404 : Page not found
Return HomeThe page you are looking for may have been moved, you may have to update any bookmarks. See below for any matches.
2022 Federal Income Tax Withholding Rates
TRS processed January 2022 monthly retirement benefits using the federal income tax withholding rates for 2021, the federal rates publicly available at the time. The IRS released the 2022 rates in the second half of December, after the deadline for timely payment processing.
View Page
Published: January 27, 2022
Allowable Sick Leave Usage and Attendance Incentive Programs
Employers should notify TRS of all sick leave policies in use for compliance with Georgia law. System policies must be consistent for all employees.
View Page
Published: October 6, 2021
2021 Retiree Underwithheld Federal Income Tax Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
If you are a TRS retiree with federal income tax withholding for January and February that was lower than the appropriate amount for your monthly benefit, please refer to the frequently asked questions below to find answers about the issue and resources available to you.
View Page
Tags: Retiree
Published: September 28, 2021
Published: September 28, 2021
Dr. William G. Sloan, Jr.
Dr. Sloan has been the Executive Director of the Georgia Retired Educators Association since 2005. He retired in 2005 after serving as principal of East Hall High School for more than 17 years.
View Page
Published: September 18, 2021
Board Meetings
Regular meetings are held by the TRS Board of Trustees bi-monthly on the fourth Wednesday of January, March, May, July, September and November of each year, or on such other dates as the Board shall decide.
View Page
Published: September 18, 2021
New Podcast Episode: 2023 TRS Rewind: Cheers to Resilience, Retirement, and Rolling With the Changes in 2023
Year 2023 was one for the books! TRS podcast host, Everett Crockett, and TRS Executive Director, Dr. L.C. (Buster) Evans, dove deep into triumphs and challenges, discussed market performance, member milestones, tips for maximizing your TRS benefit, and more. Please join us for this special end-of-year episode of Your Retirement in Focus on our multimedia podcast page.
View Page
Published: January 2, 2024
Legislation
The Teachers Retirement System of Georgia administers its benefits and programs in accordance with applicable state and federal law, and administrative rules. Title 47 of the Official Code Georgia (O. C. G. A.) assigns the authority to establish and amend the provisions of TRS to the State Legislature. State law outlines specific details for state retirement systems, including vesting periods, employee contribution rates, benefit formulas, and retirement eligibility.
View Page
Retiree Events
We have created a workshop aimed at keeping you informed throughout your retirement, including information about what’s new at TRS, membership statistics, a financial update, as well as any legislation that may affect you.
View Page
Tags: Retiree
Published: August 31, 2021
Published: August 31, 2021
Dr. Jason L. Branch
Dr. Branch is the superintendent of Oconee County Schools. He has more than 20 years of experience in education including roles as a teacher, coach, athletic director and principal.
View Page
Published: September 18, 2021
Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs)
In addition to your TRS membership, you may be eligible for a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) if the cost of living increases as determined by the CPI.
View Page
Tags: Retiree
Published: September 20, 2021
Published: September 20, 2021
Pension Limitations
When calculating and paying retirement benefits, Georgia law and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations place certain limitations on salary earned, salary increases received, and retirement payments received.
View Page
Published: September 27, 2021
Beneficiary Designees
As you retire and select your plan of retirement, you will also be selecting primary and secondary beneficiaries. If you choose a beneficiary who is more than ten years younger than you, who is not your spouse, your benefit may be subject to the required minimum distribution incidental benefit (MDIB) rules of the Internal Revenue Service
View Page
Published: September 27, 2021
Annual Member Statement
Since your employer remits your retirement contributions to TRS, we provide you with the opportunity to review your annual member statement online at any time by logging into your account. You should carefully review your statement at least yearly and report any discrepancies to TRS.
View Page
Published: September 27, 2021
Service Credit
The chart below indicates the three types of service that can comprise your total years of creditable service upon retirement. Purchasing service can assist you in attaining vested status, allowing you to retire sooner or increasing your final retirement benefit.
