Since May 26, 2026, every 20 and 22-year plan in the Department of Correction pays half your final average salary at 20 years, at any age. See what that is on your pay.
Free: put in your numbers and Eslyn Hernandez builds you a short video guide on them by hand.
The short answer
20 years, 50% of your final average salary, at any age. On the top base pay of $109,352 that is $54,676 a year, about $4,556 a month before tax. Married filing jointly in New York, that is about $4,369 a month after federal tax. Overtime can lift your final average salary, so your number may be higher.
Salary
Base pay by step, as of March 1, 2026. It tops out at $109,352 after 5.5 years, and about 8 in 10 officers on the City's fiscal 2026 payroll are at that step. Tap a row to run it in the calculator.
| Step | Base pay | 50% of that | Run it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy | $56,838 | $28,419 | |
| After 1.5 years | $62,014 | $31,007 | |
| After 2.5 years | $66,887 | $33,444 | |
| After 3.5 years | $73,833 | $36,917 | |
| After 4.5 years | $79,806 | $39,903 | |
| After 5.5 years | $109,352 | $54,676 |
The 50% column is the pension if that pay were your final average salary at 20 years, before tax. Nobody retires on Academy pay, but it shows how the math works. On top of base pay: a $1,100 uniform allowance, plus longevity pay of $4,799, $5,799, $6,799 and $9,314 after 5, 10, 15 and 20 years. Overtime, holiday pay and other differentials are extra. Whether longevity counts in your pension depends on the union contract, so we do not add it for you.
Sources: NYC Department of Correction pay page, DCAS Notice of Exam 6303, and NYC Citywide Payroll data for fiscal 2026, which shows the same six figures.
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CO-25, service from before December 19, 1990, and years in another NYCERS job can each change the math. Send it to Eslyn below and he goes through your record by hand. There's no number here on purpose.
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Your Plan
All of these are NYCERS Tier 3. The date you went into uniform picks the plan.
Below Captain, in uniform December 19, 1990 to October 18, 2004
50% at 20 years, then 1⅔% for each year up to 30, which tops out at 66⅔%. No age-62 cut. Variable Supplement Fund listed at $12,000 a year.
Captain or above before October 19, 2004, or a CO-20 officer promoted to that rank later
Same formula as CO-20. An unpaid contribution balance lowers the pension instead of blocking retirement.
In uniform October 19, 2004 to March 31, 2012, any rank
Same formula as CO-20. 20 years of correction service required, so civilian years don't count toward it.
Joined April 1, 2012 to December 31, 2016
50% at 20 years, flat. Staying longer adds nothing to the percentage. From 62, half of your primary Social Security benefit comes off.
Joined January 1, 2017 or later, or elected it
Same pension as CF-22. You also pay an added 1.3% of pay, since July 1, 2025.
In uniform before December 19, 1990
25 years at any age. The calculator sends this one to a hand build.
The 20 and 22-year names come from NYCERS. Ignore the old "one half salary after 22.5 years" line you'll still see online. Sources: NYCERS Tier 3 Summary Plan Description, June 2026, pages 13 to 14 and 67 to 69; Brochures #918, #994 and #731.
Part FFF of Chapter 58 of the Laws of 2026 took effect May 26, 2026. Before it, a CF-22 or CF-22E officer leaving at 20 years got 42% of final average salary and had to reach 22 years for 50%. Now it's 50% at 20 years. The state's own cost note says exactly that.
Two things did not change. The age-62 Social Security cut is still in the formula. And full escalation still starts at 25 years, so an officer leaving at 20 gets none. Read the full post.
Once you leave the job, money in the City's 457 plan isn't hit with the 10% early withdrawal tax, whatever your age. You generally can't take it out while you're still working there. Regular income tax still applies, and the exception is money you rolled in from another kind of plan. Roll the 457 to an IRA and that protection is gone.
Other government retirement plans have their own rule. SECURE 2.0 added corrections officers to the public safety exception: leave the job at 50 or older, or with 25 years of service if that comes first, and the 10% doesn't apply to payouts from that plan. The City's plan pages list police, fire and emergency medical work and don't name correction, so confirm your own plan with NYC Deferred Compensation and a tax professional. Source: 26 U.S.C. 72(t)(9) and (t)(10).
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Can a NYC Correction Officer Retire After 20 Years?
What the 2026 law changed for CF-22 and CF-22E, what it left alone, and a worked example on $109,352.
Reviewed November 6, 2026. Built from NYCERS plan documents, the 2026 session law, and 2026 IRS figures. These are hypothetical estimates for education, not investment, tax or legal advice, and not a guarantee. NYCERS's written estimate is the one that counts.
Sources: Chapter 58 of 2026, Part FFF (Senate S9008-C) · NYCERS Tier 3 Summary Plan Description (June 2026), Brochures #918, #994, #731, Fact Sheets #719, #720 · New York Retirement and Social Security Law sections 501, 503, 505, 510, 511 · NYC Admin Code 13-194 · IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 for 2026 brackets · New York Tax Law 612(c)(3)(i) for the state exclusion.
Sirmium Capital LLC is a New York state-registered investment adviser and is not registered with the SEC. See our disclosures and Form ADV. Using this tool does not create an advisory relationship. Talk to a qualified tax professional about tax questions.