COLA Erosion Calculator
See how inflation quietly erodes your pension's purchasing power over time — even with cost-of-living adjustments. Enter three numbers to get started.
Your Pension
Find your tier by hire date
| Tier | Hired | Key Features |
|---|
Your tier determines your benefit formula and vesting schedule — but does not affect the COLA calculation on this page. Once you know your tier, use your system's official estimator to get your projected monthly benefit, then enter it above.
Enter your estimated monthly benefit from your most recent annual statement or your system's pension estimator (see link above).
30 years is common for teachers who retire in their late 50s. Adjust to match your situation.
Use this only if you have reason to believe your effective COLA will differ from the system default.
Default: 2.5% — the approximate long-run average. The Fed's target is 2%; actual 30-year average is ~2.5%.
Pension Value Over Time
Year-by-Year Breakdown
| Year | Nominal Pension ($/mo) | Real Purchasing Power ($/mo) | Monthly Gap ($) | Cumulative Gap ($) |
|---|
▶ Assumptions & Sources
Your pension provides income — but not a complete plan. COLA erosion is one of several retirement risks specific to public school teachers.
Learn More at teacherspath.net