E-6 Retirement Pay 2026: 20 Years and More
E-6 (Army: Staff Sergeant) retired pay for a retirement on December 1, 2026: $2,512 a month at 20 years under High-3 and $2,010 under the Blended Retirement System (BRS), rising to $3,786 a month at 30 years under High-3 with the same grade held throughout. Every figure is computed by this site from the DFAS basic pay tables; DFAS publishes no retired pay chart by rank.
To price your own service length and retirement month, use the military retirement pay calculator. Every grade is on the military retirement pay chart 2026, and what E-6 earns while serving is on the E-6 pay 2026 page.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Pay tables and formulas checked October 26, 2026 · Methodology & sources
E-6 retirement pay by years of service: High-3
Retirement effective December 1, 2026, with the same grade for the 36 months before. High-3 pays 2.5% x years of service of the High-36, the average of 36 months of basic pay priced on the DFAS table in effect each month. Gross monthly pay before taxes, rounded down to the dollar; annual is monthly x 12.
| Years of service | Multiplier | High-36 base | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 years | 50% | $5,025.50 | $2,512 | $30,144 |
| 22 years | 55% | $5,048.21 | $2,776 | $33,312 |
| 24 years | 60% | $5,048.21 | $3,028 | $36,336 |
| 26 years | 65% | $5,048.21 | $3,281 | $39,372 |
| 28 years | 70% | $5,048.21 | $3,533 | $42,396 |
| 30 years | 75% | $5,048.21 | $3,786 | $45,432 |
| 32 years | 80% | $5,048.21 | $4,038 | $48,456 |
| 35 years | 87.5% | $5,048.21 | $4,417 | $53,004 |
| 40 years | 100% | $5,048.21 | $5,048 | $60,576 |
Past 30 years the multiplier keeps growing by 2.5% (BRS 2%) a year, as DoD Financial Management Regulation (FMR) Vol 7B Chapter 3 applies it. 10 U.S.C. 1409(b)(3)(B) ties the extra years to service under conditions authorized for a period the Secretary of Defense designates, a limit the FMR does not apply, so check your service records.
Some cells in the chart, such as E-4 at 30 years, E-5 or E-6 at 35 or 40 years, O-1 to O-3 at 30 years or more and O-6 at 20 years, are uncommon: few members hold that grade at that length of service, and the DFAS table still lists a pay for it, so the figure is arithmetic, not a typical career. For E-6 that applies from 35 years of service.
E-6 retirement pay under BRS
BRS pays 2.0% x years of service of the same High-36. A member retiring December 1, 2026 under BRS has about 20 years at most (only someone who entered in 2006 and opted in), so the chart stops at 20 years: $2,010 a month, $24,120 a year, 40% of a High-36 of $5,025.50. BRS also adds Thrift Savings Plan matching, which is not in this amount.
E-6: High-3 vs BRS at 20 years
| Years of service | High-3 | BRS | Difference a month | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 years | $2,512 | $2,010 | $502 | $6,024 |
At 30 years BRS pays 2.0% x 30 = 60% of the High-36 average, against 75% under High-3; no 2026 retiree has 30 years under BRS.
Retired pay at longer service, same grade
Premise: same grade, the same December 1, 2026 retirement date, no promotion or future raises. These are different people retiring on the same day, not one E-6 serving longer: that person would retire later, under future pay tables, and usually after promotion.
On that basis High-3 retired pay is $2,512 a month at 20 years and $3,786 at 30 years: $1,274 a month ($15,288 a year) more, or 50.7%. That averages $127 a month, $1,524 a year, for each added year of service.
More E-6 retirement pay pages
Military retirement COLA 2027 explains the cost-of-living increase that follows a December 1, 2026 retirement.
Neighbouring gradesE-5 retirement pay 2026E-7 retirement pay 2026
E-6 retirement pay questions
How much is E-6 retirement pay with 20 years?
Under High-3, an E-6 retiring December 1, 2026 with 20 years of service and the same grade for the previous 36 months gets about $2,512 a month ($30,144 a year) before taxes. That is 50% of a High-36 average of basic pay of $5,025.50, rounded down to the dollar. Under BRS the same member gets about $2,010 a month ($24,120 a year), 40% of the same High-36.
BRS vs High-3 for an E-6
At 20 years High-3 pays $2,512 a month and BRS pays $2,010, a gap of $502 a month ($6,024 a year), because High-3 pays 2.5% a year of service and BRS pays 2.0%. At 30 years BRS pays 2.0% x 30 = 60% of the High-36 average, against 75% under High-3; no 2026 retiree has 30 years under BRS, so there is no BRS dollar figure at 30 years. BRS also adds Thrift Savings Plan matching, which is not in these amounts.
How much more is E-6 retired pay at longer service?
The comparison is between different people who all retire December 1, 2026 in the same grade, with same grade, the same December 1, 2026 retirement date, no promotion or future raises. It is not one E-6 serving longer: that person would retire later, under future pay tables, and usually after promotion. On that basis High-3 retired pay is $2,512 a month at 20 years and $3,786 at 30 years, $1,274 a month more (50.7%), an average of $127 a month or $1,524 a year for each added year of service. Long service in this grade is uncommon, so treat the later rows as arithmetic on the DFAS table, not a typical career.
What does this E-6 retirement pay estimate assume?
Retirement takes effect December 1, 2026, after the same grade for the previous 36 months. The High-36 is priced month by month on the DFAS basic pay tables in effect each month, for whole years of service. Amounts are gross monthly pay, rounded down to the dollar. This is an estimate computed by this site, not a DFAS figure: DFAS sets actual retired pay from your own service records.