5 guidesupdated
High-3 and the Blended Retirement System, the lump sum, Guard and Reserve points, the retired-pay COLA and the TSP limits — the formulas in the law, worked on example numbers.
At 20 years of service, High-3 pays 50% of the High-36 average of basic pay and BRS pays 40%: for an E-7 on the 2026 pay table, $3,059 a month under High-3 and $2,447 under BRS, rounded down to the dollar. Retired pay rose 2.8% on December 1, 2025. The 2026 TSP limit on your own contributions is $24,500, or $32,500 from age 50 ($35,750 in the years you turn 60 through 63).
Figures as the calculators use them, verified · Change log →
Retirement & TSP calculators
Guide · Retirement
E-7 at 20, pay from July 2027: 25% ≈ $97,039.15, 50% ≈ $194,078.30 at 6.60%
How the BRS lump sum works: 25% or 50% of retired pay to full retirement age, discounted at 6.46% (2026) or 6.60% (2027), with an E-7 worked example.
Guide · Retirement
6,500 points ÷ 360 = 18.06 years → $2,709 a month on a $6,000 base
Reserve retirement points in plain numbers: 50-point good years, the 130-point cap, points ÷ 360 × 2.5% or 2.0% × High-36. Example: 6,500 points = 18.06 years.
Guide · Retirement
E-7 at 20: High-3 $3,059 vs BRS $2,447 a month
High-3 pays 2.5% a year of service, BRS 2.0%: 50% vs 40% of the High-36 at 20 years. An E-7 at 20: $3,059 vs $2,447 a month, and what BRS adds in the TSP.
Guide · Retirement
2.8% on December 1, 2025: $3,059 → $3,144
The 2027 military retiree COLA takes effect December 1, 2026 and is first paid December 31. Social Security’s COLA is 3.6%; how retired pay follows it.
Guide · Retirement
E-5 at 5%: $197.34 from you + $197.34 from the service a month
The 2026 TSP limits for service members ($24,500, catch-ups, $72,000 with combat-zone pay), the new Roth catch-up rule and how BRS matching adds up.