Military Retirement Pay Calculator
Estimate your monthly military retired pay under High-3, the Blended Retirement System (BRS), REDUX, Final Pay, reserve and medical retirement. Pick your plan, enter your grade and years of service, and the calculator estimates your High-36 from the DFAS basic pay tables, month by month; you can type in your own High-36 instead. For what retired pay does each December, see the military retirement COLA for 2027.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Formulas checked against 10 U.S.C. October 24, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Military retirement pay calculator
Month retirement takes effect (prices the High-36 on the DFAS table in force each month)
- Estimated gross monthly retired pay
- $2,932
- Gross per year
- $35,184
- Multiplier
- 50%
- High-36 used
- $5,865.90 per monthestimate priced on the DFAS table in force each month
- High-36 is estimated by pricing each of the 36 months before retirement on the DFAS basic pay table in effect each month (2023 to 2026 tables), with your grade held constant. DFAS computes the real average from your own pay records.
- Gross monthly retired pay before taxes, Survivor Benefit Plan premiums and other deductions, rounded down to the dollar. VA disability compensation offsets retired pay unless you qualify for CRDP or CRSC.
Taxes, SBP premiums and other deductions are not modeled. VA disability compensation reduces retired pay unless CRDP or CRSC applies; see the VA disability calculator.
Military retirement formulas by plan
| Plan | Who | Multiplier | Base | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-3 | Entered September 8, 1980 to December 31, 2017 (not BRS) | 2.5% x years | High-36 average | 75% at 30 years, then +2.5% a year (100% at 40) |
| BRS | Entered on or after January 1, 2018, or opted in | 2.0% x years | High-36 average | 60% at 30 years, then +2% a year (80% at 40) |
| REDUX | Entered after July 31, 1986 and took the career status bonus | 2.5% x years, minus 1 point per year under 30 | High-36 average | No reduction at 30 years; restored at 62 |
| Final Pay | Entered before September 8, 1980 | 2.5% x years | Final monthly basic pay | 75% at 30 years, then +2.5% a year |
| Reserve | 20 qualifying years, paid at 60 or earlier | 2.5% (BRS 2%) x points / 360 | High-36 average | Same as regular after 30 years |
| Medical | Chapter 61 disability retirement | Higher of rating (75% at most) or 2.5% x years | High-36 average | TDRL at least 50% |
The High-36 is the average of the 36 highest months of basic pay (10 U.S.C. 1407). Years of service count in whole months, 1/12 of a year each. Retired pay is rounded down to the dollar. For a regular retirement after 2006 there is no 75% limit: DoD Financial Management Regulation Vol 7B Chapter 3 gives the multiplier as 75% for 30 years plus 2.5% for every year over 30, up to 100% at 40 years; for BRS members 10 U.S.C. 1409(b)(4)(A) substitutes 60% and 2%, which gives 80% at 40 years. The statute, 10 U.S.C. 1409(b)(3)(B), words those extra years as service under conditions the Secretary of Defense authorizes, so confirm with your service records.
Example: E-7 with 20 years of service retiring October 1, 2026
An E-7 who held the grade for the last 36 months and retires at exactly 20 years on October 1, 2026 has an estimated High-36 of $5,823.90 a month. Each of the 36 months from October 2023 to September 2026 is priced on the DFAS basic pay table in force that month, with the E-7 stepping from the "over 16" column to "over 18" and the 2026 rate at "over 18" being $6,177.30. Pricing all 36 months on the 2026 table instead would give $6,118.50, about 5% too high, because earlier tables paid less. It is still an estimate: DFAS averages your actual pay records.
- High-3, 50%: $2,911 per month ($34,932 per year)
- BRS, 40%: $2,329 per month ($27,948 per year)
- REDUX, 40% until age 62: $2,329 per month; at 62 the multiplier returns to 50%, about $2,911 before the COLA catch-up
- Final Pay, 50% of final monthly pay of $6,177.30: $3,088 per month
Past 30 years the multiplier keeps rising: an O-6 under High-3 with 35 years of service retiring the same day has a multiplier of 87.5% (75% plus 2.5% for each of the 5 extra years) and an estimated $12,879 per month.
Reserve and medical retirement
Reserve retired pay uses retirement points divided by 360 as equivalent years of service (10 U.S.C. 12733), carried to three decimals and rounded to two as DoD's regulation does (4,735 points is 13.15 years), then 2.5% per year (2% under BRS) of the High-36 (12739). The High-36 is the 36 months before retired pay begins (1407(d)). It starts at 60. Each aggregate of 90 days of qualifying active duty after January 28, 2008, within a fiscal year or across two consecutive fiscal years after September 30, 2014, moves the starting age earlier by three months, down to a floor of 50 (12731(f)). Only your service records show how many such periods you have, so the calculator asks for that count rather than total days.
