Do you know the value of your MOSERS benefits? One of your most valuable benefits as a state employee is your defined benefit pension plan. It provides a guaranteed, lifetime monthly income in retirement—a benefit not everyone has access to today.

A defined benefit (DB) plan requires a member to be vested to receive a set benefit for life after meeting the age and service requirements for retirement. Take a look at the MOSERS Benefit Comparison chart to see how much you would need to save on your own to replace your lifetime MOSERS pension benefit. Remember that the longer you work for the state, the higher your income replacement will be in retirement.

Your pension benefits are funded by three sources: employer contributions, employee contributions, and investment earnings. Depending on your plan, you may or may not contribute toward your future retirement benefit. See the What’s My Plan? tool for more information about plan requirements.

Not all employees are fortunate enough to have a pension plan. You may not realize how valuable this lifetime benefit is until you compare it with another retirement savings plan, such as an IRA, 401(k), or defined contribution plan.

According to the Federal Reserve’s Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2025 report, only 29% of adults with retirement accounts had a defined-benefit pension through an employer. This means most employees depend on a workplace retirement plan or a retirement savings plan to help support them in retirement. Keep in mind, you can’t outlive your pension benefit, but you can outlive a retirement savings plan.

If you haven’t started saving with MO Deferred Comp, now is a great time to start. This defined contribution plan is another valuable benefit available to you. Money invested in the deferred comp plan can help supplement your pension benefit in retirement. Visit MO Deferred Comp to learn more about how the plan works.