Military retirement pay calculator
Military retired pay is your years of service × 2.0% (BRS) or 2.5% (legacy High-3) × your High-36 average basic pay. Pick your grade and years to see both, using the 2026 DFAS pay tables.
High-36 basic pay: $6,118.50 a month (2026 DFAS pay table, same grade for the final three years).
Blended Retirement System (2.0%)
$2,447 a month
About $29,369 a year, before taxes.
2.0% × 20.0 years × $6,118 High-36 = $2,447 a month
- Active-duty retirement assumed (reserve retirement pay usually starts at 60). Before taxes and any survivor benefit cost.
Legacy High-3 (2.5%)
$3,059 a month
About $36,711 a year, before taxes.
2.5% × 20.0 years × $6,118 High-36 = $3,059 a month
- Active-duty retirement assumed (reserve retirement pay usually starts at 60). Before taxes and any survivor benefit cost.
See your whole retirement picture
The Retirement Planner adds your TSP projection, key dates and a countdown checklist, using your own pay and balance.
Open the PlannerEstimates only, not financial advice. Rules last verified 2026-09-27; your service, agency and official statements are the authority.
BRS vs High-3, in short
BRS pays a smaller pension (2.0% a year instead of 2.5%) but adds the TSP automatic 1% and up to 4% matching, which you keep even if you leave before 20 years. Read the full explanation: military retirement pay, BRS vs High-3.
Common questions
How is military retirement pay calculated?
Multiply your years of service by your system's multiplier (2.0% under the Blended Retirement System, 2.5% under legacy High-3), then by your High-36: the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay. Twenty years under BRS pays 40% of High-36; under High-3, 50%.
How much retirement pay does an E-7 get at 20 years?
Using 2026 pay tables, an E-7's High-36 at 20 years is about $6,119 a month. That's about $2,447 a month under BRS or $3,059 under legacy High-3, before taxes and any survivor benefit cost.
What is High-36?
The average of your highest 36 months of basic pay, which for most members is their final three years. Allowances like BAH and BAS aren't included.
Do I get a pension if I leave before 20 years?
Active-duty retired pay generally requires 20 years of service. Under BRS you still keep your TSP, including the government's automatic and matching contributions (once vested).
What is BRS continuation pay?
A one-time bonus offered between 8 and 12 years of service in exchange for more service; your service sets the amount (2.5–13× monthly basic pay for active duty).
Sources: DFAS pay tables (2026); Congressional Research Service RL34751; 37 U.S.C. 356. Not affiliated with the Department of War or the U.S. government. Estimates only, not financial advice.