Medical retirement under chapter 61 pays the High-36 times the higher of your disability rating (75% at most) or 2.5% times years of service, 2% for BRS members (10 U.S.C. 1401); the years-of-service route is not limited at 30 years for retirements after January 7, 2011. On the temporary disability retired list the pay is at least 50% of the base. Members with fewer than 36 months of service use the average of the months served.
VA disability compensation reduces military retired pay dollar for dollar unless you qualify for Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) or Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC). Check VA rates with the VA disability calculator. Active-duty basic pay is in the 2026 military pay chart.
Military retirement pay questions
How is military retirement pay calculated under High-3?
Monthly retired pay is 2.5% times your years of service times your High-36 average, the average of your 36 highest months of basic pay. 20 years gives 50% of the High-36, 30 years gives 75%. Years count in whole months at 1/12 of a year each. High-3 applies to members who entered service between September 8, 1980 and December 31, 2017 and did not opt into the BRS.
How does the Blended Retirement System (BRS) pay differ?
BRS uses 2.0% per year instead of 2.5%, so 20 years gives 40% of the High-36 and 30 years gives 60%. In exchange there are Thrift Savings Plan matching contributions, and a member can take a lump sum of 25% or 50% of the discounted value of retired pay up to full Social Security retirement age in return for a smaller monthly amount until then. The discount rate DoD uses is set by the Secretary of Defense, so this calculator does not model the lump sum.
What is REDUX and what happens at age 62?
REDUX applies to members who entered after July 31, 1986 and took the career status bonus. The multiplier is 2.5% per year minus 1 point for each full year under 30 (and 1/12 point per month), so 20 years pays 40%. At 62 the retired pay is recomputed as if the reduction had not been made, and COLAs under REDUX are the CPI minus 1 point.
What is Final Pay retirement?
Final Pay applies to members who entered service before September 8, 1980. Retired pay is 2.5% times years of service times final monthly basic pay, the pay at retirement, rather than a High-36 average.
Is there a cap on military retirement pay?
Not for a regular (non-disability) retirement after 2006. The multiplier is 75% at 30 years and 2.5% more for every year past 30 (for BRS, 60% at 30 years and 2% more per year), so High-3 reaches 100% at 40 years and BRS 80%. DoD Financial Management Regulation Vol 7B Chapter 3 states the 75% plus 2.5% rule, and 10 U.S.C. 1409(b)(4) substitutes 60% and 2% for BRS members; 10 U.S.C. 1409(b)(3) words the extra years as service under conditions the Secretary of Defense authorizes, so check your service records. A disability rating counts for at most 75%.
How is reserve retirement pay calculated?
Reserve retired pay is 2.5% (2% for BRS) times your equivalent years of service times your High-36, where equivalent years are retirement points divided by 360, carried to three decimals and rounded to two (4,735 points is 13.15 years). The High-36 is the 36 months before retired pay begins. Pay starts at age 60, and the starting age moves earlier by three months for each aggregate of 90 days of qualifying active duty after January 28, 2008, but never below 50.
How do 90-day periods lower the reserve retirement age?
Under 10 U.S.C. 12731(f), each aggregate of 90 days of qualifying active duty after January 28, 2008, lowers the starting age by three months. The days must fall within one fiscal year, or within two consecutive fiscal years for service after September 30, 2014, and a day counts toward only one aggregate. 60 days in fiscal 2010 and 60 more in fiscal 2013 do not add up to 90, so total days are not enough; the calculator asks for the number of 90-day periods your service records credit.
How is medical retirement pay calculated?
Medical (chapter 61) retired pay is the High-36 times the higher of your disability rating (75% at most) or 2.5% times years of service (2% for BRS members). A member on the temporary disability retired list gets at least 50% of the base. A rating of at least 30% is required unless the member has 20 years of service.
Does VA disability compensation reduce military retirement pay?
Yes, unless you qualify for Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay (CRDP) or Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC), VA disability compensation is offset dollar for dollar against retired pay. This calculator does not model the offset, taxes or Survivor Benefit Plan premiums. See the VA disability calculator for compensation rates.
Sources: 10 U.S.C. 1409: retired pay multiplier · 10 U.S.C. 1407: High-36 average · 10 U.S.C. 1401: disability computation · 10 U.S.C. 1410: REDUX restoral at 62 · 10 U.S.C. 12731: reserve eligibility age · 10 U.S.C. 12739: reserve computation · 10 U.S.C. 1415: BRS lump sum · DoD FMR Vol 7B Ch 3: gross pay computation · DFAS: military pay tables