Retirement & Separation

Military Retirement Calculator

FMR Vol 7B

Your retired pay under the Blended Retirement System, legacy High-3 and CSB/REDUX, side by side, from the official multipliers and the current pay table. Active duty, Reserve and Guard.

Reviewed by Guilherme Correia, active-duty U.S. Air Force

Total active service you retire with.

Leave empty to use the 2026 table: $6,200.10 for E-7.

Blended Retirement System (BRS) · E-7 · 20 years

$2,480.00 /mo

40% of a $6,200.10 high-3 = $2,480.04, rounded down to the dollar as DFAS pays it (FMR Vol 7B Ch 3 ¶2.9.1).

Every system for this career

SystemMultiplierMonthly
BRS40%$2,480.00
High-350%$3,100.00
REDUXfrom 62: $3,100.00 (50%)40%$2,480.00

Gross monthly retired pay before taxes, SBP and VA offsets. High-3 estimated from the 2026 table at the last three years for the grade, as on the system calculators; your own high-3 is the average of your 36 highest months.

Which system you are in

Your Date of Initial Entry into Military Service (DIEMS) and your elections decide it. On or after January 1, 2018: the BRS, 2.0 percent per year. Before that: the BRS if you elected it, CSB/REDUX if you accepted the Career Status Bonus (entry August 1, 1986 – December 31, 2017; no new agreements after 2017), and otherwise legacy High-3 at 2.5 percent per year for a DIEMS on or after September 8, 1980. Before September 8, 1980 it is Final Pay, with your final basic pay as the base (DoD FMR Vol 7B Ch 1 ¶2.2.1, ¶2.3).

How the figure is built

Multiplier × high-3. The multiplier is 2 percent (BRS) or 2.5 percent (High-3) per year of creditable service, rounded to 1/100 of a point; REDUX subtracts 1 point for each year short of 30 and is restored at age 62 (FMR Vol 7B Ch 3 ¶2.1.2, ¶2.8.4, ¶2.10.2). Reserve and Guard years are total points ÷ 360. The result is rounded down to the dollar.

The BRS adds Thrift Savings Plan contributions, continuation pay and an optional lump sum: see the BRS calculator. For the Reserve start age and reduced-age credit, see the Reserve retirement calculator.

FAQ

Military retirement — frequently asked questions

How much is military retirement pay?
The multiplier times your high-3 average of basic pay. An E-7 retiring with 20 years has a high-3 of about $6,200.10 on the 2026 table (the 18-, 19- and 20-year rates averaged). Under the BRS that is 40% = $2,480.04 a month; under legacy High-3, 50% = $3,100.05. DFAS rounds the first payment down to the dollar (DoD FMR Vol 7B Ch 3 ¶2.9.1): $2,480.00 and $3,100.00.
What is the difference between BRS and High-3?
The multiplier: 2.0 percent per year of creditable service under the BRS, 2.5 percent under High-3 (DoD FMR Vol 7B Ch 1 ¶2.3.1–2.3.2). The BRS covers members who first entered service on or after January 1, 2018 and those who opted in during 2018. It adds Thrift Savings Plan contributions and continuation pay, which the BRS calculator prices.
What is CSB/REDUX retirement?
A choice regular members who entered between August 1, 1986 and December 31, 2017 could make for the Career Status Bonus; no new agreements were allowed after December 31, 2017 (FMR Vol 7B Ch 1 ¶2.3.3). The multiplier is 2.5 percent per year minus 1 point for each year short of 30 (¶2.1.2.2): 40% at 20 years instead of 50%. On the first day of the month after age 62, DFAS recomputes the pay as if there had been no reduction (¶2.10.2), but every COLA stays one percentage point lower (10 U.S.C. 1401a(b)(3)).
Which retirement system am I in?
It follows your Date of Initial Entry into Military Service (DIEMS) and your elections: on or after January 1, 2018, the BRS; before that, the BRS if you opted in during 2018, CSB/REDUX if you accepted the Career Status Bonus, and otherwise High-3 for a DIEMS on or after September 8, 1980. A DIEMS before September 8, 1980 is Final Pay: the base is your final basic pay instead of a high-3 average (FMR Vol 7B Ch 1 ¶2.2.1).
How is Reserve and Guard retirement computed?
Total retirement points divided by 360 give the years of service (FMR Vol 7B Ch 1 ¶2.3), and the same 2.5 or 2.0 percent multiplier applies to the high-36 average of the basic pay rates in effect when retired pay begins (¶2.2.2). It takes 20 satisfactory years, and pay usually starts at age 60 (10 U.S.C. 12731), earlier with qualifying active duty; the Reserve retirement calculator works out the start age.
Is military retired pay rounded?
Yes. The initial gross retired pay, if not a multiple of $1.00, is rounded down to the next lower dollar, and so is each COLA increase (DoD FMR Vol 7B Ch 3 ¶2.9.1). The multiplier itself is rounded to the nearest 1/100 of a percentage point: 20 years 7 months is 20.58 years, × 2.5 percent = 51.45 percent (¶2.8.4).

Keep going

Next steps

BRS Calculator

Pension, TSP, lump sum and continuation pay

High-3 Retirement

Legacy pension with a 30-year view

Reserve Retirement

Points, start age and reduced-age credit

TSP Calculator

Contributions and growth to retirement

Read next

DoD FMR Vol 7B Ch 1 (August 2025) and Ch 3 (October 2025); 10 U.S.C. 1401a(b)(3); DFAS 2026 basic pay table

Results are estimates. Always verify with your finance office.

Last reviewed: 2026-11-09 · Reviewed by Guilherme Correia · Military Toolkit editorial

View Official Rate Table

An estimate from the official formulas; DFAS computes your retired pay from your own records. Always verify with your finance office before making financial decisions.