Estimate Your Retirement Pay

Retirement Calculators

Your monthly pay may differ from the calculator’s estimate. The formulas used to calculate retired pay are complex and differ depending on individual circumstances.

Military Retirement Calculators
 

The Department of Defense uses a multi-step formula to compute your retired pay. The amount generally is based on your length of service or your disability percentage. Factors such as the year you entered service and your  retirement type also affect your pay.

Retired Pay Formula
All of the retirement plans determine your monthly pay by multiplying your retired pay base by a service percentage:

   Retired Pay Base
x Service Percent Multiplier
= Gross Retired Pay

Your gross retired pay is rounded down to the nearest dollar.
 

What is My Retired Pay Base?

Final Pay: If you entered active or reserve military service before September 8, 1980, your retired pay will be based on your final basic pay.

High-3: If you entered active or reserve military service after September 7, 1980, your retired pay base is the average of the highest 36 months of basic pay.  If you served less than three years, your base will be the average monthly active duty basic pay during your period of service.
 

What is My Service Percent Multiplier?

ACTIVE DUTY 

The longer you stay on active duty, the higher your retirement pay. Each year of active duty service is worth 2.5 percent toward your service percent multiplier.

A retiree with 20 years of service would have a service percent multiplier of 50 percent:

2.5% x 20 years = 50%

Read more about active duty retirement on the OSD website.

RESERVE

Reserve service is “converted” to active service by dividing retirement points by 360.

7200 points divided by 360 = 20 years of active duty service

2.5% x 20 years = 50%

Read more about reserve retirement on the OSD website.

CSB/REDUX

If you retired under CSB/REDUX, your retired pay multiplier will be reduced by 1 percent for each full year. This reduction remains in effect up to the age of 62 when your retired pay will be restored to the same amount paid under the High-3 System.

Related Link:

CSB/REDUX
 

DISABILITY RETIREMENT

The multiplier for disability retired pay is either:

  • 2.5 percent for each year of service, or
  • disability percentage assigned by the service at the time you retire

The multiplier is limited to 75 percent by law using the disability percentage. The multiplier for years of service is no longer capped at 75%, unless your retirement date is prior to 1/1/2007. If you are on the Temporary Disability Retired List, the minimum multiplier is 50 percent while on the TDRL.

DFAS uses the method that results in the largest payment. But if you’d like to choose the other method, please send DFAS your request in writing.

Read more about disability retirement on the OSD website.

Related Link:

Disability Retirement and Related Entitlements

Page updated Sept. 22, 2023