Skip to main content Skip to main navigation Skip to footer content

Benefits

CalPERS Retirement Overview

Secure, pension-based retirement plan for eligible CSU employees.

What is CalPERS?

CalPERS LogoCalPERS is a defined benefit pension plan that provides eligible CSU employees with a lifetime monthly retirement income.

Your benefit is calculated using a formula that considers your years of service, age at retirement, and your highest salary. CalPERS benefits are coordinated with Social Security and include additional options such as disability retirement and survivor benefits.

Most eligible employees are automatically enrolled in CalPERS upon hire.

View the CalPERS New Member Guide

CalPERS Eligibility

CalPERS membership is mandatory for most California State University (CSU) employees who meet eligibility requirements.

You are generally eligible if you are:
  • A full-time employee appointed for more than six months
  • A part-time employee working at least half-time for more than one year
  • A lecturer who has worked at least half-time for two consecutive semester—membership begins at the start of the third consecutive semester if the pattern continues
Once you meet these criteria, you are automatically enrolled in the CalPERS retirement plan.

Not eligible for CalPERS? You may be enrolled in the PST Retirement Program. Learn About PST

More About Retirement Benefits

Your CalPERS pension is calculated using a formula that includes:

  • Your years of CalPERS service credit
  • Your age at retirement
  • Your highest average monthly pay (also called “final compensation”)

These three factors are used in a set formula defined by your CalPERS membership tier (Classic or PEPRA).

Example of Pension Calculation

You can view your estimated pension anytime through your myCalPERS account, or by scheduling a retirement planning appointment with CalPERS.

To be vested in CalPERS means you have earned the right to receive a retirement benefit—even if you leave your job before retiring.

You are considered vested once you have:

  • At least 5 years of CalPERS service credit
  • (Or 10 years if you're a member of certain other retirement systems and using reciprocity)

Once vested, you’re eligible to begin receiving a monthly CalPERS pension when you reach the minimum retirement age for your membership tier.

📌 You can check your vesting status by logging in to myCalPERS.

To qualify for employer-paid medical and dental benefits in retirement, you must:

  • Retire from a benefits-eligible position
  • Do so within 120 days of separating from the CSU
  • Meet the applicable vesting requirement (5 or 10 years of CalPERS service credit, based on your hire date and employee group)

Vesting Rules:

  • Hired before July 1, 2017 → Fully vested after 5 years
  • (R03 Only) Hired on or after July 1, 2017 → Fully vested after 10 years
  • Hired on or after July 1, 2018 → Fully vested after 10 years

Once vested and eligible to retire, Fresno State will continue to contribute toward your medical and dental premiums, just as it did while you were employed.

Vision Coverage

Vision coverage is not employer-paid in retirement, but you may continue coverage by enrolling in a voluntary plan through the CSU Retiree Vision Program (administered by VSP).

Visit csuretirees.vspforme.com to learn more.

📘 Want a full overview of CSU retiree benefits?
Download the CSU Retiree Benefits Booklet (PDF)

The age you can retire and begin receiving CalPERS benefits depends on your membership tier—either Classic or PEPRA (Public Employees' Pension Reform Act).

Minimum Retirement Ages:

  • Classic members: 50
  • PEPRA members: 52

You must be vested (usually 5 years of service credit) to retire. The longer you wait to retire—and the older you are when you retire—the higher your monthly pension benefit will be.

📌 Your official membership tier is listed in your myCalPERS account.

CalPERS uses different retirement formulas based on when you first became a CalPERS member. This determines your membership tier and affects how your benefit is calculated.

Common CSU Formulas:

Membership Tier Formula Minimum Age Example Contribution Limit
Classic 2% at 55 50 $350,000
Classic 2% at 60 50 $350,000
PEPRA 2% at 62 52 $155,051 (2025, with Social Security)
  • Classic members typically entered CalPERS before January 1, 2013
  • PEPRA members joined on or after January 1, 2013, or had a break in service and returned later

Each formula uses a percentage multiplier (like 2%) applied to your service credit and final compensation to calculate your pension.

📌 Your membership tier is assigned automatically and can be viewed in myCalPERS.

