Military Retirement Calculator

2026 rules

Estimate your military retired pay under High-36 or the Blended Retirement System.

Your numbers

Retirement system

Years of service

Average of your highest 36 months of basic pay (yearly)

Result

Retired pay per year$36,000

Multiplier2.5% × 20 years = 50.0%
High-36 basic pay$72,000
Yearly retired pay$36,000
Monthly$3,000

Retired pay is taxed federally but not by most states. It gets a yearly cost-of-living adjustment.

How it works

Retired pay is a multiplier times the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay. Under the legacy High-36 system the multiplier is 2.5% per year of service; under BRS it's 2.0%.

You need 20 years for regular retired pay. Reserve and Guard retirements use points and start at 60, or earlier with qualifying active service.

2026 figures: OPM FERS computation; TSP loans; IRS Notice 2025-67 (2026 retirement plan limits).

Questions

Is military retired pay taxable?

It's taxable federally. Most states with an income tax now exempt it fully or partly.

What is the BRS lump sum?

BRS retirees can take 25% or 50% of their pension until 67 as a discounted lump sum, with full pay starting at 67.