View Page
Tags: Mid-Career
Published: October 5, 2021
Published: October 5, 2021
Determining Your Retirement Benefit
Your retirement benefit is calculated by using the percentage of salary formula. Simply stated, two percent is multiplied by your years of creditable service, including partial years (not to exceed 40 years).
View Page
Calculating Your Benefit
Your retirement benefit is calculated by using the percentage of salary formula. Simply stated, two percent is multiplied by your years of creditable service, including partial years (not to exceed 40 years).
View Page
Maximizing Your Benefit
As a member of TRS, the amount you contribute is determined by law, so you may not increase your contribution amount in an effort to increase your retirement benefit.
View Page
Tags: Mid-Career
Published: October 5, 2021
Published: October 5, 2021
Federal and State Taxes
All or most of your TRS monthly benefit is subject to federal income tax, with exact details furnished to you at the time of your retirement.
View Page
Tags: Pre-Retirement
Published: October 5, 2021
Published: October 5, 2021
Limitations to Using Sick Leave
Unused sick leave credit is allowed for Georgia teaching service. Eligible service includes withdrawn and repurchased Georgia teaching service as well as service purchased or transferred from local retirement plans.
View Page
Additional Compensation Information
In addition to earnable compensation listed under Compensation and TRS Contributions, leadership employees’ contracts may include additional components that are considered earnable compensation for TRS purposes
View Page
Published: October 6, 2021
Enrolling Employees in TRS
New employees are automatically enrolled as members of TRS based on the information you submit in the monthly employee detail file. Each new member receives a welcome letter, which includes instructions on how to register for an online TRS account.
View Page
Published: October 6, 2021
Non-Covered Positions
Non-covered positions include, but are not limited to, the following
View Page
Published: October 7, 2021
Pension Limitations
When calculating and paying retirement benefits, Georgia law and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations place certain limitations on salary earned, salary increases received, and retirement payments received.
View Page
Published: October 7, 2021
Salary Limitations
In a TRS board meeting held on June 24, 2020, the TRS Board of Trustees adopted the following maximum salary increases for FY 2021 that can be used by the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) to compute a member’s highest two-year average salary
View Page
Published: July 1, 2020
FY 2020 Salary Limit & FY 2021 Contribution Rate Memo
In its annual meeting on May 15, 2019, the TRS Board of Trustees adopted maximum salary increases for fiscal year 2020 along with the employee and employer contribution rates for fiscal year 2021.
View Page
Published: May 29, 2019
Fraud Prevention
As a TRS member, you may receive solicitations from financial services companies that are representing themselves as TRS and communicating pension plan information in ways that may be incorrect or aimed at enhancing their own commissions.
View Page
Published: March 15, 2023
Pension Calculator
The TRS pension calculator is an educational tool designed to help members, who are more than 5 years from retirement, estimate their monthly benefit for service retirement. You may use this calculator far in advance of your retirement to help you develop your personal retirement strategy by experimenting with various retirement scenarios.
View Page
Published: September 3, 2021
Privacy Policy
Welcome to the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia’s (TRS) website (the/this “Site”). Please read this visitor agreement and terms of service; by visiting and using this Site, you accept the following terms:
View Page
Published: August 27, 2021
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding COVID-19
Frequently Asked Questions Regarding COVID-19 and Teachers Retirement System for Members, Retirees, and Employers
View Page
Working After Retirement
All employment as a teacher, whether directly or indirectly (i.e. independent contractor, private temporary company, etc.) with a TRS employer is subject to salary and service limitations as outlined in Georgia law and TRS policy.
View Page
Tags: Retiree
Published: September 20, 2021
Published: September 20, 2021
I’m Ready to Retire
Well in advance of your date of retirement, we recommend you contact TRS for a retirement benefit estimate and to discuss the various plans of retirement. If you are considering retiring within the next two years, we recommend that you speak with one of our retirement counselors.
