What Is the Pension Multiplier?
Most members use one number their whole career. Some members are actually using two — split at a specific date. This is worth understanding precisely, not just approximately.
💬 GLP Retirement MinuteWhere the 1.25% Factor Comes From
In 2013, a pension reform (PA 300 of 2012) gave existing Basic and MIP members at the time a one-time choice about their future years of service — not new hires, and not an ongoing option today.
Pay more, keep 1.5%
Higher contributions (Basic +4%, MIP up to 7% total) to keep the full multiplier for all future years.
Same contributions, reduced factor
Lower contributions, but future years of service (from 2013 onward) use a reduced 1.25% factor instead.
Freeze and switch to DC
Stop earning pension years entirely going forward; move to a Defined Contribution account instead.
If you chose the reduced-factor path, your pension isn't one flat multiplier applied to your whole career — it's blended. Years of service before the 2013 reform still use 1.5%. Years from 2013 forward use 1.25%. ORS's own estimator confirms this directly: some members "use a combination of a 1.5% and 1.25% pension factor."
Example: a blended-factor member's years before 2013 calculate at 1.5%; years from 2013 onward calculate at 1.25% — added together, not averaged.
Your Member Statement in miAccount shows your actual factor (or factors) directly — no need to guess based on when you were hired.
If you were already an MPSERS member around 2013 and aren't sure which choice you made, this is worth confirming precisely — the difference between a flat 1.5% career and a blended one can meaningfully change your final number, and it's not something a generic estimate can guess correctly on your behalf.