Do California Teachers Get Social Security? What the WEP/GPO Repeal Means
California teachers generally don't pay Social Security tax on teaching income, but the 2025 WEP/GPO repeal changes what CalSTRS retirees can collect. Here's the full picture.
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All articles about The CalSTRS Service Retirement Guide: Application, Benefit Options & First Payment.
CalSTRS 2% at 60 vs 2% at 62: Which Tier Are You In?
Compare CalSTRS 2% at 60 and 2% at 62 benefit structures, including age factors, final compensation rules, career factor, and PEPRA compensation caps.
CalSTRS Age Factor Chart: 2% at 60 vs 2% at 62 Tables
Complete CalSTRS age factor tables for both 2% at 60 and 2% at 62 membership tiers, including the career factor bonus and how monthly timing affects your pension.
CalSTRS Career Factor: How 30 Years of Service Boosts Your Age Factor
Learn how CalSTRS career factor adds 0.2% to your age factor at 30+ years of service, who qualifies, and how it affects your monthly retirement benefit.
CalSTRS Community College Retirement: Adjunct Faculty, Part-Time Credit, and Multi-District Service
Retirement planning for California community college faculty: how part-time service credit works, multi-district service aggregation, adjunct load tracking, and DBS accounts.
CalSTRS Death Benefit: What Survivors Receive and How to Claim
CalSTRS provides death benefits to survivors of active and retired members. Learn about the one-time lump sum, survivor allowances, and how to file a claim.
CalSTRS Defined Benefit Supplement: DBS Payout Options Explained
Your CalSTRS DBS account is separate from your pension. Learn how DBS funds accumulate, your payout choices at retirement, and the tax implications of each option.
CalSTRS Disability Retirement: Eligibility, Coverage Types, and How It Differs from Service Retirement
Learn about CalSTRS disability retirement and disability allowance, including eligibility rules, Coverage A vs Coverage B, and how disability benefits compare to service retirement.
CalSTRS Divorce and Retirement: DRO, Community Property, and Your Pension
How divorce affects your CalSTRS retirement: domestic relations orders, community property division, spousal consent waivers, and what to file before you retire.
CalSTRS Early Retirement: Age Factors, Penalties, and What You Give Up
Thinking about retiring from CalSTRS before age 60 or 62? Here's how early retirement affects your age factor, monthly benefit, and career factor eligibility.
CalSTRS Final Compensation: One-Year vs Three-Year Calculation Rules
CalSTRS final compensation uses either your highest 12 or 36 consecutive months of salary. Learn which rule applies to your tier and how 25 years of service changes the formula.
CalSTRS First Retirement Check: Timeline, Delays, and Interim Payments
When does your first CalSTRS retirement check arrive? Learn the payment timeline, what causes delays, how interim payments work, and how to bridge the cash flow gap.
CalSTRS Health Insurance After Retirement: Medicare, MPPP, and Coverage Gaps
CalSTRS doesn't provide health insurance. Learn how retiree health coverage works, what the Medicare Premium Payment Program covers, and how to bridge the gap.
CalSTRS Last Paycheck to First Pension: Bridging the Cash Flow Gap
How long between your last district paycheck and your first CalSTRS retirement check, what causes delays, and how to prepare for the income gap.
CalSTRS Medicare Premium Payment Program (MPPP): Eligibility and Rules
Find out if CalSTRS will pay your Medicare Part A premiums. Learn MPPP eligibility rules, the June 30, 2012 retirement deadline, and what the program covers.
CalSTRS Payout Options Explained: Member-Only, Survivor, and Compound
CalSTRS retirees choose between Member-Only, Joint-and-Survivor, and Compound payout options. Here's how each works, what the reductions look like, and when they're permanent.
CalSTRS Pop-Up Provision: What Happens If Your Beneficiary Dies First
How the CalSTRS pop-up provision works: if your option beneficiary predeceases you, your reduced monthly benefit automatically restores to the full Member-Only amount.
CalSTRS Post-Retirement Earnings Limit: Rules for Working After You Retire
CalSTRS retirees face strict earnings limits and a 180-day separation rule for public school work. Learn the current caps, exemptions, and how penalties work.
How to Apply for CalSTRS Retirement: Application Checklist and Timeline
A step-by-step guide to submitting your CalSTRS retirement application, from the 120-day filing window through spousal consent and your first benefit check.
CalSTRS Retirement Documents Needed: The Complete Paperwork Checklist
Every document CalSTRS requires for your service retirement application — birth certificates, marriage certificates, spousal consent forms, and more.
How to Read Your CalSTRS Retirement Estimate
Learn how to read and use your CalSTRS retirement estimate from myCalSTRS, what the retirement progress report shows, and how to run benefit calculations yourself.
CalSTRS Retirement Formula: How Your Pension Benefit Is Calculated
Learn how the CalSTRS retirement formula works, including service credit, age factor, and final compensation — the three variables that determine your monthly pension.
CalSTRS Retirement Mistakes to Avoid
Avoid costly CalSTRS retirement errors: wrong retirement date, missed service credit purchases, spousal consent problems, health coverage gaps, and more.
CalSTRS Retirement Notification to District: When and How to Tell Your School
When to notify your school district that you're retiring from CalSTRS, what your resignation letter should include, and what the district must do after you leave.
CalSTRS Retirement Tax Implications: Withholding, Rollovers, and DBS Distributions
Understand how your CalSTRS retirement benefit is taxed, including federal and state withholding, DBS lump sum tax rules, 403(b) rollovers, and direct deposit setup.
CalSTRS Return to Work Rules: The 180-Day Rule and Earnings Limits
Understand CalSTRS post-retirement work rules, including the 180-day separation period, annual earnings limits, substitute teaching rules, and exempt employment.
CalSTRS Service Credit Purchase: Buying Back Years, Redeposits, and Sick Leave
CalSTRS members can boost their pension by purchasing service credit, redepositing refunded contributions, or converting unused sick leave. Here's how each option works.
CalSTRS Spousal Consent: Signature Requirements Under Education Code 24200.5
CalSTRS requires spouse or partner consent for certain retirement benefit elections. Learn when it's needed, what happens if consent is unavailable, and how the process works.
CalSTRS Survivor Benefit: What Your Family Receives After Your Death
Understand CalSTRS survivor benefits: what your spouse, children, or beneficiary receives after your death depending on your payout option, coverage type, and retirement status.
CalSTRS vs CalPERS: Key Differences for California Public Employees
CalSTRS and CalPERS serve different California public employees with different formulas, age factors, and rules. Here's how the two pension systems compare.
Alternatives to Hiring a Financial Advisor for CalSTRS Retirement Planning
Five alternatives to paying a financial advisor for CalSTRS retirement planning — from free CalSTRS resources to independent process guides, ranked by what each one covers.
Best CalSTRS Retirement Resource for Teachers Managing the Process Themselves
The best CalSTRS retirement planning resource if you're handling the application, payout election, and timeline without hiring a financial advisor.
CalSTRS Retirement Guide vs the Free CalSTRS Member Handbook
Comparing the CalSTRS Member Handbook with an independent retirement process guide — which one walks you from benefit estimate to first payment without the overload.
How to Prepare for CalSTRS Retirement Without a Financial Advisor
A step-by-step approach for California educators preparing their CalSTRS service retirement application, payout option election, and first payment timeline without hiring an advisor.