View Page
Tags: Pre-Retirement
Published: September 27, 2021
Published: September 27, 2021
Disability Retirement
A TRS member who is mentally or physically disabled, and who has an active account and at least 10 years service credit is eligible to apply for disability retirement. The inability to satisfactorily perform one’s current work duties, due to health reasons, is the major factor in determining ‘disability.’
View Page
Hiring TRS Retirees
Retired members of the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) have the ability to be employed on either a full or part-time basis under certain terms and conditions.
View Page
Published: October 6, 2021
Mid-Career Half-Day Seminar @ UGA Center for Continuing Education and Hotel
View Page
Tags: Mid-Career
Published: June 23, 2023
Published: June 23, 2023
Pre-Retirement Half-Day Seminar @ Dalton State College
View Page
Tags: Pre-Retirement
Published: October 11, 2023
Published: October 11, 2023
Confidentiality Policy
At the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS), we are committed to honoring the privacy of our members. In an effort to protect our members, we adhere to a strict policy regarding the release of confidential information. The TRS Confidentiality Policy helps to ensure that the release of personal information to a third party is authorized by the member or a properly executed power of attorney or guardian.
View Page
Published: August 27, 2021
Study Leave
You may be eligible to establish retirement credit for periods of full-time graduate study.
View Page
Membership Exceptions
Any vested member of TRS who becomes an employee of an employer normally covered by the Employees’ Retirement System (ERS) can elect to remain a member of TRS.
View Page
Published: October 7, 2021
New Podcast Episode: From the TRS Vault: The Retirement Application Process Part II
View Page
Published: May 15, 2023
The History of TRS
The Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) was established in 1943 by an act of the Georgia General Assembly to provide retirement security to those citizens who choose to dedicate their lives to educating the children and adults of Georgia.
View Page
Board of Trustees' Sets:
In its annual meeting held today, May 11, 2022, the Board of Trustees adopted the following maximum IRS Salary Limits that can be used by the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS) to compute a member’s highest two-year average salary
View Page
New Hire Events
Many people are unable to retire because they started saving too late in life. But not you! You are lucky because as a member of TRS, you and your employer begin contributing toward your retirement your very first day of work. How many people can say they will be guaranteed a retirement benefit for life?
View Page
Published: August 31, 2021
Mid-Career Events
As you continue your career as an educator, it is important to revisit your retirement plan and stay abreast of new information and legislation that may affect your retirement benefit. This workshop will provide you with an overview about the services TRS offers, along with an update on what’s going on in the retirement arena-both at TRS and in the state legislature.
View Page
Published: August 31, 2021
Pre-Retirement Events
Retirement is within reach and it’s time to get serious about it! This workshop will provide you with the information and resources you need to help you map out your retirement plan.
View Page
Tags: Pre-Retirement
Published: August 31, 2021
Published: August 31, 2021
Retirement Plans Offered
TRS offers a defined benefit plan of retirement, also known as a 401(a). As its name implies, your retirement benefit is “defined” by calculation using your years of membership service, the average of your highest 24 consecutive months of salary*, and a 2% multiplier.
View Page
Published: September 16, 2021
Plan B
Plan B provides members with 6 survivorship options: Option 1 allows you to possibly leave a lump-sum payment, but no monthly benefit, to a beneficiary(ies) after your death; and Options 2-4 allow you to provide a continuing monthly benefit to a beneficiary(ies) after your death.
View Page
Published: September 17, 2021
Mr. Kenneth Dyer
Mr. Kenneth Dyer was selected in February 2017 by the Dougherty County Board of Education to become the district’s superintendent after having served as Associate Superintendent and Chief Financial Officer.
View Page
Published: September 18, 2021
Dr. Marion Fedrick
Marion Ross Fedrick was appointed as the 10th president of Albany State University on August 14, 2018, by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.
