2008 return to work
A 2022 DRS application says people who retire under the 2008 early retirement factor lose their pension for any month they work for a DRS employer before 65, with an exception of up to 867 hours in non-administrative jobs. Current DRS pages and the law don't mention this.
What we use: nothing; the calculator doesn't apply this rule. Ask DRS before you plan to work.
Why: The 11/2022 application says 2008 ERF retirees lose benefits for any month worked before 65 (with an 867-hour nonadministrative exception); current statute and DRS pages do not mention it. What would settle it: Current DRS 'Thinking About Working After Retirement?' publication or WAC 415-112.
js age difference sign
DRS's survivor factors go by the age difference between you and your survivor, but the table doesn't say which age is subtracted from which.
What we use: your age minus your survivor's age, in whole years. A younger survivor means a bigger reduction, which is how these tables work elsewhere.
Why: The J&S tables are indexed by 'Age Difference' (-20 to +40) without saying which age is subtracted. Factors fall as the difference rises, which fits member age minus survivor age (younger survivor = bigger reduction); engine assumes that and rounds to whole years. What would settle it: OSA letter accompanying the factors, or a DRS estimate showing both ages.
plan1 option chain
For Plan 1, the sources don't say whether a survivor option is figured from the Maximum Option or from Option 1.
What we use: Option 1 (Maximum × the Option 1 factor), then the survivor factor on top. This gives the lower of the two readings.
Why: Washington TRS Plan 1 survivor options: no source says whether the J&S factor applies to the Maximum Option or to Option 1. Engine applies it to Option 1 (Options 2-4 share Option 1's refund feature). What would settle it: DRS Washington TRS 1 estimate showing Maximum, Option 1 and Option 2-4 amounts with ages.
plan1 optional cola factor base
The Plan 1 Optional COLA lowers your starting check by an age-based factor. The sources don't say exactly which amount the factor applies to.
What we use: the factor times the option you pick.
Why: Optional COLA factor (Appx F) is by age; engine multiplies the chosen option's amount by it. Not confirmed. What would settle it: DRS Washington TRS 1 estimate with and without the optional COLA.
age lookup rounding
Plan 1's Option 1 and Optional COLA factors are listed by whole age. The sources don't say how DRS rounds your age.
What we use: your age in whole years on your retirement date.
Why: Option 1 and optional COLA factors are by whole age; engine uses age in completed years at the retirement date. What would settle it: OSA factor letter or a DRS estimate.
plan23 negative cola
DRS pages don't say whether a Plan 2 or 3 COLA can be negative when prices fall. The law never lets your benefit fall below its starting amount.
What we use: the COLA can go down when prices fall, but never below your starting benefit.
Why: DRS pages don't say whether a Plan 2/3 COLA can be negative. RCW 41.32.770 uses the index ratio with a floor at the original allowance. Engine's projection lets the benefit fall toward (never below) the original amount, and limits each year to +/-3%. What would settle it: OSA COLA methodology or a DRS statement.
may2013 date meaning
The 5% early retirement factor applies if you first became employed in an eligible position on or after May 1, 2013. Your DRS record has the exact date.
What we use: the date you enter as the date you joined.
Why: The 5% ERF rule turns on when you 'first become employed by an employer in an eligible position' (RCW 41.32.765(3)(c)); engine uses the hire/membership date input. What would settle it: Member's DRS account (membership date).
plan3 vesting after 44
Plan 3 vests at 5 years if at least 12 months of service came after age 44. We can't see your service history.
What we use: you have those 12 months if you were 44 or older at least a year before your retirement date. You can change this in the calculator.
Why: Plan 3 5-year vesting needs 12 service credit months after age 44; the engine cannot see the service history, so the caller must say so (default: assumed only if the member was 44+ at least 12 months before the retirement date and has 5+ years). What would settle it: Member's service credit history.
qualifying age date
Your retirement date is the first of the month after you qualify. The sources don't say whether someone whose birthday falls on the 1st qualifies that same day.
