Will my TRS pension replace my paycheck when I retire?

Not completely. TRS pays 2.3% of your average salary for each year of service, and survivor options, health care and taxes reduce what you take home. In the example on inlineinsure.com, an educator retiring after 32 years on a $75,900 final salary goes from $5,234 a month to $2,917: a potential 44% loss of spendable income. A 403(b) is the usual way to fill that gap; the TRS gap calculator at inlineinsure.com/retirement/teachers/ estimates yours.