View Page
Published: September 18, 2021
Mr. Greg S. Griffin
Mr. Griffin currently serves as the State Auditor of Georgia. He was appointed to that position by Governor Nathan Deal.
View Page
Published: September 18, 2021
Mr. Steve McCoy
Steve McCoy is the Georgia State Treasurer. The Treasurer serves as cash management officer for Georgia on behalf of the State Depository Board responsible for managing over $30 billion of state and local government investments
View Page
Published: September 18, 2021
Partial Lump Sum Option Plan (PLOP)
At retirement, in addition to selecting Plan A (maximum plan) or Plan B (survivorship plan), you may also elect to receive a one time lump-sum distribution (cash payment) in addition to your monthly retirement benefit.
View Page
Published: September 18, 2021
Welcome, Active Members!
TRS administers the fund from which teachers in the state’s public schools, many employees of the University System of Georgia, and certain other designated employees in educational-related work environments receive retirement benefits.
View Page
Unused Sick Leave Credit at Retirement
At retirement, TRS members can establish credit for unused sick leave earned with current and previous TRS employers. If you haven’t been saving your sick leave up until now, you really should start. The more unused sick leave days you have at retirement, the earlier you can retire and the larger your monthly benefit.
View Page
Published: September 27, 2021
Allowable Employment – Disability Retirees
If you retired on a disability retirement, Georgia law imposes salary limitations on disability retirees.
View Page
Tags: Retiree
Published: September 28, 2021
Published: September 28, 2021
Eligibility For Membership
All personnel employed in a permanent status position, not less than half-time, with local boards of education, charter schools, universities and colleges, technical colleges, Board of Regents, county and regional libraries, RESA’s, and certain State of Georgia agencies are required to be members as a condition of employment.
View Page
Tags: New Hire
Published: September 28, 2021
Published: September 28, 2021
How TRS Benefits You!
Your retirement plan is a defined benefit plan which requires contributions from you and your employer, is determined by a formula based on your years of service and/or age and your final average salary, and will be paid to you throughout your lifetime.
View Page
How Contributions Work
In order to successfully plan for your retirement, you need to understand how contributions are made to your TRS account. Your pension is funded by 3 sources: member contributions, employer contributions, and investment earnings.
View Page
At 40 Years of Service
If you have at least forty years of service credit, you may elect to discontinue your contributions to TRS, as 40 years is the maximum number of years your retirement calculation can be based upon. Per Georgia law, this election is irrevocable.
View Page
Service Credit Accrual and Purchase
‘Service credit’ is defined as the number of months and/or years of service you have earned toward retirement. You accrue service credit each month you work in a TRS covered position.
View Page
Start Retirement Planning
The short answer is now! If you are already asking yourself questions about preparing for your financial future, it’s time to start planning!
View Page
Hello, Mid-Career Members!
You have been an educator for several years now, but you still have a number of years remaining before you can fully plan your retirement. However, now is the perfect time to acquaint yourself with specific details regarding your forthcoming TRS pension benefit.
View Page
Tags: Mid-Career
Published: October 5, 2021
Published: October 5, 2021
Helpful Links
Here is a list of websites that we at TRSGA believe may be of interest or use to you.
View Page
Published: October 5, 2021
Suspending or Terminating Benefit Payment
If you return to work in a position that does not allow you to continue receiving your monthly benefit payment, you will have the choice to terminate or suspend your retirement.
View Page
Tags: Retiree
Published: October 5, 2021
Published: October 5, 2021
Unused Sick Leave Credit at Retirement
At retirement, TRS members can establish credit for unused sick leave earned with current and previous employers. Based on Georgia law, a member can receive credit for unused sick leave at retirement only if he or she has not received payment of any kind for the leave
View Page
Tags: Retiree
Published: October 5, 2021
Published: October 5, 2021
Changing Your Plan of Retirement
After you begin receiving a monthly retirement benefit, if you have chosen Plan A (Maximum Plan) or Plan B Option 1, you cannot change to a survivorship plan, which allows a monthly benefit to be passed to a beneficiary at your death.
