Wealthy PotFERS Retirement Calculator
Estimate your FERS pension the way OPM computes it: 1% or 1.1% of your High-3, MRA+10 reductions, unused sick leave, survivor benefit cost, special-category rules and the FERS supplement.
How OPM computes your pension
The calculator follows OPM's own worksheet: count your creditable service in years, months and days using 30-day months, add unused sick leave, drop leftover days, multiply your High-3 by 1% (or 1.1%) per year, apply any age reduction and the survivor reduction, then divide by 12 and round down to the dollar. It reproduces OPM's published examples to the cent.
When you can retire
| Age | Years of service | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | 5 | Unreduced; 1.1% with 20+ years |
| 60 | 20 | Unreduced, plus the supplement |
| MRA | 30 | Unreduced, plus the supplement |
| MRA | 10 | Reduced 5% a year under 62 unless you postpone |
| Any (special category) | 25, or 20 at age 50 | 1.7% for 20 years, no reduction, plus the supplement |
If you leave before any of these, you can still get a deferred annuity, normally from 62 (or from your MRA with 10+ years, reduced), but without sick leave credit, the 1.1% rate or the supplement.
Your MRA by birth year
| Born | MRA |
|---|---|
| Before 1948 | 55 |
| 1948 to 1952 | 55 and 2 to 10 months (2 months per year) |
| 1953 to 1964 | 56 |
| 1965 to 1969 | 56 and 2 to 10 months |
| 1970 or later | 57 |
Keeping your health insurance (FEHB) in retirement
The pension is only part of the decision. To carry Federal Employees Health Benefits into retirement, OPM says you must be entitled to retire on an immediate annuity (MRA+10 counts) and must have been "continuously enrolled (or covered as a family member) in any FEHB plan(s) for the 5 years of service immediately before the date your annuity starts," or for all of your service since your first chance to enroll if that is shorter. Time covered as a family member under someone else's FEHB enrollment counts toward the five years. Confirm your FEHB eligibility with your agency's HR office before you pick a retirement date.
What this calculator leaves out
- Part-time service, CSRS components for transferees, disability retirement, phased retirement and court-ordered former-spouse awards.
- Future COLAs and taxes. The pension is taxable federal income; part of each payment is a tax-free return of your own contributions.
- The exact supplement. OPM recomputes your Social Security figure using federal service only, so your statement's estimate is an approximation.
Your agency's retirement estimate and OPM's final calculation are the official figures. Pair this with the TSP calculator for the savings side of your federal retirement, and see RMD rules for when TSP withdrawals become required.
Sources
5 U.S.C. 8412 (eligibility, MRA), 8415 (computation), 8421 and 8421a (supplement), 8462 (COLA); 5 CFR part 842; OPM's FEHB eligibility rules (opm.gov); OPM's FERS computation and types of retirement pages; the OPM CSRS/FERS Handbook chapters 42, 50, 51 and 54 (worked examples and the 2,087-hour sick leave chart); OPM Benefits Administration Letter 26-101 (2026 COLA); IRS Publication 721 ("Part of the annuity benefits you receive is a tax-free recovery of your contributions"). This is an estimate for general information, not an OPM determination or financial advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is my FERS pension calculated?
Your basic annuity is 1% of your High-3 average salary times your years and months of creditable service (5 U.S.C. 8415(a)). If you retire at 62 or older with at least 20 years, the rate is 1.1% instead (8415(i)). OPM's own examples: a $90,000 High-3 with 18 years pays $16,200 a year ($1,350 a month); with 20 years at 62 it pays $19,800 ($1,650 a month).
What is my minimum retirement age (MRA)?
It depends on your birth year (5 U.S.C. 8412(h)): 55 if born before 1948, rising two months a year to 56 for 1953 to 1964, then two months a year again to 57 for anyone born in 1970 or later.
What is the MRA+10 penalty and can I avoid it?
If you retire at your MRA with 10 to 29 years, the annuity is reduced by 5/12 of 1% for each full month you are under 62 when it starts, which is 5% a year (8415(h)). You can postpone the start to shrink or remove the reduction, and if you have 20 years and start the annuity at 60 or later there is no reduction at all.
Does unused sick leave count toward my pension?
Yes, for the computation: 100% of unused sick leave is added to your service for an immediate retirement, converted with OPM's chart where 2,087 hours equals one year. It does not count toward eligibility, the High-3, or a deferred annuity. It does count toward the 20 years needed for the 1.1% rate at 62.
What is the High-3, and does overtime count?
Your highest average basic pay over any 3 consecutive years, usually the last three. OPM says it includes pay subject to retirement deductions, such as shift rates, but not overtime or bonuses.
What is the FERS supplement and when does it end?
A bridge payment for people who retire before 62 under MRA+30, 60+20 or a special provision: your Social Security estimate at 62 times your FERS civilian years divided by 40 (5 U.S.C. 8421). OPM's example: a $1,000 estimate and 30 years gives $750 a month. It stops at 62 and gets no COLA. MRA+10 and deferred retirees do not get it.
Can I work after retiring and keep the supplement?
Earnings after your MRA reduce the supplement by $1 for every $2 above the Social Security earnings limit ($24,480 for 2026), based on the previous year's earnings. The pension itself is not reduced.
How much does the survivor benefit cost?
A full survivor benefit (50% of your annuity to your spouse) costs 10% of your annuity; a partial one (25%) costs 5%. A married employee gets the full benefit unless the spouse consents in writing to less.
Does my FERS pension get a cost-of-living adjustment?
Yes, but regular retirees get it only once they are 62: by law a COLA does not apply to an annuitant who is under 62 when it takes effect (5 U.S.C. 8462(c)(3)). Special-category and disability retirees get it sooner. The FERS COLA follows the "diet COLA" rule: the full inflation rate if it is 2% or less, 2% if inflation is between 2% and 3%, and inflation minus 1 point above 3%. For 2026 that made the FERS COLA 2.0%, against 2.8% for CSRS and Social Security.
How is the LEO, firefighter or air traffic controller pension calculated?
1.7% of High-3 for each of the first 20 years of service and 1% for each year after, with no age reduction (8415(e) and (f)). OPM's example: a firefighter with 26 years and a $54,836 High-3 gets a factor of 0.40, or $21,934.40 a year before the survivor reduction.
Does FERS-RAE or FRAE change my pension?
No. Employees hired in 2013 or later pay more into the system (3.1% or 4.4% of pay instead of 0.8%), but the pension formula is the same.
Can I keep FEHB health insurance when I retire under FERS?
Yes, if you retire on an immediate annuity (including MRA+10) and were continuously enrolled in FEHB, or covered as a family member, for the 5 years of service immediately before your annuity starts, or for all of your service since you first could enroll if that is less than 5 years (OPM, FEHB eligibility).