Understand Your CalPERS Contributions

CalPERS uses different retirement formulas based on when you first became a CalPERS member. This determines your membership tier and affects how your benefit is calculated.

Common CSU Formulas:

Membership Tier Formula Minimum Age Example Contribution Limit
Classic 3.0% at 50  50 $350,000
Classic 2.5% at 55  50 $350,000
PEPRA 2.5% at 57 50 $186,096
  • Classic members typically entered CalPERS before July 1, 2011
  • PEPRA members joined on or after January 1, 2013, or had a break in service and returned later

Each formula uses a percentage multiplier (like 2%) applied to your service credit and final compensation to calculate your pension.

📌 Your membership tier is assigned automatically and can be viewed in myCalPERS.

Understand Your CalPERS Contributions

If you’re unable to continue working due to a permanent disability, you may be eligible to retire under CalPERS disability retirement.

To qualify, you must:

  • Be vested (typically with 5 years of CalPERS service credit)
  • Have a medical condition that prevents you from performing your current job duties
  • Submit medical documentation and go through a CalPERS approval process

Disability retirement is different from industrial disability retirement, which applies to certain public safety and job-specific injuries.

📌 Disability retirement must be approved by CalPERS and may include a different calculation method than standard service retirement.

Learn more and begin the process: Visit the CalPERS Disability Retirement Page

CalPERS provides survivor and death benefits to eligible beneficiaries when a member passes away—either before or after retirement.

The type and amount of the benefit depend on:

  • Your employment status at the time of death
  • Whether you were retired or still an active employee
  • Your retirement option and beneficiary designations

Common benefits include:

  • Lump-sum death benefits
  • Continuing monthly income for a surviving spouse or registered domestic partner
  • Refund of member contributions if no monthly benefit applies

To ensure your loved ones receive the correct benefits, keep your beneficiary designations up to date in your myCalPERS account.

📌 Contact CalPERS or the HR Benefits team if a family member passes away while employed or shortly after retirement.

You can estimate your future CalPERS retirement benefit using tools available in your myCalPERS account.

With the Retirement Estimate Calculator, you can:

  • View personalized pension estimates based on your current data
  • Compare different retirement dates
  • See how age, service credit, and final compensation impact your benefit
  • Explore various retirement options (e.g., beneficiary continuance)

To access the calculator:

  1. Visit myCalPERS
  2. Log in or register for an account
  3. Navigate to “Retirement Estimate Calculator” under the Retirement section

📌 We recommend running multiple estimates and reviewing them with the HR Benefits team as part of your retirement planning process.

Ready to Retire?

Planning to retire soon? Here’s what to do to make sure your transition goes smoothly.

✅ Steps to Take:
  • Notify your manager and HR Benefits 90 days before retirement date
  • Review your retirement estimate in myCalPERS
  • Schedule a counseling appointment with CalPERS
  • Complete and submit your CalPERS retirement application
  • Submit required CSU forms to the HR Benefits team
We recommend starting this process at least 90 days before your intended retirement date.

CalPERS recommends starting your retirement planning up to one year in advance, so you have time to review benefit estimates, explore options, and attend counseling sessions if needed.

📌 Use the contact cards below to reach your designated HR Benefits representative for retirement planning support.
Start Your Retirement Checklist

CalPERS Compensation Limits for 2025

Employees who became CalPERS members on or after January 1, 2013, are subject to annual compensation limits when calculating retirement benefits.
  • $155,051 for employees who participate in Social Security
  • $186,096 for employees who do not participate in Social Security (e.g., public safety roles)
These limits apply to members in the 2% at 62 and 2.5% at 57 retirement formulas.

Once an employee reaches the applicable limit, both employee and employer CalPERS contributions stop for the remainder of the calendar year and resume the following January.

⚠️ These limits affect how your final compensation and pension are calculated.

Last Name A-L

Debra Penner
Benefits Analyst
dpenner@mail.fresnostate.edu
559.278.4657

Last Name M-Z

Sarah Confer
Benefits Manager
sarahconfer@mail.fresnostate.edu
559.278.8237