View Page
Tags: Retiree
Published: October 5, 2021
Published: October 5, 2021
Eligibility For Membership
All personnel employed in a permanent status position, not less than half-time, with local boards of education, charter schools, universities and colleges, technical colleges, Board of Regents, county and regional libraries, RESA’s, and certain State of Georgia agencies are required to be members as a condition of employment.
View Page
Insurance
The main purpose of having insurance is to hedge against risk. There is a small percentage of Americans that are fully self-insurable—meaning that they have enough assets to cover any financial liabilities that may occur due to health issues or damage to property and intangible assets.
View Page
Tags: Mid-Career
Published: October 5, 2021
Published: October 5, 2021
Retirement Benefit Options
Although you are probably years away from having to select a retirement plan, it doesn’t hurt to have a general understanding of the TRS plans available.
View Page
Tags: Mid-Career
Published: October 5, 2021
Published: October 5, 2021
Leave of Absence
TRS will allow you to extend the normal four-year period in which you may be out of covered employment and still retain an active account by submitting a notice for a leave of absence.
View Page
Mid-Career Workshop
As you continue your career as an educator, it is important to revisit your retirement plan and stay abreast of new information and legislation that may affect your retirement benefit.
View Page
Tags: Mid-Career
Published: October 6, 2021
Published: October 6, 2021
New Member Workshop
Many people are unable to retire because they started saving too late in life. But not you! You are lucky because as a member of TRS, you and your employer begin contributing toward your retirement your very first day of work.
View Page
Tags: New Hire
Published: October 6, 2021
Published: October 6, 2021
Post-Retirement Workshop
We have created a workshop aimed at keeping you informed throughout your retirement about what’s going on at TRS, a financial update, as well as any legislation that may affect you.
View Page
Tags: Retiree
Published: October 6, 2021
Published: October 6, 2021
Pre-Retirement Workshop
Retirement is within reach and it’s time to get serious about it! This workshop will provide you with the information and resources you need to help you map out your retirement plan.
View Page
Tags: Pre-Retirement
Published: October 6, 2021
Published: October 6, 2021
Risk & Debt Management
As you move through your career, it is important that you learn how to recognize risks and manage them, along with any debt that you may have, while they can still be managed.
View Page
Military Service
Georgia law contains several provisions for the establishment of up to 5 years of retirement credit for periods of active duty military service in the armed forces of the United States. If you have military service prior to 1955, please contact our office.
View Page
Public School Employees Retirement Credit
If you have been a member of the Public School Employees Retirement System (PSERS) and your duties have changed so that you are now a manager or supervisor and are now eligible for membership in TRS, you may be eligible to establish credit for service rendered in a public school system prior to the date you became a member of TRS.
View Page
State of Georgia Employment
If you were previously a member of the Employees’ Retirement System of Georgia (ERS) and withdrew your funds, you may establish this service with TRS. You are eligible to purchase your ERS withdrawn service after you have completed the required number of years of active TRS membership.
View Page
Visiting Scholar Credit
A maximum of two years of service as a visiting scholar at a public college or university may be established as service credit by members who were granted a leave of absence from a unit of the University System of Georgia for such purpose.
View Page
Withdrawn Accounts
If you have previously terminated your TRS membership, and subsequently you return to service, you may reestablish your withdrawn service.
View Page
Disability Retiree Employment
If you plan to hire a TRS retiree who retired under disability retirement, you must complete the Employment Verification Form and submit to TRS prior to hiring.
View Page
Published: October 6, 2021
Earnable Compensation
Earnable compensation is defined as the full regular compensation payable to a member for full normal working time.
