Benefit Programs

TRS administers a defined benefit retirement plan that is a qualified pension trust under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. The pension trust fund provides service and disability retirement, as well as death and survivor benefits, to eligible Texas public education employees and their beneficiaries.

Retirement benefits are financed by member and state contributions, employer contributions in some circumstances, and through investment earnings of the pension trust fund.

TRS administers TRS-ActiveCare, a statewide health benefit program for eligible public education employees of participating entities. It is financed by plan participant premium payments and investment income.

In addition, TRS administers a separate trust that provides health benefit coverage for TRS retirees and eligible dependents. This program, TRS-Care, is financed by contributions from the state, active public school employees, reporting entities, premium payments from plan participants, and investment income.

TRS also administers an optional long-term care insurance program for eligible retirees and public school employees. Certain family members are also eligible. The plan is available on an enrollee-pay-all basis.

For more details on TRS active member benefits, please refer to either the TRS Benefits Handbook (pdf) or other items in the menu listed to your left.

Withholding Calculator – This calculator is for estimating the federal income tax to be withheld from your annuity.  You can enter your gross annuity, select your marital status, and enter the number of exemptions and other deductions you’d like used in calculating your withholding.  This calculator does not require a User ID or password.

If you have a MyTRS User ID and password, you may log in to use its calculator which automatically imports the current annuity and withholding elections from your TRS account. You can modify your marital status, the number of exemptions, and other deductions to estimate changes in your withholding.