Military Retirement Calculator
Estimate your military retirement pay based on years of service, rank, and retirement system. This calculator supports High-36, Final Pay, and Blended Retirement System (BRS).
Published by:
isCalculator Editorial Team
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How to use this tool?
How to Use the Military Retirement Calculator
This tool estimates your monthly military retirement pay based on your service details and retirement system. Follow these steps:
- Select Retirement System – Choose your system from the dropdown:
- High-36 (Post 1980–2017)
- Final Pay (Pre 1980)
- Blended Retirement System (BRS) (2018+)
- Enter Years of Service – Input your total years (0–40, decimals allowed, e.g., 20.5).
- Enter Monthly Base Pay – Your current or expected monthly base pay in dollars (e.g., 5000).
- Enter VA Disability Rating – Your VA disability percentage (0–100). If none, leave as 0.
- Click "Calculate Retirement Pay" – The result shows your estimated net monthly pay after a simplified VA offset.
What the Output Means:
- The calculator applies a multiplier based on your system and years (e.g., 2.5% per year for High-36, capped at 75% for 20+ years; 2% per year for BRS, capped at 40%).
- It subtracts a simplified VA disability amount (based on base pay) to show net pay.
- The breakdown explains each step: multiplier, gross retirement, VA offset, and net estimate.
Note: This is an estimate. Actual pay may vary due to cost-of-living adjustments, exact high-36 average, or VA compensation rules.
Previous Results
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Frequently Asked Questions
It supports High-36 (for those who entered service between 1980 and 2017), Final Pay (for those who entered before 1980), and the Blended Retirement System (BRS) for those who entered on or after January 1, 2018.
For Final Pay and High-36, the multiplier is 2.5% per year of service (capped at 75% for High-36 with 20+ years). For BRS, the multiplier is 2% per year (capped at 40% for 20+ years). The result is multiplied by your high-36 average base pay (or final base pay for Final Pay).
The calculator subtracts a simplified VA disability amount (based on your base pay and disability rating) from the retirement pay to show a net estimate. Actual VA compensation is tax-free and calculated separately.
