Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) Calculator
Spouse coverage: premium, annuity and paid-up age
Standard-plan monthly premium
$195.00
Survivor annuity: $1,650.00 per month
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Monthly premium (6.5%)
$195.00
Survivor's monthly annuity (55%)
$1,650.00
Retired pay after premium
$2,805.00
Premiums until paid up
360
Years of premiums per year of annuity
8.5
Premiums stop after 360 monthly payments, from age 72: the later of the 360th payment and the month you turn 70. At today's fixed amounts, the annuity equals those nominal premiums after about 43 months; this is not a return guarantee.
Standard spouse coverage estimate only; actual elections, coverage category and COLAs can change your premium and benefit.
Premiums against the annuity
| Base amount | $3,000.00 |
| Monthly premium: 6.5% of the base | $195.00 |
| Monthly annuity: 55% of the base | $1,650.00 |
| Yearly premium / yearly annuity | $2,340 / $19,800 |
| All premiums to paid-up (360 payments) | $70,200 |
| Months of annuity that repay them | 42.5 |
In today's dollars. Each December the retired pay COLA raises the base amount, the premium and the annuity by the same percentage (2.8% on December 1, 2025), so these ratios do not change.
By the Coast FIRE Calculator editorial team · Methodology · Official sources: 10 U.S.C. 1447: Definitions (base amount); 10 U.S.C. 1450: Payment of annuity, beneficiaries (DIC offset) · Sources checked September 28, 2026 · Corrections: hello@coastfirecalculator.io
How SBP premiums and annuities are figured
The Survivor Benefit Plan pays a monthly annuity for life to an eligible beneficiary after a military retiree dies. Coverage is free while you serve; in retirement a premium comes out of your retired pay. Both the premium and the annuity are a share of the base amount you choose at retirement:
| Rule | Source | |
|---|---|---|
| Base amount | Full gross retired pay, or a lower amount of at least $300 | 10 U.S.C. 1447(6) |
| Premium, spouse or former spouse | 6.5% of the base amount | 10 U.S.C. 1452(a); DFAS |
| Annuity | 55% of the base amount, at any age of the beneficiary | 10 U.S.C. 1451(a); DFAS |
| Paid up | No premium after the later of the 360th payment and the month you turn 70 | 10 U.S.C. 1452(j); DFAS |
| Cost-of-living | Base amount, premium and annuity rise with retired pay COLAs | 10 U.S.C. 1451(g)-(h), 1452(h) |
DFAS's examples: full coverage on $1,000 of retired pay costs $65.00 a month, and coverage on $700 of it costs $45.50; those bases pay a survivor $550.00 and $385.00. The base amount is figured before the REDUX reduction and before any reduction for a BRS lump sum, so enter retired pay without those cuts. Choosing anything less than full spouse coverage needs your spouse's notarized signature. DFAS takes the premium from gross pay before federal income tax for nearly all retirees.
SBP cost by retired pay
| Gross retired pay | Monthly premium | Pay after premium | Survivor annuity |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,500 | $97.50 | $1,402.50 | $825.00 |
| $2,500 | $162.50 | $2,337.50 | $1,375.00 |
| $3,500 | $227.50 | $3,272.50 | $1,925.00 |
| $4,500 | $292.50 | $4,207.50 | $2,475.00 |
| $6,000 | $390.00 | $5,610.00 | $3,300.00 |
Full spouse coverage. Because the premium is 6.5% and the annuity 55% of the same base, one year of annuity equals 8.46 years of premiums at any pay level. DFAS puts it as a rule of thumb: to break even, your beneficiary typically has to receive about seven months of payments for every five years you pay premiums.
Paid-up coverage: 360 payments and age 70
Since October 1, 2008, no premium is taken for any month after the later of your 360th monthly premium and the month you turn 70 (10 U.S.C. 1452(j)). DFAS calls this paid-up status. Coverage stays in force.
| Premiums start at | Monthly premiums paid | Last premium at age |
|---|---|---|
| 38 | 385 | 70 |
| 40 | 361 | 70 |
| 42 | 360 | 71 and 11 months |
| 45 | 360 | 74 and 11 months |
| 50 | 360 | 79 and 11 months |
| 55 | 360 | 84 and 11 months |
| 60 | 360 | 89 and 11 months |
Counting the month premiums start as the first payment. At $3,000 of retired pay, 360 premiums total $70,200, which a $1,650.00 annuity repays in about 43 months.
