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Retirement & TSPcalculator

TSP calculator for service members

What goes into your TSP each month under BRS or the legacy plan, the 2026 limits with the catch-ups and combat-zone rules, and what it takes to reach the limit by December 31.

TSP calculator

Retirement plan

Putting % of basic pay in the TSP as an , years.

Matching starts after 2 years + 1 day; both stop at 26 years.

Decides your catch-up room.

More options your own basic pay, Roth, combat zone

From your LES. Leave empty to use the pay table for the grade above.

0 = all traditional. Government contributions are always traditional.

Traditional contributions from combat-zone pay don’t count toward the elective limit.

Then catch-up contributions must be Roth.

Into your TSP each month

Example

$394.68 a month

$197.34 from you (5%) + $39.47 automatic 1% + $157.87 matching (4%). $4,736.16 a year at this rate.

Limits as of · pay table as of · verified · Change log
Independent estimate · not an official statement · general information, not financial or investment advice

Each month, drawn to scale
Automatic 1%$39.47You · 5%$197.34Matching · 4%$157.87$0$400$100$200$300

This year at this rate, against the 2026 limits

Counted toward the $24,500 elective limit:$2,368.08 a yearEverything going in, against the $72,000 limit:$4,736.16 a year$0$80k$20k$40k$60k

Estimate by Rank and Pay · limits as of January 1, 2026 · not an official statement · rankandpay.com

To reach the limit: $24,500 by December 31

Two paychecks a month.

Your own contributions so far this year.

Of basic pay
51.73%
A month
$2,041.67
A paycheck (24 left)
$1,020.83

Elections are in whole percentages: 52% of basic pay reaches it. From basic pay alone; contributions from special pay and bonuses are separate elections.

Limits as of · verified · Independent estimate · not an official statement

Good to know

  • Automatic 1% starts 60 days after you enter service; matching starts after 2 years + 1 day. Both stop at 26 years of service.
  • $24,500 is the 2026 elective limit; catch-ups add $8,000 from age 50, or $11,250 instead at ages 60 to 63.
  • The $72,000 annual additions limit includes your contributions, tax-exempt combat-zone contributions, the automatic 1% and matching — not catch-up contributions.
  • The elective deferral limit doesn’t apply to traditional contributions from combat-zone pay.
  • Catch-up contributions from combat-zone pay must be Roth.
  • Contributions from special and incentive pay and bonuses are separate elections (you need at least 1% of basic pay to make them, and they get no match) — computed on basic pay only.

How the math works

Each rule in one line, with the law or plan page it comes from.

  1. Your contributionA whole percentage of basic pay, each month. Contributions from special pay, incentive pay and bonuses are separate elections.5 CFR 1600.21, Contribution elections · TSP contribution types
  2. BRS automatic 1%1% of basic pay from 60 days after you enter service until 26 years of service — whether or not you contribute.5 U.S.C. 8440e, TSP for uniformed services · TSP contribution types
  3. BRS matchingDollar for dollar on the first 3% you put in, 50 cents on the dollar on the next 2%: put in 5% and the match is 4%. From 2 years + 1 day of service until 26 years.5 U.S.C. 8440e, TSP for uniformed services · TSP contribution types
  4. Elective limit$24,500 in 2026 for your own traditional and Roth contributions; catch-ups add $8,000 from age 50, or $11,250 instead at ages 60 to 63.IRS Notice 2025-67, 2026 Amounts Relating to Retirement Plans · TSP contribution limits (page dated )
  5. Annual additions limit$72,000 in 2026 for everything: your contributions, tax-exempt combat-zone contributions, the automatic 1% and matching — not catch-ups.IRS Notice 2025-67, 2026 Amounts Relating to Retirement Plans · TSP contribution limits (page dated )
  6. Combat zone and Roth catch-upsTraditional contributions from combat-zone pay don’t count toward the elective limit; catch-ups from combat-zone pay must be Roth, and so must all catch-ups if last year’s FICA wages were over $150,000.TSP contribution limits (page dated ) · IRS Notice 2025-67, 2026 Amounts Relating to Retirement Plans
  7. Reaching the limitWhat is left of your limit ÷ the months left ÷ monthly basic pay; a paycheck is half a month (24 a year).

Not modeled here

  • Contributions from special pay, incentive pay and bonuses: Not modeled — separate elections with no match; this calculator works on basic pay only.

  • Investment growth: Not modeled — we don’t project fund returns or balances.

  • Taxes on traditional and Roth contributions: Not modeled — the amounts are before tax.

  • 2027 limits: Not modeled — the IRS hasn’t announced them yet (checked October 13, 2026); it usually does in November.

How we check the numbers

  1. From the agency’s own tables. Pay from DFAS, housing from DoD’s BAH file, VA rates from VA, fitness scores from each service’s current scoring tables — looked up the way the tables read, never interpolated.
  2. Two dates on every answer. The date a rate took effect and the date it was last checked against the agency’s page. A rule that can’t be confirmed says “Not modeled” and why, instead of a guess.
  3. Tested, then logged. The arithmetic runs on one engine with automated tests built from the agencies’ own worked examples; every rate or rule change goes into the public change log with its source.

  • Guide · Retirement

    TSP 2026 for service members: limits, catch-ups and the BRS match

    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.

    Updated · 5 min read

  • Guide · Retirement

    High-3 vs BRS: military retirement math, side by side

    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.

    Updated · 6 min read

  • Guide · Retirement

    BRS lump sum: 25% or 50% and the 6.60% discount rate for 2027

    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.

    Updated · 6 min read

Sources

  1. IRS Notice 2025-67, 2026 Amounts Relating to Retirement PlansInternal Revenue Service · read
  2. TSP contribution limitsThrift Savings Plan · page dated September 24, 2026 · read
  3. TSP contribution typesThrift Savings Plan · read
  4. 5 U.S.C. 8440e, TSP for uniformed servicesCornell LII (U.S. Code) · read
  5. 5 CFR 1600.21, Contribution electionseCFR · read
  6. Basic Pay – Enlisted, effective January 1, 2026Defense Finance and Accounting Service · page dated January 12, 2026 · read
  7. Basic Pay – Warrant Officers, effective January 1, 2026Defense Finance and Accounting Service · read
  8. Basic Pay – Commissioned Officers, effective January 1, 2026Defense Finance and Accounting Service · read
  9. Basic Pay – Commissioned Officers with over 4 years enlisted service, effective January 1, 2026Defense Finance and Accounting Service · read