Continuation Pay Calculator (BRS): Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines

• BRS members. 37 U.S.C. 356(a) says the Secretary concerned “shall make a payment of continuation pay to each full TSP member (as defined in section 8440e(a) of title 5) of the uniformed services” who meet two tests.
• Years of service. The member “has completed not less than 7 and not more than 12 years of service in a uniformed service”
• Additional obligated service. The member “enters into an agreement with the Secretary to serve for not less than 3 additional years of obligated service.” Branches set the length of that service; the statute sets only the minimum of 3 years.

Congress changed the window to start at 7 years in Public Law 118-31 (December 22, 2023); the statute's editorial notes record that Pub. L. 118–31 § 611(a)(2) substituted “7” for “8”. DoD's regulation, Vol. 7A Chapter 66 (February 2024), still prints “Has completed not less than 8 and not more than 12 years of service (YOS), as computed from the member’s Pay Entry Base Date (PEBD).” Where the two differ, this page follows the statute. Your branch still decides when it offers the pay inside the statutory window.

The statute says the Secretary concerned “shall determine the payment amount under this section as a multiple of a full TSP member’s monthly basic pay.” Gross continuation pay is therefore monthly basic pay times the multiple. The statute sets a floor for each group, and a ceiling built from the 12-year pay rate:

By the statute's arithmetic the multiple therefore runs from 2.5 to 15.5 times for the first group and from 0.5 to 6.5 times for the second.

For the minimum, the statute says the multiple “shall not be less than 2.5 times the member’s monthly basic pay” for the first group and “shall not be less than 0.5 times the monthly basic pay to which the member would be entitled if the member were a member of a regular component” for the second. The maximum is built from “the monthly basic pay of the member at 12 years of service multiplied by 2.5” plus, “at the discretion of the Secretary concerned, the monthly basic pay of the member at 12 years of service multiplied by such number of months (not to exceed 13 months).” The reserve maximum adds up to 6 months of the same 12-year pay to the 0.5 times.

DoD's regulation prints a lower ceiling than the statute's arithmetic. For active members: “For an AC member, CP will be not less than 2.5 times and not more than 13 times the monthly basic pay of an AC member based on the member’s current paygrade and YOS.” For reserve members: “For an RC member, CP will be an amount not less than 0.5 times and not more than 6 times the monthly basic pay of a member of the same grade and YOS on AD.” The calculator accepts anything in the statutory range and warns you above 13 times (regular) or 6 times (reserve). Every multiple a branch published for calendar year 2026 and that this page read is inside both ranges.

Which pay table row? DoD's regulation says “The CP multiple used in calculating is the actual paygrade and YOS of a member on the day CP is authorized.” The Navy and Air Force use the pay of a member who has reached 12 years of service, the Coast Guard 8 years, and the Marine Corps message and the Army sources this page read name no pay column. 7 completed years uses the “Over 6” column; the FMR rule does not cover 7. If your CP date falls in 2027 or later, the pay table for that year applies. The calculator therefore asks for the completed years you want the pay looked up at; pick the one your branch uses. It reads the 2026 DFAS table on our 2026 military pay chart, and our military pay calculator shows your full monthly pay.

Each branch publishes its own multiple. The table shows only multiples read from the branch's own message. Select one in the calculator to fill in the multiple.

• Navy. NAVADMIN 133/25: “The CY26 CP rate for Active Component is two and a half times the monthly basic pay for a Service Member of that grade who has reached 12 Years of Service (YOS), as calculated from the Service Member’s pay entry base date.” Training and Administration of the Reserves members get two and a half times and Selected Reserve members half the monthly basic pay, at the same 12-year rate. A calendar year 2027 NAVADMIN (148/26) has been published; this page did not read it.
• Marine Corps. MARADMIN 003/26: “The multiplier for eligible active component (AC) and active reserve (AR) Marines is 5.0.” “The multiplier for eligible reserve component (RC) Marines not serving on active duty as a member of the AR is 1.0.” It also says “The CY 2025 BRS CP multipliers remain in effect for CY 2026.”
• Coast Guard. ALCOAST 462/24 sets these rates “for members who agree to obligate at least 4 years of additional service, and have reached 8 years of service (YOS).” “Enlisted members CP is 9 times the monthly basic pay for a member who has reached 8 YOS.” “Officers CP is 6 times the monthly basic pay for a member who has reached 8 YOS.” “The Reserve Component CP is 2 times the monthly basic pay for a member who has reached 8 YOS.” It says “The CP rates will remain in place until new rates are published.” We found no newer ALCOAST, so check the Coast Guard for one.
• Army. The Army's benefits website says “According to a Department of the Army memo dated 16 July 2025,” that “the timing for all Soldiers under the BRS to apply for continuation pay will begin at 7 years of service, instead of eight,” that “Those who are Active Component or Active Guard or Reserve (AGR) will all receive 2.5 times their monthly basic pay” and that “Army National Guard and Army Reserve Soldiers will receive 0.5 times their monthly basic pay.” It also says reserve and Guard Soldiers who “have performed 270 or more days of involuntary mobilization during a 730-day period will be eligible for 2.5 times their monthly basic pay.” It describes continuation pay as given “in exchange for commitment to serve an additional four years.” The page names MILPER 25-329 and “ALARACT 100/2025 (Army Continuation Pay within the Blended Retirement System – Calendar Year 2026 Implementation Guidance),” and for the following calendar year says “For CY27, the Soldier must complete no less than seven years of service and not more than 10 years of service, as computed from the Soldier’s PEBD to be eligible for Continuation Pay.” We did not read the MILPER or the ALARACT, which the .mil sites block from automated access, so the Army is not a preset in the calculator. The Army pages this page read are not fully consistent with each other; use your MILPER. The Army sources this page read name no pay column.
• Air Force. The Air Force's benefits website says “Active-duty service members (including Active Guard Reserve (AGR)/Full Time Support (FTS)) personnel may be eligible for a continuation pay multiplier of 2.5 times your monthly basic pay.” “Members of the National Guard in a drilling status may be eligible to receive a multiplier of 0.5 times their monthly basic pay.” “Monthly basic pay for both calculations is the amount of the member’s base pay rate at their pay grade upon attainment of 12 years of service as shown in the “over 12” column for that pay grade.” and “The 2026 Continuation Pay Rates remain the same as 2024-2025.” We did not read the Department of the Air Force memo itself, so the Air Force is not a preset either.
• Space Force. The statute covers the Space Force: it ties the regular-component minimum to Space Force members on sustained duty and the reserve minimum to those in space force active status who are not on sustained duty. We did not find a message from the Space Force that sets its multiple, so enter the one your personnel office gives you.

