CRSC Calculator and Pay Chart

The statute sets CRSC at the VA compensation for your combat-related disabilities, so the chart is VA's 2026 rate for the combat-related rating you would have if only those disabilities were rated. It is the amount before the retired pay cap: you cannot be paid more CRSC than the retired pay you waive.

Find your combat-related rating by combining only the combat-related conditions with the VA disability calculator. The full table with more dependency cases is on the 2026 VA disability pay chart. Some of your rating may not be combat-related, so your CRSC can be well below the amount for your total rating.

1. Start with the combat-related part. 10 U.S.C. 1413a(b)(1): the monthly amount is "the amount of compensation to which the retiree is entitled under title 38 for that month, determined without regard to any disability of the retiree that is not a combat-related disability."
2. Cap it at the VA waiver. Section 1413a(b)(2): the amount "may not exceed the amount of the reduction in retired pay that is applicable to the retiree for that month under sections 5304 and 5305 of title 38." The waiver is the lesser of your retired pay and your VA compensation.
3. Chapter 61 retirees: apply the longevity limit. Section 1413a(b)(3)(A) keeps the total of CRSC plus remaining retired pay from exceeding what the member would have had "cause the total of such combined payment to exceed the amount of retired pay to which the member would have been entitled under any other provision of law based upon the member’s service in the uniformed services if the member had not been retired under chapter 61 of this title." For retirees with fewer than 20 years, paragraph (B) sets that limit as the retired pay percentage for the years of creditable service times the retired pay base.

Dependents are included. DoD's Financial Management Regulation (volume 7B, chapter 63, 8.1.1): "Additional compensation for dependents is to be included as part of any applicable CRSC compensation." Its example: if a member is compensated by DVA at the 100 percent disability rate for a veteran with spouse and one child and the combat-related percentage is 60 percent, then the gross CRSC will be determined as the 60 percent rate for a veteran with a spouse and one child.

For the retired pay estimate behind step 2, use the military retirement pay calculator; the grade-by-grade pay table is on the military retirement pay chart. DFAS describes the waiver this way: "The law requires that a military retiree waive a portion of their gross DoD retired pay, dollar for dollar, by the amount of their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation pay; this is known as the VA waiver (or VA offset)."

The statute defines an eligible retiree as a member who "is entitled to retired pay (other than by reason of section 12731b of this title)" and has a combat-related disability. DFAS lists the practical requirements: be entitled to and/or receiving military retired pay, be rated at least 10 percent by VA, waive your VA pay from your retired pay, and file a CRSC application with your branch of service. Unlike CRDP, there is no 50 percent minimum, and Chapter 61 retirees with under 20 years can qualify.

TERA. DoD's regulation (volume 7B, chapter 63, 4.1.4.2): a member retired under the TERA program "is entitled to CRSC. The monthly amount of CRSC payable to qualifying TERA retirees will not be reduced under the special rules for CRSC-entitled disability retirees with less than 20 years of service that are applicable only to Chapter 61 retirees." The CRDP side of TERA is less clear; see the CRDP guide.

Reserve and Guard Chapter 61 retirees. "For Reserve Component members with 20 or more years of service as determined under 10 U.S.C. § 12733, the CRSC amount when combined with the amount of retired pay payable to the retiree after reduction for the full DVA disability compensation, if any, may not exceed the disability retired pay to which the member would be entitled if the member were 60 years old." For under 20 qualifying years the regulation uses 2.5 percent (2 percent under the Blended Retirement System) of the years times the retired pay base instead. The calculator has an option for this case.

The statute excludes anyone whose entitlement to retired pay comes only through 10 U.S.C. 12731b (a Selected Reserve member found unfit for physical disability who has completed at least 15 and fewer than 20 years of service; see "if the member has completed at least 15, and less than 20, years of service computed under section 12732 of this title."). A reservist must also have retired pay start; DFAS's comparison page lists age 60, or retirement under the Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA), for reservists.

You do not apply to DFAS. Under the statute, the Secretary of Defense prescribes procedures under which a retiree "may apply to the Secretary of a military department to be considered to be an eligible combat-related disabled uniformed services retiree." DFAS's steps, from its page updated June 25, 2024:

1. If you are applying for the first time, complete DD Form 2860. If you are reapplying for new disabilities, request a reconsideration application from your branch of service.
2. Include documents that help your case: retirement orders, a 20-year letter or statement of service (for reservists), relevant pages from your VA or service medical record, VA ratings, Purple Heart citations, or your DD 214. Send copies, not original documents. Your branch will not return them.
3. Your branch of service will notify you of their decision in writing. If approved, the branch sends DFAS a copy of the approval letter.

DFAS lists offices for the three groups above only. The statute's source-of-payment rule also covers members of the other uniformed services: "Payments under this section for any other member for any fiscal year shall be paid out of funds appropriated for pay and allowances payable by the Secretary concerned for that fiscal year." Ask DFAS which office takes your application.

Reapply when VA adds disabilities that may be combat-related: DFAS says "Increases to your CRSC award are not always automatic." Retroactive CRSC can reach back as far as June 1, 2003, limited by your CRSC start date, Purple Heart eligibility, retirement date and retirement law. DFAS's application page has the current instructions.

Choosing. DFAS will automatically apply the entitlement that is most beneficial to you based on your gross amount of each entitlement. In subsequent years, you will need to make this determination yourself during Open Season. Open season usually takes place in January. The statute provides for an annual open season in which you can change from one to the other. The CRDP guide explains who qualifies for CRDP and how the phase-in ended.

Tax. It is a tax-free entitlement that you will be paid each month along with any retired pay you may already be receiving. CRDP "It is taxed in the same manner as your retired pay, and it is normally considered taxable income." DFAS also says your VA pay stays separate and non-taxable under either choice. Because the gross amounts are often equal when all of your rating is combat-related, the tax difference is usually what decides it. The calculator above shows the federal rate at which the two break even for your numbers.

This is not tax advice. If a former spouse receives part of your retired pay, or you have Survivor Benefit Plan premiums or allotments, read DFAS's open season FAQ first: CRSC is not subject to the provisions of the Uniformed Services Former Spouse Protection Act. If there is not enough retired pay to cover your monthly recurring SBP premiums, they will automatically be deducted from your CRSC payments.