View Page
Published: October 6, 2021
Elective Membership Employer Requirements
Georgia law was amended in 1976 allowing full-time public school lunchroom, maintenance, and warehouse supervisors and managers the option to elect membership in TRS.
View Page
Published: October 6, 2021
Member Account Information Requests
At the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia (TRS), we are committed to honoring the privacy of our customers. In an effort to protect our members, we have tightened our policy regarding the release of confidential information.
View Page
Published: October 6, 2021
Membership Eligibility
All personnel employed in a permanent status position not less than half-time by a TRS reporting employer are TRS members in accordance with Georgia law.
View Page
Published: October 6, 2021
Preparing Your Employees For Retirement
In an effort to assist your employees, TRS has developed a list of things you can do to help ease the retirement process-for both of you.
View Page
Published: October 7, 2021
Reporting Policies and Procedures
In an effort to abide by TRS laws and regulations, maintain accurate records, and provide members with the retirement pensions they’re entitled to, employers are required to submit a detailed member contributions report and Monthly Summarization Report each month.
View Page
Published: October 7, 2021
Late Payment Penalty
As provided for in section 47-3-42 of Georgia law, a late payment penalty of 1.5% per month (or fraction of a month) may be assessed on reporting employers whose monthly contribution payments are not received by the 10th day of the reporting month.
View Page
Published: October 7, 2021
Suspending or Terminating Retirement
If a TRS retiree returns to work in any capacity other than what is listed above as acceptable employment, he or she may work one-half time or greater in a TRS-covered position and either suspend or terminate his or her retirement benefit.
View Page
Published: October 7, 2021
Tips and Guidelines for Entering Adjustments
Reporting prior period, retroactive and current month adjustments can be tricky at times. This document is intended to provide helpful clarification on the process.
View Page
Published: October 7, 2021
Unused Sick Leave Credit at Retirement
At retirement, TRS members can establish credit for unused sick leave earned with current and previous TRS employers. If you haven’t been saving your sick leave up until now, you really should start. The more unused sick leave days you have at retirement, the earlier you can retire and the larger your monthly benefit.
View Page
Published: October 7, 2021
Updating Membership Information
If a member needs to correct a social security number, date of birth, name, or beneficiary, he/she will need to follow the instructions below.
View Page
Published: October 7, 2021
Your Responsibilities
As an employer in the Teachers Retirement System of Georgia, we know that you want the best for your employees.
View Page
Published: October 7, 2021
Important Updates About Your 2021 Benefit!
Happy 2021 retirees and we hope that this year is off to a great start! You may have noticed a difference in your January, 2021, benefit.
View Page
Tags: Retiree
Published: January 5, 2021
Published: January 5, 2021
Furloughs and TRS Earnable Compensation
Current economic conditions and reduced revenue collections due to the Covid-19 pandemic have resulted in employers planning for reducing budgets in FY 2021 by several methods such as furloughs, salary reductions and reductions of contracted work days, which will have an impact on the amount of earnable compensation to be reported to TRS
View Page
Published: June 5, 2020
Statewide Virtual TRS Pre-Retirement Workshop on YouTube
View Page
Tags: Pre-Retirement
Published: April 14, 2022
Published: April 14, 2022
Half-Day Pre-Retirement Seminar @ Central Georgia Technical College
View Page
Tags: Pre-Retirement
Published: October 25, 2022
Published: October 25, 2022
Post-Retirement Half-Day Seminar @ Chattahoochee Technical College
View Page
Tags: Retiree
Published: May 2, 2023
Published: May 2, 2023
New Podcast Episode: What Makes a Happy Retiree? Featuring Best-Selling Author Wes Moss!
View Page
Published: March 20, 2023
Pre-Retirement Seminar @ Kennesaw State University
View Page
Tags: Pre-Retirement
Published: January 22, 2024
Published: January 22, 2024
Post-Retirement Seminar @ Clayton State University
View Page
Tags: Retiree
Published: March 25, 2024
Published: March 25, 2024