Updated October 30, 2026. Quick answer: State employees first hired on or after July 31, 2017 are covered by Tier IV of the Connecticut State Employees Retirement System, unless they elected another plan such as the Alternate Retirement Program or the Teachers’ Retirement System. Normal retirement needs 10 years of vesting service and age 65, or age 63 with 25 or more years of vesting service. Early retirement is open from age 58 with 10 years of vesting service, with a permanent cut of one half of one percent for each month before normal retirement age.
Which tier you are in
“TIER IV COVERS STATE EMPLOYEES FIRST HIRED ON OR AFTER 7/31/17.”
Normal retirement
“A “Normal Retirement” is the retirement of a member of SERS who has completed 10 years of Vesting Service, and who retires on or after attaining “Normal Retirement Age.””. ““Normal Retirement Age” for members of Tiers IV will be either (i) age 65, or (ii) age 63 with 25 or more years of Vesting Service.”
Vesting
“If you have completed 10 years of Vesting Service, you have “vested” in Tier IV.”
Early retirement
“An “Early Retirement” is the retirement of a member of SERS who has completed at least 10 years of Vesting Service, and who voluntarily retires” after reaching age 58 but before reaching normal retirement age. The cut is set out like this: “the amount produced under the applicable Normal Retirement Formula will be reduced by one half of one percent (.005) for each month by which your retirement date precedes the date on which you reach Normal Retirement Age.” “Please Note: This reduction is permanent. It will not be adjusted when you reach Normal Retirement Age.”
What the pension is based on
The plan description defines pay this way: “To determine your Average Salary, use your five highest-paid years of service. Add together the salary you received from the State in these five years, then divide the total by five.”
What the documents do not say
Tiers I, II, IIA and III are not described in the Tier IV plan description, so they are not covered here, and the plan description says some employees hired on or after July 31, 2017 chose another plan such as the Alternate Retirement Program or the Teachers’ Retirement System, and some rehired Tier I to III employees are placed in Tier IV. The plan description states a multiplier of one and three-tenths percent in its text, but this page gives no worked example. Hazardous duty retirement is mentioned but not covered.
Common mistakes
- Reading 63 with 25 years as available without the 10 years of vesting service. Normal retirement requires the 10 years first.
- Expecting the cut to end at normal retirement age. The plan description says the reduction is permanent.
- Using this page for a state employee hired before July 31, 2017. Most of those members are in other tiers, although the plan description places some rehired Tier I to III employees in Tier IV.
Related: Connecticut SERS retirement decisions, the Connecticut SERS COLA for 2027, how public pension decisions work, and whether Connecticut taxes pensions.
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Answer againSources
- Connecticut Office of the State Comptroller, Retirement Services Division, SERS Tier IV Summary Plan Description: osc.ct.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS Tax Topic 410, Pensions and annuities: www.irs.gov
- Related official page (not quoted): IRS Tax Topic 411, Pensions: the General Rule and the Simplified Method: www.irs.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.