Estimate your U.S. military retired pay. Pick your retirement system, enter your years of service (or reserve points) and your High-3 average basic pay, and get monthly and lifetime retired pay with cost-of-living adjustments. For the Blended Retirement System it also projects the TSP balance built by agency contributions.
Last updated:
Service
Component
60, or earlier with post-2008 active duty.
Pay
$/ mo
Final Pay system: your final monthly basic pay.
%
BRS TSP (optional)
% of base
$
% / yr
Enter your values to see the result.
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How to use the Military Retirement Pay Calculator
Choose active duty or reserve/Guard and your retirement system.
Enter years and months of service, or your total retirement points and good years.
Enter your High-3: the average monthly basic pay of your highest 36 months (usually your last 3 years).
Set the COLA and the age to total lifetime pay to; for BRS, add your TSP contribution rate.
Press Calculate to see your monthly retired pay, lifetime total and the years-of-service table.
Military retirement formulas
System
Who
Formula
At 20 years
COLA
Final Pay
Entered before Sep 8, 1980
2.5% × years × final basic pay
50%
CPI
High-36
Entered Sep 8, 1980 – Dec 31, 2017 (not opted into BRS)
2.5% × years × High-3 average
50%
CPI
REDUX / CSB
Took the Career Status Bonus (entered after Jul 31, 1986)
[2.5% × years − 1% × (30 − years)] × High-3
40%
CPI − 1%, recompute at 62
Blended (BRS)
Entered on or after Jan 1, 2018, or opted in
2.0% × years × High-3 average
40%
CPI
Example: a member with 22 years and 6 months under High-36 and a High-3 of $7,000/month gets 2.5% × 22.5 = 56.25%, so $3,937.50 a month before deductions. The same service under BRS gives 45% = $3,150 a month, plus whatever the TSP with agency matching has grown to.
Reserve and Guard retirement points
Each year you earn points: 15 membership points, 1 point per drill period (4 per drill weekend), 1 per day of active duty or annual training, and points for correspondence courses. A year with at least 50 points is a qualifying (“good”) year. Inactive-duty points (membership, drills and courses) are capped at 130 per year from 2007 on (lower earlier). At retirement, years of service = total points ÷ 360, so 2,600 points count as 7.22 years: 2.5% × 7.22 = 18.06% of the High-3.
Things this estimate leaves out
Survivor Benefit Plan: full coverage costs 6.5% of the covered base.
Taxes: retired pay is federally taxable; many states exempt some or all of it.
VA disability: below a 50% rating, VA pay generally offsets retired pay; at 50% or more, concurrent receipt applies.
BRS lump sum and continuation pay: optional, depend on DoD discount rates and service decisions.
Medical retirement (Chapter 61) uses the larger of years × multiplier or the disability percentage, up to 75%.
Frequently asked questions
How is military retired pay calculated?
Retired pay = multiplier × years of service × retired pay base. Under High-36 the multiplier is 2.5% per year, so 20 years gives 50% of your High-3 average basic pay and 30 years gives 75%. Under the Blended Retirement System it is 2.0% per year (40% at 20 years). The High-3 is the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay.
What is the difference between High-3 and BRS?
Members who entered service before 2018 and did not opt in to BRS keep the High-36 system at 2.5% per year. BRS, for members who joined on or after January 1, 2018 or opted in, uses 2.0% per year but adds TSP agency contributions (1% automatic plus up to 4% matching), continuation pay at mid-career and an optional lump sum at retirement.
How does reserve retirement pay work?
Reserve and Guard members need 20 qualifying years. Their years of service equal total retirement points divided by 360, and the pension is 2.5% (or 2.0% under BRS) × those years × the High-3. Pay normally begins at age 60, reduced by 3 months for every 90 days of qualifying active duty served in a fiscal year after January 28, 2008, but not below age 50.
Can I get more than 75% of base pay?
Yes. Since 2007, service beyond 30 years counts, so under High-36 a member with 40 years receives 100% of the High-3 average. Under BRS the 2.0% multiplier gives 80% at 40 years.
How does REDUX work?
REDUX applied to members who entered after July 31, 1986 and took the $30,000 Career Status Bonus. Their multiplier is 2.5% per year minus 1% for each year short of 30 (40% at 20 years), COLAs are CPI minus 1%, and at age 62 the pay is recomputed to the full High-36 multiplier with a catch-up for the lost COLA, after which CPI − 1% COLAs resume. New CSB elections ended in 2017.
Is military retired pay taxable?
Military retired pay is subject to federal income tax, and many states fully or partly exempt it. VA disability compensation is tax-free; with a rating below 50% it generally offsets retired pay dollar for dollar, while concurrent receipt (CRDP) restores both for ratings of 50% or more.
Does this include the Survivor Benefit Plan cost?
No. If you elect full SBP coverage the premium is 6.5% of the covered base amount and comes out of your retired pay; the survivor would then receive 55% of the covered base. Subtract it from the gross figure shown here for a closer net estimate.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.