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Military Retirement Calculator

Estimate military retired pay under the legacy High-3 plan or the Blended Retirement System (BRS) from your high-36 average basic pay and years of service.

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This estimates the defined-benefit pension only, before taxes, survivor benefit premiums and cost-of-living adjustments. BRS members also get government contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan, which are not included here. Check your numbers with your service’s official retirement calculator.

Quick Answer

Military retired pay = years of service × multiplier × the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay. Under the legacy High-3 plan the multiplier is 2.5% a year, so 20 years gives 50%. Under BRS it is 2.0% a year, so 20 years gives 40%. With a $6,500 high-36 average, 20 years pays $3,250 a month under High-3 or $2,600 under BRS.

Last updated: 10 November 2026 ·How we calculate this: the DoD High-3 and BRS defined-benefit formulas

How This Military Retirement Calculator Works

Choose your plan, enter the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay, and your years of service (with extra months if you like). The calculator multiplies your years of service by 2.5% (High-3) or 2.0% (BRS) to get your multiplier, then applies it to your high-36 average to estimate your monthly and yearly retired pay. It also shows what the same service would pay under the other plan.

Quick explanation: each year of service adds a percentage of your pay to your pension.

  • High-3: 2.5% per year, so 20 years = 50%.
  • BRS: 2.0% per year, so 20 years = 40%, plus Thrift Savings Plan matching.
  • High-36: the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay.

How to Use the Military Retirement Calculator

  1. Choose High-3 or BRS.
  2. Enter the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay.
  3. Enter your years of service and any extra months.
  4. Optionally, enter how many years you expect to draw retired pay.
  5. Press Calculate to see monthly and yearly retired pay.

Military Retirement Formulas

  • Multiplier (High-3): years of service × 2.5%
  • Multiplier (BRS): years of service × 2.0%
  • Monthly retired pay: high-36 average basic pay × multiplier
  • Yearly retired pay: monthly retired pay × 12

Partial years count: 20 years and 6 months is 20.5 years.

Key Terms

  • High-36 average: the average of a member's highest 36 months of basic pay.
  • Multiplier: the percentage of the high-36 average paid as retired pay.
  • BRS: the Blended Retirement System, which combines a 2.0% pension with Thrift Savings Plan contributions.
  • TSP: the Thrift Savings Plan, the government's retirement savings plan.
  • COLA: cost-of-living adjustment, the yearly inflation increase to retired pay.

Worked Example

A senior NCO retires after 26 years under High-3. The average of the highest 36 months of basic pay is $9,200 a month.

  • Multiplier = 26 × 2.5% = 65%
  • Monthly retired pay = $9,200 × 65% = $5,980.00
  • Yearly retired pay = $71,760.00
  • Under BRS the same service would pay $4,784.00 a month.

Real-Life Examples

  • 20 years, High-3: a $6,500 average pays $3,250 a month.
  • 20 years, BRS: the same average pays $2,600 a month, $650 less, before TSP matching.
  • Staying longer: 24 years instead of 20 under High-3 raises the multiplier from 50% to 60%.
  • 26 years: a $9,200 average pays $5,980 a month under High-3.

Military Retirement vs FERS

  • Military High-3: 2.5% per year of the high-36 average, usually after 20 years, at any age.
  • FERS (federal civilians): 1% per year (1.1% at 62 with 20 years) of the high-3 salary, with age and service rules.
  • Both use a high-3 average; use the FERS Retirement Calculator for civilian service.

Retirement Multiplier by Years of Service

Years of serviceHigh-3BRS
2050%40%
2255%44%
2460%48%
2665%52%
2870%56%
3075%60%

High-3 vs BRS: What Else Counts

The BRS pension is smaller, but BRS adds government contributions to your Thrift Savings Plan: an automatic contribution plus matching on what you put in. Those contributions are yours even if you leave before 20 years, while the High-3 pension pays nothing unless you reach retirement. BRS also offers continuation pay at mid-career and a choice to take part of your pension as a lump sum at retirement in exchange for lower monthly payments until full Social Security age.

Retired pay is taxable federal income, and it is adjusted each year for inflation (COLA). If you choose the Survivor Benefit Plan, its premium is taken from your retired pay.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Using total pay. Use basic pay only, not allowances such as BAH or BAS.
  • Using your final month's pay. The formula uses your highest 36-month average.
  • Applying 2.5% under BRS. BRS uses 2.0% per year.
  • Forgetting taxes and SBP. Retired pay is taxable, and SBP premiums reduce it.
  • Ignoring the TSP. Under BRS, TSP contributions are a large part of retirement income.

Frequently Asked Questions

Years of service × 2.5% (High-3) or 2.0% (BRS) × the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay.

50% of your high-36 average under High-3, or 40% under BRS.

The average of your highest 36 months of basic pay.

The pension is smaller, but BRS adds TSP contributions that you keep even if you leave early.

Yes, it is federal taxable income; state rules vary.

Yes, it gets a yearly cost-of-living adjustment.

No. Only basic pay counts toward the high-36 average.

Active-duty retired pay usually requires 20 years, except in special cases such as medical retirement.

Reserve retirement uses points and usually starts at 60, so this calculator does not cover it.

References & Sources

SourceUsed ForLink
DoD Military Compensation, Defined Benefit: Fact or Fiction 2.5% legacy multiplier and 2.0% BRS multiplier times the highest 36 months of basic pay. https://militarypay.defense.gov/Retirement/Fact-or-Fiction/definedBenefit/
DoD Military Compensation, Retirement Overview of military retirement systems. https://militarypay.defense.gov/Pay/Retirement/