Calculating Your Benefit

Getting close to retirement age?  Let us calculate your benefit.

If you are within five years of retirement, the best way to get an accurate retirement benefit estimate is to request one from our office by completing the Benefit Estimate Request Form.

We will include information to help you understand the retirement process.  We will also customize your estimate to your unique situation:

• Based on your payroll and employment history with the City, and
• With a dollar amount for each potential retirement option to help you consider which choice will work best.

Dual membership/portability may affect your eligibility to retire and/or benefit calculation.  If you have earned service credit in one of Washington State's public retirement plans, or the cities of Spokane or Tacoma, you may be able to combine your SCERS service credit with credit earned in the other system(s).  Please complete and submit the Portability Claim Form.

Not so close to retirement?  Try our retirement benefit estimate chart.

If you are more than five years away from retirement, you can get a very rough estimate of your retirement benefit by using the Age and Service Chart.

Age and Service Chart, SCERS Plan 1

Age and Service Chart, SCERS Plan 2

Calculator Tool in Member Self-Service Portal

You can use the MSS calculator tool in the Member Self-Service Portal. The tool has been expanded and is more comprehensive.  It now provides estimates for benefit options A-E, as well as the unmodified benefit.  Members can also add additional information for more accurate estimates, including portability hours and your spouse's birth date, which is needed for Option D and E estimates.  Estimates produced by the MSS calculator are helpful for a general understanding of your SCERS pension benefit. 

The calculator is for planning purposes only and allows members to store up to two estimates.  Please note that member-created benefit estimates using the benefit estimator tool are not official SCERS estimates and SCERS is not bound by the results.

Please email us at scersmss@seattle.gov if you have questions about the portal.

Please feel free to email us at retirecity@seattle.gov if you have questions not related to the Member Self-Service portal.

Updated: March 6, 2024