Wealthy PotMilitary Retirement Calculator
Estimate military retired pay the way DoD computes it: High-3, BRS and REDUX side by side, the 2026 basic pay table built in, Guard and Reserve points, and the BRS lump sum at the official discount rate.
How the calculator works
- Base. Your High-36: the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay. The calculator can estimate it from your grade and years using the 2026 pay table, or you can type your own from your LES history.
- Multiplier. 2.5% per year under High-3, 2.0% under BRS. Extra months count as 1/12 of a year. The multiplier is rounded to 0.01 point the way DoD does it, and BRS uses DoD's published conversion table.
- Pay. Base × multiplier, rounded down to the dollar.
All three plans are shown side by side for the same base, so you can see what BRS or REDUX costs in monthly pay.
Which plan am I under?
| Plan | Who | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Final Pay | Entered before September 8, 1980 | 2.5% × years, of final basic pay |
| High-3 | Entered September 8, 1980 to December 31, 2017, no REDUX, did not opt into BRS | 2.5% × years |
| REDUX | Entered after July 31, 1986 and took the Career Status Bonus | 2.5% × years, minus 1 point per year short of 30 (restored at 62) |
| BRS | Entered January 1, 2018 or later, or opted in during 2018 | 2.0% × years, plus TSP contributions |
Multipliers at common service lengths
| Service | High-3 | BRS | REDUX (before 62) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 years | 50.00% | 40.00% | 40.00% |
| 20 years 7 months | 51.45% | 41.16% | – |
| 22 years | 55.00% | 44.00% | 47.00% |
| 25 years | 62.50% | 50.00% | 57.50% |
| 30 years | 75.00% | 60.00% | 75.00% |
| 40 years | 100.00% | 80.00% | 100.00% |
Sources: 10 U.S.C. 1409; DoD FMR Vol 7B ch. 3, Tables 3-4 and 3-5.
Estimating High-36 from the pay table
Your pay step changes with years of service, so the last 36 months can span two or three columns. An E-7 retiring at exactly 20 years was paid 12 months at the "over 16" rate ($6,000.90 in 2026) and 24 months at "over 18" ($6,177.30). The average is $6,118.50. The calculator shows this month breakdown under the result.
Using 2026 rates for all 36 months overstates a real 2026 retiree's High-36, because the earlier months were paid under lower tables. For the official figure, use your actual basic pay history or the DFAS estimate.
The BRS lump sum
A 25% lump sum means you give up a quarter of your retired pay until 67 in exchange for cash now. Because DoD discounts that stream at 6.46% (2026) or 6.60% (2027), the lump sum is well below the pay you give up. Example: a $2,447 BRS pension, retiring at 38, 25% lump sum: roughly $95,000 to $98,000 now, against $212,889 of pay given up over 29 years. That example is hypothetical, and DFAS computes the official amount. If you also receive VA disability compensation, it is withheld until the gross lump sum is recouped.
What this calculator leaves out
- Disability retirement, CRDP and CRSC, and VA offsets.
- Survivor Benefit Plan premiums, taxes and divorce awards.
- Future pay tables and cost-of-living increases. Retired pay gets the same COLA as Social Security each December 1 (2.8% on December 1, 2025), except REDUX, which gets 1 point less.
- The rule that ties the base to final pay or an earlier grade after a reduction in grade, and the general and flag officer pay caps.
Federal civilian service after the military? See the FERS retirement calculator. For the TSP side of BRS, see the TSP calculator and our TSP guide.
Sources
10 U.S.C. 1409 (multipliers), 1405, 1407, 1412, 1415 (lump sum), 12731, 12733 and 12739 (Reserve); 5 U.S.C. 8440e (BRS TSP contributions); DoD FMR Vol 7B ch. 3 (rounding, Tables 3-4 and 3-5, Reserve points); 2026 monthly basic pay from Executive Order 14368, Schedule 8; DoD lump sum discount rate memos for 2026 and 2027. All examples are hypothetical. This is an estimate for general information, not a DFAS determination or financial advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is military retirement pay calculated?
Retired pay is your retired pay base (the High-36 average for anyone who entered after September 7, 1980) times a multiplier: 2.5% per year of service under the legacy High-3 plan, or 2.0% per year under the Blended Retirement System (10 U.S.C. 1409). The result is rounded down to the whole dollar (10 U.S.C. 1412).
How much will I get after 20 years?
50% of your High-36 under High-3, or 40% under BRS. Example at 2026 pay rates: an E-7 retiring at exactly 20 years has a High-36 of about $6,118.50, which gives $3,059 a month under High-3 and $2,447 under BRS. These figures are hypothetical, before tax and any survivor benefit premium.
What is High-3 or High-36?
The average of your highest 36 months of basic pay, divided by 36 (10 U.S.C. 1407). Only basic pay counts: no housing allowance (BAH), subsistence allowance (BAS) or special pays. For most people the highest 36 months are the last 36.
Do partial years count?
Yes. Each full month beyond your full years counts as 1/12 of a year, and leftover days are dropped (10 U.S.C. 1405). DoD rounds the multiplier to 0.01 point: its own example is 20 years and 7 months = 20.58 years × 2.5% = 51.45%.
Is military retirement capped at 75%?
Not for a non-disability retirement after December 31, 2006. DoD's Financial Management Regulation says that for those retirements "there is no restriction on the retired pay multiplier", so 40 years pays 100% of High-36 under High-3 (80% under BRS). The 75% cap still applies to disability retirement and, with limited exceptions, to Reserve retired pay.
What does BRS add through the TSP?
The government puts an automatic 1% of basic pay into your Thrift Savings Plan starting 60 days after you enter service, and matches your own contributions starting at 2 years and 1 day, for up to 5% in total. Both stop when you complete 26 years of service (5 U.S.C. 8440e). You keep that money even if you leave before 20 years.
How does the BRS lump sum work?
At retirement, BRS members can take 25% or 50% of their retired pay from retirement until full Social Security retirement age (67 for anyone born in 1960 or later) as a discounted lump sum. Monthly pay is then 75% or 50% of the full amount until 67, when it goes back to the full amount with all COLAs (10 U.S.C. 1415). DoD's discount rate is 6.46% for retired pay starting in 2026 and 6.60% for 2027. Disability retirees cannot elect it.
Can I still switch to BRS?
No. Members with fewer than 12 years of service on December 31, 2017 could opt in only during calendar year 2018. Everyone who first joined on or after January 1, 2018 is in BRS automatically.
What is REDUX?
REDUX applied to members who entered after July 31, 1986 and took the $30,000 Career Status Bonus (the election closed at the end of 2017). The multiplier is cut by 1 percentage point for each year short of 30, so 20 years pays 40%, and cost-of-living increases are inflation minus 1%. At 62 the multiplier is restored to the full 2.5% per year.
How is Guard and Reserve retirement calculated?
Total retirement points divided by 360 give your years for pay, carried to 3 decimals and rounded to 2. DoD's example: 4,735 points ÷ 360 = 13.15 years, so 32.88% under the legacy 2.5% rule. You need 20 qualifying years of 50 or more points each. Pay normally starts at 60.
When does Reserve retired pay start?
At 60, or 3 months earlier for each aggregate of 90 days of qualifying active duty in a fiscal year after January 28, 2008, but never before 50 (10 U.S.C. 12731(f)).
Is military retired pay taxed?
Retired pay is subject to federal income tax. VA disability compensation is not. State treatment varies. This calculator shows gross pay before tax and before any Survivor Benefit Plan premium.
