Washington teacher retirement system

Washington TRS pension guide

Washington’s public school teachers participate in a state-administered pension system with Plan 2 and Plan 3 options for eligible new members.

Eligible new teachers choose Plan 2 or Plan 3 within 90 days.No election by the deadline means Plan 2.Plan 3 pairs a smaller pension with an invested account.

Washington teacher pension guide card with the TRS plan name

Complete topic cluster

1 guides, one connected system

Visit the official Washington TRS site ↗

Plan choice

Washington TRS Plan 2 vs Plan 3: Which Can Teachers Choose in 2026?

Washington TRS Plan 2 vs Plan 3 for teachers: who can choose, the 90-day deadline, pension formulas, contributions, and key trade-offs explained.

10 min readUpdated October 3, 2026

Read guide →