37 U.S.C. 356(e): a full TSP member “may elect to receive continuation pay provided under subsection (a) or (c) in a lump sum or in a series of not more than four payments.” DoD's regulation describes “elect a series of equal installment payments, not to exceed four annual payments over 4 consecutive years.” The Coast Guard says the pay “can be disbursed as either a single lump-sum payment or in two, three, or four equal instalments, scheduled on the anniversary of the initial payment.” The calculator shows two, three and four equal installments.

Continuation pay “is in addition to any other pay or allowance to which the full TSP member is entitled.” Our TSP contribution limits page lists the annual limits if you plan to put part of it in the Thrift Savings Plan.

The statute gives only the window of 7 to 12 years of service. The deadline and the form are the branch's, and the two branches whose messages this page read differ:

• Navy. “they must be enrolled in BRS and request CP before reaching 12 YOS.” “The CP election is made via Navy Standard Integrated Personnel System (NSIPS).” Per NAVADMIN 133/25, “NSIPS will send an email notification of CP eligibility at 11 years 6 months YOS, 11 years 9 months YOS, and a final reminder at 11 years 11 months YOS.”
• Coast Guard. “The member must return the signed CP election form CG-7430A and have the form witnessed by their commanding officer or command designee at least 30 days prior to their CP date.” “A member failing to return the CP election form prior to 8 YOS will no longer be eligible for CP.” Also: “A member may reverse their decision to receive CP, and their obligation to complete four additional years of service, provided such a reversal occurs at least 30 days before the member’s CP date.”

For the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force, ask your retention NCO, career counselor or personnel office when the election opens and closes for you.

DoD's regulation, Vol. 7A Chapter 66 paragraph 2.9, says: “Service members, who become entitled to CP while serving in a designated combat zone, are entitled to have the amount of the CP excluded from their gross income for the tax year in which the CP is received, subject to the limitation amount as discussed in Chapter 44.” Paragraph 2.9.2 adds: “A Service member must be eligible for CP in accordance with their Service’s eligibility requirements and enter into agreement while serving in the designated combat zone to be eligible to exclude the payment from their taxable income.” In its example of pay that did not qualify, the regulation says the payment “must be included in the member’s gross income for the year in which received.” The reason it gives: “It is not eligible for CZTE because it was not earned in a combat zone.” The Coast Guard message says “There are tax implications based on how the payment is received.”

That is what these sources say. We did not find DFAS or IRS text that states withholding rates for continuation pay, so this page gives none and the calculator shows gross pay only. See your finance office or a tax professional for your own case.

• 37 U.S.C. 356(g). A member who receives the pay and “fails to complete the obligated service required under such subsection shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 373 of this title.”
• 37 U.S.C. 373(a). A member paid a bonus or similar benefit “shall repay to the United States any unearned portion of the bonus, incentive pay, or similar benefit if the member fails to satisfy any such service or eligibility requirement.”
• DoD regulation. A member who fails to complete the obligated service “is subject to full or partial repayment in accordance with 37 U.S.C. § 373.”
• Exceptions. Section 373(b) lets the Secretary concerned grant an exception in limited cases. If a member “dies or is retired or separated with a combat-related disability,” the Secretary “shall not require repayment by the member or the member’s estate of the unearned portion of any bonus, incentive pay, or similar benefit previously paid to the member.” The limit: “Subparagraph (A) does not apply if the death or disability of the member is the result the member’s misconduct.” DoD's regulation (2.8.3 Note) says “The Secretary of the Military Department concerned will not grant the exception for repayment if the member's separation is due to misconduct or if an exception of repayment would be inconsistent with other prescribed law, regulation, or policy.”
• Coast Guard. “A member who does not fulfill the service obligation is subject to full or partial repayment of CP.”

This page does not say how much would be recouped in a given case; the branch decides that under the regulation.

The statute text is from the Office of the Law Revision Counsel release point current through Public Law 119-134 (October 20, 2026). The .mil sites block automated downloads, so the DoD FMR chapter was read from an Internet Archive capture of May 26, 2025; NAVADMIN 133/25 was read from an Internet Archive capture of August 5, 2025; MARADMIN 003/26 was read from an Internet Archive capture of January 8, 2026; the MyArmyBenefits news page was read from an Internet Archive capture of June 15, 2026 and its continuation pay page read from an Internet Archive capture of March 17, 2026; and the MyAirForceBenefits page was read from an Internet Archive capture of September 27, 2026. ALCOAST 462/24 was read directly from the Coast Guard's GovDelivery bulletin. All were checked on October 27, 2026. A branch may have published something newer since a capture was taken.