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States where teachers get no Social Security

In 14 states, most public school teachers are outside Social Security for their teaching work. No coverage means no Social Security cheque from those years — the pension is not a supplement to retirement income, it is the whole of it.

This is the single most consequential fact about teacher retirement that most teachers learn late. Retirement planning aimed at the general public assumes Social Security underneath everything else. Take that away and the arithmetic changes: the pension has to cover what two sources normally cover, and the 403(b) stops being optional.

It also changes what a good state looks like. A state with no pension tax but no Social Security coverage is not obviously better than a state that taxes the pension and pays into the system for thirty years.

1 Alaska No Social Security
Pension system
TRS
Benefit formula
DC plan (no DB) — Tier IV
Teacher contributes
8% of salary
Pension tax
0%
Alaska teachers rely on TRS and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 8% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
2 California No Social Security
Pension system
CalSTRS
Benefit formula
FAS × 2% × years (PEPRA tier)
Teacher contributes
10.205% of salary
Pension tax
4.50%
California teachers rely on CalSTRS and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 10.205% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
3 Colorado No Social Security
Pension system
PERA
Benefit formula
HAS × 2.5% × years
Teacher contributes
11% of salary
Pension tax
3.10%
Colorado teachers rely on PERA and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 11% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
4 Georgia No Social Security
Pension system
TRSGA
Benefit formula
AFC × 2% × years
Teacher contributes
6% of salary
Pension tax
0.94%
Georgia teachers rely on TRSGA and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 6% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
5 Illinois No Social Security
Pension system
TRS
Benefit formula
FAS × 2.2% × years (Tier 2)
Teacher contributes
9.0% of salary
Pension tax
0%
Illinois teachers rely on TRS and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 9.0% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
6 Kentucky No Social Security
Pension system
TRS
Benefit formula
FAS × 1.7–3.0% × years
Teacher contributes
12.855% of salary
Pension tax
2.14%
Kentucky teachers rely on TRS and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 12.855% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
7 Louisiana No Social Security
Pension system
TRSL
Benefit formula
AFC × 2.5% × years
Teacher contributes
8% of salary
Pension tax
0%
Louisiana teachers rely on TRSL and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 8% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
8 Maine No Social Security
Pension system
MainePERS
Benefit formula
AFC × 2% × years
Teacher contributes
7.65% of salary
Pension tax
2.40%
Maine teachers rely on MainePERS and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 7.65% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
9 Massachusetts No Social Security
Pension system
MTRB
Benefit formula
FAS × 2.0–2.5% × years
Teacher contributes
11% of salary
Pension tax
0%
Massachusetts teachers rely on MTRB and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 11% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
10 Missouri No Social Security
Pension system
PSRS
Benefit formula
FAS × 2.5% × years
Teacher contributes
14.5% of salary
Pension tax
1.90%
Missouri teachers rely on PSRS and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 14.5% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
11 Nevada No Social Security
Pension system
NVPERS
Benefit formula
AMC × 2.5% × years (2.25% if enrolled on/after 7/1/2015; 2.67% for service after 7/1/2001)
Teacher contributes
0% deducted (employer pays 36.75%)
Pension tax
0%
Nevada teachers rely on NVPERS and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 0% deducted (employer pays 36.75%) going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
12 Ohio No Social Security
Pension system
STRS
Benefit formula
FAS × 2.2% × years (Tier 1)
Teacher contributes
14% of salary
Pension tax
1.60%
Ohio teachers rely on STRS and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 14% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
13 Rhode Island No Social Security
Pension system
ERSRI
Benefit formula
FAS × 1% × years (DB) + DC plan
Teacher contributes
3.75% of salary
Pension tax
1.40%
Rhode Island teachers rely on ERSRI and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 3.75% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
14 Texas No Social Security
Pension system
TRS
Benefit formula
Avg of 5 highest salaries × 2.3% × years
Teacher contributes
8.25% of salary
Pension tax
0%
Texas teachers rely on TRS and their own 403(b). With no Social Security from teaching years, the 8.25% of salary going in is buying the entire retirement, not topping one up.
Planning without Social Security means the 403(b) has to carry more. Test whether yours does →

What no coverage actually means

Teachers in these states do not pay Social Security tax on their teaching salary and do not earn credits for those years. Work in other covered jobs — before teaching, summers, a second career — still counts, and many teachers qualify on that record.

Coverage can also vary by district within a state, and rules for teachers who split a career across covered and uncovered work have changed in recent years. Check your own earnings record with the Social Security Administration rather than assuming either way; it is free and it takes minutes.

What to do about it

Fund the 403(b) as though it were the second pension, because that is its job here. A contribution that looks generous next to a peer in a covered state is often merely adequate in an uncovered one.

Take the survivor election seriously. Where there is no Social Security survivor benefit behind it, the pension continuation percentage you choose at retirement is the entire safety net for whoever outlives you.

And read the vesting rules before changing states mid-career. Leaving an uncovered system early can mean neither a full pension nor the Social Security credits those years would have earned elsewhere.

Work out your own number

Educational estimates only, not tax advice. Figures come from our open dataset; see Methodology for how each is derived. Last built 2026-09-02.