Income Replacement in Retirement

I was told that if you work for the state for 40 years that your retirement will be roughly the same as your salary. This doesn't make sense to me but need to check it out.

With forty years of service, your retirement benefit from MOSERS would not be the same as your salary; however, your MOSERS benefit plus your Social Security benefit would be closer to replacing most of your pre-retirement salary. Here is more information:

The retirement plan through MOSERS is a defined-benefit pension. That means the benefit is defined by law and based on a formula as shown here:

Final Average Pay (FAP) x Credited Service x Multiplier (1.6% for MSEP; 1.7% for MSEP 2000/MSEP 2011) = Monthly Base Benefit  

Example: Let’s assume that when you retire, your annual salary is $40,000; you have 40 years of service; and you elect MSEP with a  multiplier of 1.6% (0.016)

FAP ($40,000/12 = $3,333.33 monthly) x Credited Service (40 years) x Multiplier (0.016) = Monthly Base Benefit

$3,333.33 x 40 x 0.016 = $2,133.33

With 40 years of service, your monthly base benefit is equal to 64% of your salary at retirement. This does not include the impact of such provisions as the Temporary Benefit which may apply, if eligible, or COLAs in retirement.

As noted in our publication, Key Facts, generally speaking, combined pension and social security benefits should replace approximately 75% of a 30-year employee’s final average pay. Additional personal savings through programs such as MO Deferred Comp can make up the difference. You can get a pension benefit estimate at any time by logging in to your Member Homepage. Click on Estimates, then on Estimate Your Retirement Benefit. You may wish to print several versions based on different dates or other factors. Or, contact a MOSERS benefit counselor to request estimates or to make an appointment for a face-to-face meeting. We encourage you to explore the section of our website called “What Plan Am I In?” to read more about the specific provisions in each plan. Once you meet the age and service requirements and retire under a MOSERS defined benefit plan, you are guaranteed a lifetime pension benefit. When you are Ready to Retire, we are here to help.