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TX

Texas teacher retirement system

TRS Texas pension guide

Eligibility, the Rule of 80, the 2.3% benefit formula, service credit, refunds and working after retirement.

Five years generally establishes vestingStandard multiplier: 2.3%Eligibility varies by membership history

Complete topic cluster

8 guides, one connected system

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Two pension eligibility dials aligning at a shared retirement milestone01

Eligibility

Texas TRS Retirement Eligibility and the Rule of 80

How normal-age and early-age retirement eligibility works in TRS Texas, including why membership dates matter.

6 min readUpdated August 19, 2026
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Service, salary and multiplier inputs flowing into a pension calculation02

Benefit formula

Texas TRS Benefit Formula: A Step-by-Step Guide

Calculate an illustrative Texas teacher pension using service credit, average highest salaries and the 2.3% multiplier.

4 min readUpdated August 19, 2026
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An early exit from a retirement timeline leading to a smaller benefit stack03

Early retirement

Texas TRS Early Retirement Reductions Explained

Understand when an early-age reduction may apply and why two teachers with the same service can receive different results.

4 min readUpdated August 19, 2026
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A purchased service-credit tile filling a gap in a retirement timeline04

Service credit

Buying Service Credit in Texas TRS: What to Check First

A practical framework for evaluating out-of-state, military, substitute, withdrawn and unused-leave service purchases.

5 min readUpdated August 19, 2026
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A pension account branching toward cash refund and protected rollover paths05

Leaving employment

Texas TRS Refund or Rollover After Leaving Teaching

What a refund ends, how rollover elections work, and what vested members should compare before withdrawing contributions.

5 min readUpdated August 19, 2026
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A pension income stream branching between member-only and survivor payment paths06

Survivor options

Texas TRS Annuity and Survivor Payment Options

How the standard annuity, joint-and-survivor choices and guaranteed-period options change retirement income.

4 min readUpdated August 19, 2026
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A measured return-to-work path circling between retirement and a work desk07

After retirement

Working After Retirement Under Texas TRS

An overview of break-in-service, substitute and one-half-time limits, and why retirees should verify the current rule before accepting work.

4 min readUpdated August 19, 2026
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Teacher pension and public-benefit streams flowing past lifted barriers08

Social Security

Texas Teachers, Social Security, and the WEP/GPO Repeal

What the Social Security Fairness Act changed for educators receiving pensions from work not covered by Social Security.

4 min readUpdated August 19, 2026
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