Texas Teaching Salaries and Benefits
If you’re entering the teaching world, your primary focus has likely been on how to effectively educate young minds. You’ve spent years studying strategies for thinking and planning ahead, preparing your students for future academic success, but have you stopped to think of yourself?
Being prepared in your personal life is just as important as being prepared in the classroom. Obtaining the health care you need and planning for your retirement later in life ensures the wellbeing of you and your family.
As a teacher in the state of Texas, you qualify for an all-inclusive benefits package that includes both retirement and health insurance planning, allowing you to make these preparations confidently.
Sponsored School(s)
Learn more about becoming a teacher. Contact schools offering teacher education/certification programs in Texas.
Teacher Salaries in Texas by Education
As teachers further their educations and gain experience in the field, they receive pay increases that reflect their dedication and hard work. Salaries vary between school districts, but the following are some examples of the salaries you can expect in Texas:
| Experience | Bachelor’s | Master’s |
|---|---|---|
| At 3 years | $36,400 | $37,400 |
| At 6 years | $38,250 | $39,250 |
| At 9 years | $40,050 | $41,050 |
| At 12 years | $42,350 | $43,350 |
Source: Vernon Independent School District
Retiring in Texas
When you begin work as public school teacher in Texas, you are automatically enrolled in a retirement plan through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS). It is the largest public retirement system in Texas, serving more than 1.3 million participants.
The TRS retirement plan is a defined benefit plan. Once you qualify for normal retirement, you are eligible to receive a monthly pension for life.
As a TRS member, you contribute 6.4% of your compensation toward future retirement benefits. The amount contributed by employing school districts differs from district to district.
Your eligibility for service retirement is determined by your age and years of service. To retire with full benefits, you must meet the following qualifications:
- You are 65 or older with at least 5 years of service
- Your age and service credit total 80
Once you reach normal retirement age and terminate your employment, you can begin to receive your monthly benefits. Monthly benefits are based on a formula that is subject to change. However, you can use the following formula to calculate your normal retirement annuity based on current law:
Average of five highest salaries
multiplied by
Total years of service credit
multiplied by
2.3%
For example, if your average final salary was $45,000 and you worked for 25 years, your final pension would be $25,875 per year, or $2,156.25 per month.
To learn more about the retirement options available to you as a teacher in Texas, visit the Teacher Retirement System of Texas .
Access to Affordable Health Insurance
To guarantee the wellbeing of teachers and their families, TRS has also implemented a voluntary health care program that provides health insurance. This statewide health coverage program includes almost 500,000 members and their dependents.
The program offers four PPO (preferred provider organization) plans and three health maintenance organization (HMO) plans. Teachers are able to choose coverage under any plan that is available to them. Because some plans are only available in certain counties, you should check with your local county for information about health plans in the area.
You can tailor your health insurance to meet your specific needs. For example, if you want a low deductible with low out-of-pocket expenses, you can pay a little more each month for that benefit.
No matter what plan you choose, each covers a multitude of medical expenses including:
- Office Visits
- Preventative Care
- Inpatient Hospital Care
- Outpatient Surgery
- Prescription Drugs
In addition to medical care, TRS offers teachers additional benefits such as dental, vision, and long-term disability insurance. Explore the TRS website for more information about the health benefits available to teachers.