What we use: the first of the month after your birthday month.
Why: Retirement date is the first of the month after qualification; the sources don't say whether reaching an age on the 1st of a month qualifies for that same day. Engine: first of the month after the birthday month (matches the Jan. 15 -> Feb. 1 example). What would settle it: DRS rule (WAC 415-02) on attaining age.
plan1 2026 increase
A 2026 law gives eligible Plan 1 retirees a one-time, permanent 3% increase from July 2026. Who is eligible is in a DRS news article we don't have.
What we use: nothing; the calculator doesn't add this increase.
Why: DRS says eligible PERS 1/Washington TRS 1 retirees get a one-time permanent 3% increase from July 2026 but the eligibility rules are in a news article not saved. What would settle it: DRS news article on the 2026 Plan 1 increase or the 2026 session law.
pebb subsidy
PEBB retiree premiums and any state help with them come from the Health Care Authority, not DRS. Our sources have no amounts.
What we use: no premium amounts. Ask the Health Care Authority.
Why: No PEBB retiree premium or subsidy amounts in the saved sources; HCA (not DRS) administers them. What would settle it: HCA 'Thinking About Retirement?' or PEBB retiree enrollment guide (hca.wa.gov).
social security
Our sources don't say whether Washington teachers in this system pay into Social Security.
What we use: nothing; the calculator doesn't estimate Social Security.
Why: Saved sources don't state Social Security coverage for Washington TRS members. What would settle it: DRS or OSA statement on Section 218 coverage for Washington TRS.
plan1 age55 wording
DRS's Plan 1 page says a benefit at 55 "could be reduced depending on your total years of service." The law and DRS's own rule say Plan 1 has no early-retirement reduction.
What we use: no reduction for Plan 1, as the law says.
Why: See contradictions 'plan1-age55'. What would settle it: DRS confirmation; statute and WAC already say no reduction.
service projection
To find future dates, we assume you earn a full year of service for each year you keep working. Part-time work earns less.
What we use: one year of service per year until your pension starts.
Why: Eligibility dates assume one year of service per year of continued work before/after the retirement date (part-time and summer months earn less, see serviceCredit). What would settle it: Member's projected service from the DRS Benefit Estimator.
rtw 7 hour units
Working in your first month of retirement cuts that month's pension 5.5% for every 7 hours. The law doesn't say how partial 7-hour blocks count.
What we use: whole 7-hour blocks only.
Why: RCW 41.32.802(1) reduces the benefit '5.5% for every seven hours worked'; engine counts whole 7-hour blocks (floor). What would settle it: WAC 415-112 rule text or a DRS example.
Where the sources disagree
- Washington TRS Plan 1 page says a 55-year-old's benefit 'could be reduced depending on your total years of service'; RCW 41.32.480(3) and WAC 415-02-320(2)(b)(iii) say no actuarial reduction for Washington TRS Plan 1 service retirement (55/25 is unreduced; under 25 years at 55 is not eligible). What we do: Engine: no reduction.
- Athena example: 6% of the two post-30 years' salary ($55,000 + $56,000) is $6,660, but the page shows $6,420 in contributions ($6,420 / 6% = $107,000 = $53,000 + $54,000, the pre-joining years). What we do: Refund amount not modeled; benefit amounts ($2,775/$2,675) tested.
- Plan 3 indexing: statute compounds 0.25% monthly; DRS page says about 3% a year ($1,030). What we do: Engine compounds ($1,030.42); test checks both round to $1,030.
- TRS23RAPP (11/2022) says 2008 ERF retirees who return to work before 65 lose benefits except 867 hours nonadministrative; current RCW 41.32.765(3)(b) text and current DRS plan pages state no such restriction. What we do: Recorded only; not used in calculations.
- Plan 1 867-hour limit: DRS page and reporting chart say fiscal year (July-June); RCW 41.32.570(2) says school year. What we do: Follow DRS (fiscal year).
- Example benefit estimate prints $1,232 for 2% x $2,478 x 24.88, which is $1,233.05; AFC is probably rounded on the sheet. What we do: Formula tested.
