MilRetire — Military Retirement Income Calculator

Reserve / Guard

Active duty

TSP

VA disability

Social security

Combined

Your service details

Retirement system

BRS (2.0%)

High-3 (2.5%)

Rank at retirement

Current career points

Points per year (future)50

Years of service remaining15

Your current age

How reserve retirement points work
Every year you earn points: 15 membership (automatic) + inactive duty (IDT/drill) points + active duty points. A standard drill weekend = 4 points. Annual training (2 weeks) = ~14 points. A typical drilling reservist earns 75-130 points/year. A bare minimum qualifying year is 50 points.

Qualifying year = any year with 50+ points. You need 20 qualifying years to be eligible for retired pay.

Your points are divided by 360 to get equivalent years of service. That's multiplied by the retirement system percentage (BRS = 2.0%, High-3 = 2.5%) to get your multiplier, which is applied to the average of your highest 36 months of base pay.

Pension math

Sensitivity — points per year

Service details

Retirement system

BRS (2.0%)

High-3 (2.5%)

Rank at retirement

Years of active service20

Active duty pension starts immediately upon retirement — no waiting until age 60 like reserve/guard. At 20 years under High-3, you receive 50% of your high-3 average base pay. Each additional year adds 2.5% (High-3) or 2.0% (BRS).

Pension math

TSP growth inputs

Current TSP balance

Annual contribution ($)$12,000

Employer/govt match ($)$5,000

Expected return (real)7.0%

Your current age

TSP growth assumptions
The C Fund (S&P 500 index) has returned ~10% nominal / ~7% real since inception. The L Funds blend stocks and bonds based on target date. 7% real return is a common planning assumption for an aggressive equity-heavy allocation. Lower this to 5-6% for a more conservative estimate.

Withdrawal strategy

Start withdrawals at age60

Withdrawal rate4.0%

When can I access my TSP?
Age 59½ — standard penalty-free withdrawal age for all retirement accounts
Rule of 55 — if you separate from federal service (including reserves) in or after the year you turn 55, you can access TSP penalty-free
Age 73 — Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) begin. You must start withdrawing by this age or face a 25% penalty on the amount not withdrawn
Before 59½ — possible but you'll pay a 10% early withdrawal penalty + income tax (some exceptions exist)

What withdrawal rate should I use?
3% — very conservative, portfolio likely grows forever
4% — the classic "safe withdrawal rate" from the Trinity Study, historically sustains a portfolio for 30+ years
5%+ — more aggressive, higher risk of depleting funds if markets underperform
The longer you wait to start drawing, the larger the balance grows — but you also have fewer years to enjoy it.

Projected TSP balance over time

Your VA rating

Disability rating60%

Dependents

None

Spouse

Spouse + child

How VA disability compensation works
The VA rates your service-connected disabilities from 0% to 100% in increments of 10%. If you have multiple disabilities, the VA uses "VA math" — percentages of percentages, not simple addition.

Key benefits at 100%: free VA healthcare, CHAMPVA for dependents, Chapter 35 education benefits for dependents, property tax exemptions in most states, commissary/exchange access.

Concurrent receipt: veterans with 20+ years of qualifying service AND a VA disability rating can receive both pension and VA pay simultaneously (CRDP). Without 20 years, your pension is offset dollar-for-dollar by VA pay. CRSC (combat-related) may also apply.

2026 VA rates — all ratings

Your social security estimate

Full benefit at age 67 (est.)

Claiming age67

How claiming age affects your benefit
Your "full retirement age" (FRA) is 67 if born after 1960. The amount SSA shows you at FRA is your 100% benefit. But you can choose when to start:

Age 62 — earliest possible, but permanently reduced ~30% from FRA amount
Age 63 — reduced ~25%
Age 64 — reduced ~20%
Age 65 — reduced ~13.3%
Age 66 — reduced ~6.7%
Age 67 — full benefit (100% of your FRA amount)
Age 68 — increased 8% above FRA
Age 69 — increased 16% above FRA
Age 70 — maximum benefit, 24% above FRA. No benefit to waiting past 70.

How to find your estimate: log into ssa.gov/myaccount to see your personalized estimate based on your actual earnings history. The number you enter above should be your estimated monthly benefit at age 67.

Tax note: up to 85% of social security benefits may be taxable depending on total income. Most military retirees with pension + TSP income will pay tax on the majority of their SS.

Benefit by claiming age

When each income stream begins

This timeline shows when each income source activates. You won't receive all four simultaneously until your social security claiming age. Plan your bridge strategy for any gaps — your TSP and taxable investments can fill the years before all streams are flowing.

Income at each life stage

Tax breakdown

Tax optimization strategies
VA disability is always 100% tax-free at every level.
Roth TSP withdrawals are tax-free (traditional TSP is taxable as ordinary income).
State taxes: AK, FL, NV, NH, SD, TN, TX, WA, WY have no state income tax. CO, where many military families live, has a 4.4% flat tax but exempts some military retirement pay.
Moving to a no-income-tax state in retirement can save thousands per year on pension + TSP withdrawals.