acalculator

What is my military retirement pay?

Pick your retirement system, enter your years of service and your retired pay base. The calculator applies the multiplier in 10 U.S.C. 1409 and rounds down to the dollar as the law says.

Your numbers

Monthly retired pay
$3,000

With 20 years under High-3 (joined Sep 8, 1980 to Dec 31, 2017) and a $6,000.00 retired pay base, your retired pay is about $3,000 a month.

A year
$36,000
Multiplier
50%

Monthly retired pay: $3,000. With 20 years under High-3 (joined Sep 8, 1980 to Dec 31, 2017) and a $6,000.00 retired pay base, your retired pay is about $3,000 a month.

The results are estimates for information only. They are not financial, tax, or legal advice. Check the numbers with your lender or a qualified professional before you decide. Terms of use

How to calculate

Estimates monthly military retired pay for an active duty retirement under High-3, the Blended Retirement System (BRS), REDUX or Final Pay, from years of service and your retired pay base.

Example with the default inputs (Retirement system High-3 (joined Sep 8, 1980 to Dec 31, 2017), Years of service 20, Extra months 0, Retired pay base a month $6,000.00): With 20 years under High-3 (joined Sep 8, 1980 to Dec 31, 2017) and a $6,000.00 retired pay base, your retired pay is about $3,000 a month.

Method: Monthly retired pay = retired pay base × multiplier, rounded down to the dollar; multiplier = 2.5% × years (High-3, Final Pay), 2% × years (BRS), or 2.5% × years − 1 point per year under 30 (REDUX); a month of service counts as 1/12 year.

  • Regular active duty retirement with 20 to 40 years; disability, reserve (non-regular) and early (TERA) retirements are not covered.
  • Service over 30 years counts in full (retirement after 2006).
  • Before taxes, the Survivor Benefit Plan, and any VA disability offset; future cost-of-living raises are not included.
  • The BRS lump-sum option and Thrift Savings Plan matching are not included.

Machine-readable copies: Markdown, JSON.

Worked examples

Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.

  1. Retirement system High-3 (joined Sep 8, 1980 to Dec 31, 2017), Years of service 20, Extra months 0, Retired pay base a month $6,000.00 gives Multiplier 50%, Monthly retired pay $3,000.00, A year $36,000.00.Source: 10 U.S.C. 1409(b)(1): 2.5 × 20 years = 50%
  2. Retirement system Blended Retirement System (joined 2018 or later, or opted in), Years of service 20, Extra months 0, Retired pay base a month $6,000.00 gives Multiplier 40%, Monthly retired pay $2,400.00.Source: 10 U.S.C. 1409(b)(4)(A): the Blended Retirement System uses 2 in place of 2.5: 2 × 20 = 40%
  3. Retirement system REDUX (took the Career Status Bonus), Years of service 22, Extra months 4, Retired pay base a month $7,000.00 gives Multiplier 48.166667%, Monthly retired pay $3,371.00, REDUX pay from age 62 $3,908.00.Source: 10 U.S.C. 1409(b)(2): 2.5 × 22 4/12 = 55.8333 less 7 points and 8/12 point = 48.1667%; at 62, 55.8333% gives $3,908.33, rounded down to $3,908 (10 U.S.C. 1412)
  4. Retirement system High-3 (joined Sep 8, 1980 to Dec 31, 2017), Years of service 32, Extra months 6, Retired pay base a month $9,876.54 gives Multiplier 81.25%, Monthly retired pay $8,024.00.Source: 10 U.S.C. 1409(b)(3)(B) (more than 30 years): 75% + 2.5 × 2.5 = 81.25%; $9,876.54 × 81.25% = $8,024.69, rounded down to $8,024 (10 U.S.C. 1412(a))

How it works

Years of service Y = full years + extra full months ÷ 12 (10 U.S.C. 1409(c)). Y must be from 20 to 40; otherwise there is no answer.

Multiplier (10 U.S.C. 1409(b)):

  • High-3 and Final Pay: 2.5% × Y. Over 30 years this is 75% + 2.5% for each year over 30, the same as 2.5% × Y (for a retirement after 2006).
  • Blended Retirement System: 2% × Y (60% + 2% for each year over 30).
  • REDUX: 2.5% × Y less 1 percentage point for each full year under 30 and 1/12 point for each month short of the next full year: 2.5% × Y − (30 − Y) points when Y is under 30, and 2.5% × Y from 30 years.

A retired pay base typed with a part of a cent is first rounded to the cent, half up. Monthly retired pay = retired pay base × multiplier, rounded down to the whole dollar (10 U.S.C. 1412(a)). The base is the average of the highest 36 months of basic pay (High-3, BRS, REDUX) or the final monthly basic pay (Final Pay). A year = 12 × monthly retired pay.

REDUX pay from 62 = retired pay base × 2.5% × Y, rounded down to the dollar. The cost-of-living catch-up at 62 is not included.

The multiplier shows to four decimals; it is kept exact (24ths of a percent) in the calculation.

Assumptions

  • A regular (non-disability) active duty retirement. Disability, reserve and TERA retirements are not covered.
  • Every year over 30 counts.
  • REDUX: you retire before age 62.
  • Amounts are before federal tax, Survivor Benefit Plan premiums and any VA disability offset; future cost-of-living raises are not included.
  • The BRS lump-sum election and Thrift Savings Plan matching are not included.

Worked examples by hand

High-3, 20 years, $6,000 base. 2.5 × 20 = 50%. $6,000 × 50% = $3,000 a month, $36,000 a year.

BRS, 20 years, $6,000 base. 2 × 20 = 40%. $2,400 a month.

REDUX, 22 years 4 months, $7,000 base. Y = 22 4/12. 2.5 × Y = 55.8333%; 30 − Y = 7 8/12 points; multiplier 48.1667%. $7,000 × 48.1667% = $3,371.67, rounded down to $3,371. From 62: $7,000 × 55.8333% = $3,908.33, rounded down to $3,908.

High-3, 32 years 6 months, $9,876.54 base. 2.5 × 32.5 = 81.25%. $9,876.54 × 81.25% = $8,024.69, rounded down to $8,024.

Other questions people ask

How is military retirement pay calculated?

Retired pay = retired pay base × multiplier. Under High-3 the base is the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay and the multiplier is 2.5% for each year of service. 20 years gives 50% of the base.

How is the Blended Retirement System different?

BRS uses 2% a year instead of 2.5%, so 20 years gives 40% of the High-3 base. In return the service matches Thrift Savings Plan contributions and pays continuation pay. BRS covers members who joined on or after January 1, 2018, and those who opted in.

What is REDUX?

Members who took the Career Status Bonus at 15 years retire under REDUX: 2.5% a year less 1 percentage point for each year under 30. At 20 years that is 40%. At age 62 the multiplier goes back to 2.5% a year.

Do months of service count?

Yes. Each full month beyond the full years counts as 1/12 of a year. 22 years and 6 months under High-3 is 2.5 × 22.5 = 56.25%.

Can I retire with less than 20 years?

A regular active duty retirement needs 20 years. Disability retirement, reserve retirement and the Temporary Early Retirement Authority have their own rules and are not covered here.