Who you can cover
| Coverage | Cost | Who is paid |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse | 6.5% of the base | The surviving spouse, for life, unless they remarry before 55 |
| Former spouse | 6.5% of the base | The former spouse, on the same terms; elect within one year of the divorce |
| Spouse and children | Spouse cost plus a child premium that depends on your age, your spouse's and the youngest child's | The spouse; children in equal shares if the spouse dies or loses eligibility |
| Children only | Depends on your age and the youngest child's | Unmarried children under 18, or under 22 in full-time school, in equal shares |
| Person with an insurable interest | 10% of retired pay plus 5% for each full five years the person is younger than you, up to 40% | The person named; only if you have no spouse or dependent child to cover |
DoD sets the child premium by regulation (10 U.S.C. 1452(a)(2), (b)), and DFAS does not publish the factors on its SBP pages, so the calculator covers spouse and former spouse coverage only. Children incapable of self-support because of a disability that began before 18 (or before 22 while in school) stay eligible. If you are married and decline spouse coverage or elect less than full coverage, you need your spouse's notarized consent, and a declined election cannot later be extended to a new spouse or a child born after retirement.
The SBP-DIC offset ended in 2023
A surviving spouse can also receive Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) from the VA when the death is service-connected. Until 2023 the SBP annuity was reduced by that DIC. Public Law 116-92, enacted December 20, 2019, phased the offset out:
| Period | SBP annuity paid |
|---|---|
| 2020 | The amount by which SBP exceeded DIC |
| 2021 | The amount by which SBP exceeded two-thirds of DIC |
| 2022 | The amount by which SBP exceeded one-third of DIC |
| From January 1, 2023 | The full SBP annuity, alongside full DIC |
From 10 U.S.C. 1450(c)(1). DFAS says February 1, 2023 was the first SBP payday without the offset, and the Special Survivor Indemnity Allowance, paid only to spouses whose SBP was offset, stopped after the January 3, 2023 payment. DIC paid directly to children never affected child SBP annuities.
COLAs on premiums and annuities
Whenever retired pay rises by a cost-of-living adjustment, the base amount and the premium rise by the same percentage (10 U.S.C. 1451(h), 1452(h)), and annuities being paid rise each December with the CPI. The 2026 adjustment was 2.8%, effective December 1, 2025: retirees saw it in their December 31, 2025 payment and SBP annuitants in their January 2, 2026 payment. On $3,000 of retired pay, the premium went from $195.00 to about $200.46 and the annuity the survivor would receive from $1,650.00 to about $1,696.20.
Reserve Component SBP
Guard and Reserve members choose within 90 days of their 20-year letter (Notice of Eligibility): Option A, decide at 60; Option B, a deferred annuity that starts when you would have turned 60; or Option C, an immediate annuity. No election within 90 days means Option C. Retirees in Options B and C pay the standard SBP cost plus a reserve component add-on premium from DoD actuary tables, which depends on the beneficiary type, immediate or deferred coverage and the age difference between you and your spouse. DFAS's RCSBP page gives the annuity as 55% of the base amount, while 10 U.S.C. 1451(a)(2) and (f) have DoD set a lower percentage for a reserve-component annuity. Because the two sources differ and the add-on depends on DoD tables, the calculator does not cover RCSBP.
What the calculator leaves out
It uses the flat 6.5% premium. Members who first entered service before March 1, 1990, and disability and reserve retirees, pay whichever is lower: 6.5% of the base or 2.5% of a threshold amount plus 10% of the rest (10 U.S.C. 1452(a)(1)(A)). DFAS's SBP pages do not state the current threshold, so it is not used here; DFAS says spouse coverage costs no more than 6.5% of gross retired pay. Child, insurable interest and reserve component premiums, taxes on the annuity and the 2023 SBP open season are not modeled.
To estimate the retired pay itself, use the military retirement calculator. For VA disability pay and how it interacts with retired pay, see the VA disability calculator.
Sources
- DFAS: Survivor Benefit Plan
- DFAS: SBP cost (6.5%, full and reduced coverage)
- DFAS: SBP advantages and disadvantages (55% annuity, pre-tax premiums)
- DFAS: Eligible beneficiaries
- DFAS: Paying for SBP (paid-up status)
- DFAS: Change or stop coverage
- DFAS: Understanding SBP, DIC and SSIA
- DFAS: Reserve Component Survivor Benefit Plan
- DFAS: 2026 COLA for military retirees and SBP annuitants
- 10 U.S.C. 1447: Definitions (base amount)
- 10 U.S.C. 1450: Payment of annuity, beneficiaries (DIC offset)
- 10 U.S.C. 1451: Amount of annuity
- 10 U.S.C. 1452: Reduction in retired pay
Checked September 28, 2026.