Final Average Pay Calculation

I'd always thought retirement benefits were based on the highest pay of our state employment career. I was told by a coworker who recently attended a pre-retirement seminar that once you become eligible (under the rule of 80 for MSEP employees), that the highest pay rate considered for retirement benefits is already locked in and pay increases after that point will have no impact on retirement benefit. Please advise.

What you heard is not necessarily true – so thanks for checking with us! Whether or not pay for a given period will be considered in determining your final average pay (FAP) depends on if you elect BackDROP* (if eligible); not when you hit “80 & Out”.

To calculate your pension benefit, we will use your highest 36 full consecutive months of pay – wherever that occurs in your individual pay history. Practically speaking, most people earn their highest 36 consecutive months of pay in their last three years of state employment, but not always. If you become eligible for and elect the BackDROP upon retirement, your FAP will be calculated using your MOSERS-covered work history prior to your BackDROP date. In other words, pay (and service) during the BackDROP period is excluded when calculating your monthly benefit amount.

If, at retirement, you do not elect BackDROP, we will review your entire pay history and find the 36-month period with your highest pay (regardless of whether that is before or after you might hit “80 & Out”) and will use that in calculating your monthly benefit. You may elect not to take BackDROP if you want all of your pay and service to count. In most cases, opting not to take BackDROP will increase your monthly benefit amount.

*BackDROP is available only to general state employees who are members of MSEP & MSEP 2000 and who work at least two years beyond normal retirement eligibility.