Under Death Benefit #1, the benefit would equal 1/12 of the member's last 12 months' regularly earned salary multiplied by each full year of Total Service Credit—to a maximum of three times the member's annual salary; this maximum would apply to members who have 36 or more years of Total Service Credit. (This description assumes that the member was in active service and died with at least one year of Total Service Credit since last joining TRS.)

As of October 1, 2000, beneficiaries of Tier II, III, and IV members receive the greater of either Death Benefit #1 or Death Benefit #2, even if the member had elected Death Benefit #1 coverage. Members who joined TRS after January 1, 2001 (including Tier VI members) are automatically enrolled in Death Benefit #2.

Under Death Benefit #1, the benefit would equal 1/12 of the member's last 12 months' regularly earned salary multiplied by each full year of Total Service Credit—to a maximum of three times the member's annual salary; this maximum would apply to members who have 36 or more years of Total Service Credit. (This description assumes that the member was in active service and died with at least one year of Total Service Credit since last joining TRS.)

As of October 1, 2000, beneficiaries of Tier II, III, and IV members receive the greater of either Death Benefit #1 or Death Benefit #2, even if the member had elected Death Benefit #1 coverage. Members who joined TRS after January 1, 2001 (including Tier VI members) are automatically enrolled in Death Benefit #2.

Under Death Benefit #1, the benefit would equal 1/12 of the member's last 12 months' regularly earned salary multiplied by each full year of Total Service Credit—to a maximum of three times the member's annual salary; this maximum would apply to members who have 36 or more years of Total Service Credit. (This description assumes that the member was in active service and died with at least one year of Total Service Credit since last joining TRS.)

As of October 1, 2000, beneficiaries of Tier II, III, and IV members receive the greater of either Death Benefit #1 or Death Benefit #2, even if the member had elected Death Benefit #1 coverage. Members who joined TRS after January 1, 2001 (including Tier VI members) are automatically enrolled in Death Benefit #2.

Cost Letters for optional service credit (e.g., prior service credit) reflect all creditable service that TRS is aware of and has been able to verify. If you believe you have additional service that is creditable, you must provide TRS with official documentation of this additional service. If TRS determines that this service is creditable and a recalculation is necessary, the amount of your prior service will be modified, and you will be sent a new Cost Letter.

A member may have additional or modified service credit that may not be represented in the ABS. In most cases, the modified service was calculated manually and was updated in our system after the ABS was printed. Members should consider their Total Service Letter official verification of their service credit.

From the Profile page, select the Password tab. In the Current Password field, enter your current password. In the New Password field, enter your new password. Confirm the new password and then click "Save." Upon clicking "Save," the new password automatically goes into effect and can be used immediately.

As a reminder, we recommend that you choose a unique password that you are not using for any other site. Your password

• must be at least 8 characters.
• must include at least one number and one letter
• can contain the following special characters: ! @ # $ % ^ & * + ? /
• cannot contain the following: <, >, 00T, admin, and password
• cannot contain your date of birth, TRS number, or Social Security number
• cannot contain any spaces
• cannot be the same as your username, first name, or last name
• is case-sensitive
• must meet at least the “Good” strength standard

Being vested means having enough credited service to qualify for a reduced retirement allowance.  Members become vested upon attaining five years of credited service.  (Note:  Before April 9, 2022, Tier VI members and certain Tier IV members needed ten years of service credit to be vested.)

Vested members become eligible to retire upon reaching age 55.

The regular pension portion of your retirement allowance is calculated based on factors such as your Total Service Credit and Final Average Salary (FAS), as indicated below.

The second portion of your retirement allowance is based on your Annuity Savings Accumulation Fund (ASAF) balance. An ASAF account contains monthly supplemental contributions that the Department of Education provides to certain eligible employees who reach the maximum of their salary schedule. At retirement, any ASAF funds you have are transferred into an Annuity Reserve Accumulation Fund (ARAF), which is paid as part of your retirement allowance.

For more information, please see the If I am a Tier IV member, how would my Final Average Salary (FAS) be calculated? FAQ above.