Military Retirement Calculator
High-36, BRS, REDUX and Final Pay
?
Monthly retired pay (High-36)
$3,000
Multiplier
50.00%
Per year
$36,000
Years counted
20.00
Retired pay is adjusted each December for the cost of living (2.8% in December 2025) and rounded down to the dollar.
The same service under each plan
| Plan | Multiplier | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-36 | 50.00% | $3,000 | $36,000 |
| BRS | 40.00% | $2,400 | $28,800 |
| REDUX (before 62) | 40.00% | $2,400 | $28,800 |
BRS pays 2.0% a year instead of 2.5%, but adds up to 5% of basic pay in TSP contributions from the service and allows a lump sum at retirement.
By the Coast FIRE Calculator editorial team · Methodology · Official sources: DoD Military Compensation: Retirement (plans and multipliers); DoD Military Compensation: Retirement cost of living adjustments · Sources checked September 26, 2026 · Corrections: hello@coastfirecalculator.io
Which retirement plan you are in
| Plan | Who is covered | Retired pay base | Per year of service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Final Pay | First entered service before September 8, 1980 | Final monthly basic pay | 2.5% |
| High-36 (High-3) | Entered on or after September 8, 1980, not in BRS and did not take the Career Status Bonus | Average of the highest 36 months of basic pay | 2.5% |
| REDUX | Took the $30,000 Career Status Bonus at 15 years (closed to new elections after 2017) | Same as High-36 | 2.5%, minus 1 point per year short of 30 until 62 |
| Blended Retirement System | Entered on or after January 1, 2018, or opted in during 2018 | Same as High-36 | 2.0% |
Your plan is set by your date of initial entry into military service (DIEMS), which never changes. A regular retirement needs at least 20 years of active service.
Military retirement pay chart: multiplier by years of service
| Plan | 20 yrs | 21 yrs | 22 yrs | 23 yrs | 24 yrs | 25 yrs | 30 yrs | 35 yrs | 40 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final Pay / High-36 | 50% | 52.5% | 55% | 57.5% | 60% | 62.5% | 75% | 87.5% | 100% |
| REDUX (before 62) | 40% | 43.5% | 47% | 50.5% | 54% | 57.5% | 75% | 87.5% | 100% |
| BRS | 40% | 42% | 44% | 46% | 48% | 50% | 60% | 70% | 80% |
Extra months count as twelfths of a year, carried to two decimals: 20 years and 7 months is 20.58 years, or 51.45% under High-36 and 41.16% under BRS. The monthly amount is rounded down to the dollar.
For retirements after 2006 there is no 75% cap for service beyond 30 years; the percentage keeps rising. REDUX members get the full High-36 percentage back at 62, recomputed as if every cost-of-living adjustment had been paid in full.
Cost-of-living adjustments
| Effective | Final Pay, High-36, BRS | REDUX |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 2.8% | 1.8% |
| Dec 2024 | 2.5% | 1.5% |
| Dec 2023 | 3.2% | 2.2% |
| Dec 2022 | 8.7% | 7.7% |
| Dec 2021 | 5.9% | 4.9% |
| Dec 2020 | 1.3% | 0.3% |
The adjustment follows the consumer price index (CPI-W), takes effect each December 1 and is never negative. REDUX gets 1 point less when the full adjustment is above 1%. Members who retire during a year get a reduced first adjustment; for 2025 retirees it was 2.6%, 1.6%, 0.7% or 0% depending on the quarter.
The Blended Retirement System
BRS trades a smaller pension (2.0% a year instead of 2.5%) for TSP contributions from the service. The service puts in 1% of basic pay after 60 days of service, vested after 2 years, and from the start of the 25th month it matches your own contributions: all of the first 3% of basic pay and half of the next 2%, for up to 4%. Both stop when you complete 26 years. Contribute 5% and the service adds 5%.
At retirement you can take a lump sum of 25% or 50% of the discounted value of your retired pay up to Social Security full retirement age (67 if you were born in 1960 or later), in exchange for 75% or 50% of your monthly retired pay until then. Full retired pay returns at that age. The discount rate is 6.33% for retired pay starting in 2025, 6.46% in 2026 and 6.60% in 2027. DoD does not publish the exact formula it uses, so check the amount with your service before you elect it, at least 90 days before retiring.
BRS members also qualify for continuation pay, a bonus for agreeing to serve longer, offered between 7 and 12 years of service under current law; each service sets its own rates.
Guard and Reserve retirement
You need 20 qualifying years, each with at least 50 retirement points. Points come from active duty days, drills, 15 membership points a year and some courses; inactive points count toward your years at most 130 a year since 2007. Divide total points by 360 for the years used in the multiplier: 7,200 points is 20 years, or 50% (40% under BRS).
Retired pay starts at 60, 3 months earlier for each 90 days of qualifying active duty after January 28, 2008, but not before 50. The High-36 base is usually worked out from the pay tables in effect in the 36 months before your pay starts, with years of service still counting up in between.
Planning around your pension
Basic pay rose 3.8% on January 1, 2026; an E-7 over 20 years now earns $6,245.70 a month and an O-5 over 20 years $12,032.70. To see how your pension, TSP and other savings could let you stop working sooner, use the FIRE calculator, the TSP calculator and the retirement withdrawal calculator. Federal civilian employees can use the FERS retirement calculator.
Sources
- DoD Military Compensation: Retirement (plans and multipliers)
- DoD Military Compensation: Retirement cost of living adjustments
- DoD Military Compensation: Reserve retirement
- DoD Military Compensation: Blended Retirement System
- DoD Financial Management Regulation, Vol. 7B Ch. 3 (retired pay computation)
- DFAS: Estimate your retirement pay
- DFAS: Survivor Benefit Plan cost
- DFAS: 2026 military pay tables
- TSP: Contributions for uniformed services members
- 10 U.S.C. 1409 (retired pay multiplier)
Checked September 26, 2026.