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PensionWatch

Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System

public plan · State of Massachusetts · Worcester, MA

ACTIVE
D
Pension Health Score
44/100
Funding Status53% Funded
0%80% threshold100%
$25.8B
Total Assets
$48.5B
Total Liabilities
$22.8B
Unfunded Liability
96,460
Participants

Funding History

What This Means for You

Massachusetts Teachers Retirement System is significantly underfunded at 53%, with $22.8B in unfunded liabilities affecting 96,460 participants. Plans at this funding level face difficult choices: raising contributions substantially, reducing future benefit accruals, or in extreme cases, applying for benefit suspensions. Public plans cannot declare bankruptcy, but severe underfunding may lead to reduced cost-of-living adjustments or increased employee contributions. If you are a participant, it is important to understand your options and consider diversifying your retirement income sources.

Year-by-Year Funding

YearAssetsLiabilitiesFunding RatioContributions
2025$25.8B$48.5B53.1%$1.6B
2024$24.8B$49.6B50.0%$1.6B
2023$24.0B$50.6B47.4%$1.8B
2022$23.7B$55.7B42.5%$1.9B
2021$21.3B$38.2B55.7%$1.4B