US Military Blended Retirement System (BRS) vs High-3
Under the Blended Retirement System (BRS), service members who complete 20 years of active service receive a defined benefit pension equal to 2.0% multiplied by years of service and High-36 base pay, plus up to 5% DoD TSP matching.
The Legacy High-3 system used a 2.5% multiplier (yielding 50% base pay after 20 years, or 75% after 30 years) with no government TSP match.
Worked example: US military BRS retirement pay
An E-7 retiring after 20 years with an average High-36 monthly basic pay of $5,000 ($60,000/yr) receives an annual pension of $24,000 (20 × 2.0% = 40% of $60,000), paying $2,000 per month starting immediately upon military retirement.
Inputs for the us armed forces pension calculator
High-36 Base Pay
Enter your highest 36 months average basic pay (excluding BAH and BAS allowances).
Service Years
Enter total active duty or qualifying reserve retirement points.
CALCULATOR QUESTIONS
US armed forces pension calculator questions
Is military retirement pay indexed to inflation?
Yes, US military retirement benefits receive annual Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI).