Public Pension Calculator

California Pension Calculator

Free CalPERS & CalSTRS retirement estimators — official benefit factor tables, transparent math, no signup.

✓ 34 retirement formulas · Verified May 2026· 100% private

Choose your retirement system

CalPERS Calculator →

State, school, and local public employees. 32 formulas across miscellaneous and safety classifications.

CalSTRS Calculator →

California public school teachers. 2 formulas covering the 2% at 60 and 2% at 62 benefit structures.

Not sure which you have? Check your pay stub, myCalPERS/myCalSTRS account, or employer retirement documents.

Popular pension questions

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When can I retire?

Find your earliest and optimal CalPERS retirement age

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How much will my pension be?

Estimate your monthly CalPERS benefit

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2% at 55, explained

How the classic CalPERS formula works

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Classic vs. PEPRA

Which tier you're in and why it matters

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Best day to retire

Time your retirement date for the highest benefit

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CalPERS vs. CalSTRS

How the two California systems compare

Why trust these estimates

Official benefit factor tables

Every factor is parsed directly from CalPERS and CalSTRS published PDFs and verified against the source document.

Transparent math

Each estimate shows the full calculation breakdown — benefit factor × years of service × final compensation — so you can check the work.

Kept current

Benefit factor tables, PEPRA caps, and COLA rules were last verified May 2026 against official publications.

Completely private

No login, no account, no tracking of your inputs. Everything is calculated in your browser.

California public pensions, explained

California's two largest public retirement systems — CalPERS (for state, school, and local government employees) and CalSTRS (for public school teachers) — pay a defined-benefit pension based on a formula, not an account balance. Your benefit is determined by three things: a benefit factor tied to your retirement age, your years of service credit, and your final compensation.

The benefit factor comes from a table specific to your formula and job classification, and it increases as you approach your formula's reference age. This calculator implements all 34 published formulas so you can estimate your monthly and annual pension, compare retirement dates, and see how an extra year of service changes the result.

California Pension — Frequently Asked Questions

Is my information stored or shared?▾
No. All calculations happen entirely in your browser. No personal information — including your salary, age, or pension estimate — is sent to any server, stored, or shared. This calculator is completely private and requires no login.
How much is one more year of work worth?▾
Working one more year increases your pension in two ways: you add a full year of service credit (one more multiplier in the formula), and your benefit factor goes up because you retire at an older age. Together, the marginal benefit of working one more year is typically larger than the simple service-credit bump alone, especially below the reference age. Use the sensitivity ranking in the calculator to quantify it for your exact inputs.
What is the minimum retirement age?▾
The minimum retirement age varies by formula. Most PEPRA formulas allow retirement at age 52, while classic formulas may allow retirement as early as age 50. Your benefit factor at the minimum age is typically much lower than at the reference age.
How accurate is this calculator?▾
This calculator uses the official benefit factor tables published by CalPERS and CalSTRS. The benefit factor lookup is verified against official PDF documents. However, your actual pension may differ due to factors not included in this estimate, such as exact survivor actuarial reductions, reciprocity, disability retirement, or employer-specific rules. For an official estimate, log in to myCalPERS or contact your retirement system.
What are the survivor benefit options?▾
CalPERS offers four retirement options: Unmodified (no survivor benefit, highest monthly payment), 100% Survivor (your beneficiary receives the same monthly benefit after your death), 75% Survivor, and 50% Survivor. Choosing a survivor option reduces your monthly pension. The reduction depends on your age and your beneficiary's age at retirement.
What are Local Miscellaneous and Local Safety formulas?▾
Local Miscellaneous formulas apply to non-safety employees of cities, counties, and special districts that contract with CalPERS. Local Safety formulas apply to law enforcement, firefighters, and other safety employees of local agencies. Safety formulas typically have higher benefit factors and earlier retirement ages.

Explore the calculators

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CalPERS Calculator Hub

All 32 CalPERS retirement formulas

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CalSTRS Calculator Hub

All 2 CalSTRS retirement formulas

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How California Pensions Work

A plain-English overview of benefit formulas

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About This Calculator

How the estimates are calculated

Disclaimer: This site provides estimates for informational and educational purposes only. It is not financial, tax, or legal advice, and is not affiliated with CalPERS or CalSTRS. For official benefit estimates, log in to myCalPERS or myCalSTRS.