Enter as a decimal percentage (e.g., 2.5% should be entered as 2.5)
Estimated Retirement Pay
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Understanding the High-3 Retirement System
The High-3 system is the current retirement plan for most members of the uniformed services who entered service on or after September 8, 1980. It is a defined benefit plan, meaning your retirement pay is calculated based on a formula that uses your career earnings and length of service.
How is High-3 Retirement Pay Calculated?
The calculation involves three main components:
Highest 36 Months of Basic Pay: This is the average of your basic pay over your highest-earning 36 consecutive months of service. Basic pay is the base salary before allowances and special pays.
Years of Creditable Service: This refers to the total period of your active service that counts towards retirement.
Retirement Multiplier: This is a percentage determined by your service component (e.g., Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard). The standard multiplier is 2.5% for each year of creditable service, up to a maximum of 75% (which would be 30 years of service).
The formula is:
Retirement Pay = (Highest 36 Months Average Basic Pay) x (Years of Creditable Service x Retirement Multiplier %)
For example, if you served 20 years and had an average basic pay of $6,000 over your highest 36 months, and your service component multiplier is 2.5% per year:
Retirement Pay = $6,000 x (20 years x 2.5%) = $6,000 x 50% = $3,000 per month.
This calculator helps you estimate your monthly and annual retirement income based on these figures. Remember that this is an estimate, and actual retirement pay may vary due to factors like cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) and specific pay charts in effect at the time of retirement.
function calculateHigh3Retirement() {
var basePayInput = document.getElementById("basePay").value;
var yearsServiceInput = document.getElementById("yearsCreditableService").value;
var componentInput = document.getElementById("serviceComponent").value.replace('%', "); // Remove '%' if present
var annualIncomeResultElement = document.getElementById("annualIncomeResult");
var monthlyIncomeResultElement = document.getElementById("monthlyIncomeResult");
// Clear previous results
annualIncomeResultElement.innerText = "–";
monthlyIncomeResultElement.innerText = "–";
// Validate inputs
if (basePayInput === "" || yearsServiceInput === "" || componentInput === "") {
alert("Please fill in all fields.");
return;
}
var basePay = parseFloat(basePayInput);
var yearsService = parseFloat(yearsServiceInput);
var componentMultiplier = parseFloat(componentInput);
if (isNaN(basePay) || isNaN(yearsService) || isNaN(componentMultiplier)) {
alert("Please enter valid numbers for all fields.");
return;
}
if (basePay < 0 || yearsService < 0 || componentMultiplier 0.75) {
payPercentage = 0.75;
}
// Calculate monthly retirement pay
var monthlyRetirementPay = basePay * payPercentage;
// Calculate annual retirement pay
var annualRetirementPay = monthlyRetirementPay * 12;
// Display results
monthlyIncomeResultElement.innerText = "$" + monthlyRetirementPay.toFixed(2);
annualIncomeResultElement.innerText = "$" + annualRetirementPay.toFixed(2);
}