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Oregon PERS Tier Two

This page documents how FinZot models the Oregon PERS Tier Two defined benefit pension plan.

Who this plan covers: General members of Oregon Public Employees Retirement System, on or after January 1, 1996 and before August 29, 2003: established PERS membership (six-month waiting period service counts).

Employee contributions are the portion of salary that the employee pays into the pension fund.

FieldValue
Contribution Rate0% of salary
Tax TreatmentPre-tax (reduces taxable income)

Vesting determines when an employee has earned the right to receive pension benefits. The following formula must evaluate to TRUE for the employee to be vested:

service_credits >= 5 OR separation_age >= 50

Retirement eligibility determines when an employee can begin receiving pension payouts. The following formula must evaluate to TRUE:

commencement_age >= 55 OR service_credits >= 30

Formula Variables:

  • service_credits: Years of credited service
  • commencement_age: Age when pension payments commence

The annual pension benefit is calculated as:

Annual Benefit = Final Compensation × Benefit Factor × Service Credits

Final compensation is the salary figure used in the benefit calculation, typically an average of the employee’s highest-earning years.

FieldValue
MethodHighest Any Years
Years Averaged3

The benefit factor is a percentage multiplier that typically varies based on retirement age. Higher ages generally yield higher factors.

IF(OR(commencement_age >= 60, service_credits >= 30), 0.0167, 0.0167 * MAX(0, ROUND(0.0000001 + MAX(0.657 + 0.056 *(commencement_age_months - IF(birth_day_of_month = 1, 0, 1) - 660) / 12, 0.713 + 0.062 *(commencement_age_months - IF(birth_day_of_month = 1, 0, 1) - 672) / 12, 0.775 + 0.068 *(commencement_age_months - IF(birth_day_of_month = 1, 0, 1) - 684) / 12, 0.843 + 0.075 *(commencement_age_months - IF(birth_day_of_month = 1, 0, 1) - 696) / 12, 0.918 + 0.082 *(commencement_age_months - IF(birth_day_of_month = 1, 0, 1) - 708) / 12), 3)))

Formula Variables:

  • commencement_age: Age when pension payments commence
  • service_credits: Years of credited service

The COLA formula determines how pension benefits grow over time after retirement to keep pace with inflation.

MAX(initial_pension_benefit, current_pension_benefit * POWER(1 + MAX(- 0.02, MIN(0.02, inflation_rate)), IF(AND(years_since_retirement = 1, commencement_month <= 7), 2, 1)))

Formula Variables:

  • initial_pension_benefit: The annual benefit amount at retirement
  • years_since_retirement: Number of years since retirement began

Pension payouts from this plan are taxable as ordinary income.

Oregon PERS Tier Two members generally pay into Social Security alongside the pension, so a job with this plan is treated as covered and earns Social Security credits normally.


Note: FinZot’s pension estimates are for planning purposes only and may not reflect all plan provisions. For official benefit estimates, contact your plan administrator.