- RCW 41.32.010(32) defines Plan 2 as members who joined Oct. 1, 1977 - June 30, 1996, but RCW 41.32.835 lets teachers first employed on or after July 1, 2007 choose Plan 2 (default Plan 2 from July 1, 2020). What we do: Engine takes the member's plan as input when hired on or after July 1, 1996; default follows RCW 41.32.835.
- Washington TRS Plan 3 page Example 1 shows $324.08 for 0.01 x 22 x $3,600 x 0.4092 = $324.0864 (truncated), while WAC 415-02-320 examples round ($589.159 -> $589.16; $1,134.729 -> $1,134.73). What we do: Engine rounds to the nearest cent; test records both.
- Athena (Plan 1 Post-30-Year example) begins her 30th year in September 2018, so she started around 1989, but Plan 1 is only for members who joined before Oct. 1, 1977. What we do: Illustrative example; test uses a pre-1977 membership date.
- Both administrative-factor workbooks say '5 years and 6 months early ... multiply your benefit by 0.6026'; that matches the 2026 table, but the 2027 table gives 0.5967. What we do: Tables used as printed; note is stale in 2027.
Sources
- DRS web page: Washington TRS Plan 1, retrieved 2026-11-11.
- DRS web page: Washington TRS Plan 2, retrieved 2026-11-11.
- DRS web page: Washington TRS Plan 3, retrieved 2026-11-11.
- DRS web pages: Administrative Factors; 2027 Early Retirement Factors PERS, SERS and Washington TRS Plans 2 and 3, retrieved 2026-11-11.
- DRS web page: Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), retrieved 2026-11-11 (COLA percentages effective July 1, 2026).
- DRS web pages: Returning to Work; Rehired Washington TRS Plan 1 and Plans 2 and 3 Retiree Reporting Charts (ESS RRTW TRS1 / TRS23 06/2025), retrieved 2026-11-11.
- DRS web page: Health Care, retrieved 2026-11-11.
- DRS web page: Contribution Rates, retrieved 2026-11-11.
- DRS PERS and Washington TRS Plans 2 and 3 Retirement Application (TRS23RAPP), TRS23RAPP 11/2022 (form DRS T 374 11/2022).
- DRS Washington TRS Plan 1 Retirement Application (TRS1RAPP), TRS1RAPP 11/2022.
- DRS Administrative Factors workbook 2026, effective through Dec. 31, 2026 (per the Administrative Factors web page).
- DRS Administrative Factors workbook 2027, 2027 (listed on the Administrative Factors web page; start date not stated).
- DRS Newly vested checklist (EOCLFI 08/2026); Plan 1 or Plan 2 Contribution Withdrawal form (DRS MS 287 10/2026); Plan 3 RAPP insert; Sample retirement application; Washington TRS Table of Service Credit Rules; Example benefit estimate (PERS 2, June 14, 2024), as listed.
- Chapter 41.32 RCW, Teachers' Retirement (full chapter), app.leg.wa.gov, displayed Nov. 11, 2026.
- WAC 415-02-320, Early retirement factors, app.leg.wa.gov, displayed Nov. 11, 2026 (WSR 13-18-034).
This site isn't affiliated with the Washington State Department of Retirement Systems or Washington TRS. DRS decides your benefit; your DRS online account has official estimates.
Source: DRS plan pages for Washington TRS Plan 1, Plan 2 and Plan 3 (the DRS member handbook is now published as these web pages), retrieved Nov. 11, 2026, DRS plan pages (Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 3); DRS COLA page; DRS Returning to Work page; TRS23RAPP (11/2022) pp. 3, 4, 6, 12, 14; TRS1RAPP (11/2022) p. 3; DRS administrative factors 2026; RCW 41.32.498, 41.32.530, 41.32.570, 41.32.760, 41.32.765, 41.32.770, 41.32.802, 41.32.840, 41.32.845, 41.32.875; WAC 415-02-320. Last reviewed .