Whether you’re just starting your teaching career or are an experienced educator, this CalSTRS Member Handbook will help answer the questions you have about your CalSTRS benefits. Once vested, you'll be eligible to receive a lifetime monthly benefit upon your retirement. You also have access to survivor and disability benefits, plus a defined contribution plan you can choose to contribute to, CalSTRS Pension2®.
Your income in retirement is a shared responsibility between CalSTRS and you. I encourage you to look through this handbook—you’ll learn how your retirement benefit is calculated and how to increase it, how to financially protect your loved ones before you retire, how to access benefits planning services and how to apply for retirement when it’s time.

As CalSTRS’ chief executive officer, I am committed to providing California’s public school educators with a secure financial retirement. My top priority is to provide excellent service to our members—the same priority I had when I joined CalSTRS in 2008. We will continue to build on our strong foundation of prudently managing CalSTRS’ defined benefit pension funds—the same as we have for more than 100 years.

I thank you for choosing education as your career. As you’re of service to your students, we’re of service to you.

Cassandra Lichnock
Chief Executive Officer

Past Member Handbooks