Military Retired Pay Calculator: High-3 vs Blended Retirement

How to do it

1. 1
   Enter years and months of service

   Type your total creditable service.

2. 2
   Enter your High-3 pay

   Use the average of your highest 36 months of base pay per month.

3. 3
   Set the COLA and horizon

   Enter an assumed yearly increase and how many years to project.

4. 4
   Read the two pensions

   Compare the monthly amount and percentage under each system.

5. 5
   Check the projection

   The table shows monthly pay and total pay by year, and you can edit the multipliers.

About this tool

Military members who retire after 20 or more years receive monthly retired pay. Under the legacy High-3 system the pension is 2.5 percent of the average of the highest 36 months of base pay for every year of service; under the Blended Retirement System (BRS) it is 2.0 percent. This calculator shows both amounts side by side, the percentage of High-3 pay, the difference per month and per year, and a projection with an annual cost-of-living adjustment. The multipliers are editable.

Who this is for Service members planning retirement, family members who want to understand the difference between the two systems and counselors preparing a briefing. The BRS also includes automatic and matching contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan; this tool compares the pension only.

The formulas Legacy High-3: multiply the years of service by 2.5 percent and apply the result to the average base pay of the highest 36 months. Twenty years gives 50 percent, 30 years gives 75 percent. BRS: multiply by 2.0 percent, so 20 years gives 40 percent and 30 years gives 60 percent. Years include completed months. The tool caps the percentage at the value in the table.

What goes into High-3 pay Enter the average monthly base pay of your highest 36 months. Allowances such as housing and subsistence and special pays are not part of it. Use the figure on your pay chart or your retirement estimate, and remember that pay raises before retirement will change it.

The cost-of-living adjustment Retired pay is adjusted each year to keep up with inflation. The projection uses the percentage you type, 2.5 percent by default, to show monthly pay and the total received over the number of years you choose. It is an assumption, not a forecast.

Worked example A service member retiring after 20 years with a High-3 of $6,200 a month receives 50 percent, $3,100 a month under the legacy system. Under BRS the multiplier gives 40 percent, $2,480 a month. The difference is $620 a month, or $7,440 a year, before any matching contributions or the lump-sum option available under BRS. After 10 years of 2.5 percent increases the legacy payment would be about $3,873 a month.

Limits Members who joined before 2018 may be under the legacy system or may have chosen BRS; your status is shown in your service records. Reserve retirement, disability offsets and survivor benefit plan costs are not included. This is an educational estimate.

Worked example

With 20 years of service and a High-3 of $6,200 a month the tool shows $3,100 under High-3 (50 percent) and $2,480 under the Blended Retirement System (40 percent), a $620 monthly difference.