Updated October 30, 2026. Quick answer: The Teachers’ Retirement System of Louisiana has no automatic COLA. A permanent benefit increase (PBI) is payable on July 1 only with a TRSL Board recommendation, legislative approval and enough money in the Experience Account. The TRSL history table lists 2.00% for fiscal year 2022 and None for every year from 2023 through 2026. No 2027 PBI is set.
More on public pension retirement ages and eligibility: the Louisiana TRSL retirement age and eligibility rules.
More on public pension COLAs for 2027: the Louisiana Assessors’ Retirement Fund COLA for 2027, the Louisiana Clerks of Court COLA and its 2027 status and the Louisiana District Attorneys’ Retirement System COLA and its 2027 status.
How a PBI is granted
TRSL says: “A PBI is payable to eligible retirees and beneficiaries on July 1, subject to TRSL Board recommendation and legislative approval, as long as there are sufficient funds in the TRSL Experience Account”. “A PBI will not be given if there is no increase in the CPI-U or when the balance in the experience account is not sufficient to fund a PBI.”
The same page sets eligibility and a limit: “Regular retiree: Must have received a benefit for at least one year and be 60 years of age”. “PBIs are calculated only on the first $60,000 of the retiree’s annual retirement benefit.”
The newer funding account
TRSL’s PBI primer says: “PBIs will not be an automatic benefit . They can only be granted when there are enough funds in the PBI funding account to pay for them.” “granting a PBI still requires two-thirds legislative approval, and PBIs can be vetoed by the governor.” It adds: “It is anticipated that there will be enough funds in the PBI funding account to pay the first PBI in 2028.” On eligibility it says that when the first PBI is paid from the new account, “Regular retirees will need to be age 62 and receiving a benefit for at least two years”, up from the age 60 and one year of the older rule.
What the history table shows
The TRSL history table lists:
| Year | PBI |
|---|---|
| Fiscal year 2022 | 2.00% |
| 2016 | 1.50% |
| 2014 | 1.50% |
| 2023 through 2026 | None |
Where 2027 stands
No 2027 TRSL permanent benefit increase is set: it needs a Board recommendation, two-thirds legislative approval and enough money in the Experience Account (TRSL does not expect the newer funding account to pay its first PBI until 2028), and this page updates if one is granted. The table has no 2027 entry.
Common mistakes
- Expecting a yearly COLA. TRSL says PBIs are not automatic and are granted only with funds and approvals.
- Assuming every retiree qualifies. A regular retiree must have received a benefit for at least one year and be 60 on or before July 1 of the year the PBI is effective, and the increase applies only to the first $60,000 of the annual benefit, a limit TRSL raises each year by the CPI-U increase, if any.
- Counting on a PBI from the newer funding account soon. TRSL anticipates the first one in 2028.
Related: Louisiana TRSL retirement decisions, how public pension decisions work, and whether Louisiana taxes pensions.
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Answer againSources
- TRSL, Will My Benefit Increase?: www.trsl.org
- TRSL, PBI Primer For Retirees: www.trsl.org
- Related official page (not quoted): Louisiana Revised Statutes, Title 11, Retirement: www.legis.la.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): Act 657 of 2022 (Senate Bill 6), Louisiana Legislature: www.legis.la.gov
Read from the primary documents linked above on October 30, 2026. General information, not tax advice. Your own facts decide the outcome, and a preparer or the IRS itself is the right place to confirm anything consequential.