Blended Retirement System calculator.

What changed in the blended system

CRS's Defense Primer explains that the main change is that the government now also contributes to a member's Thrift Savings Plan in addition to the defined benefit. The 20-year requirement for the pension remains, but the multiplier falls from 2.5% to 2.0%. The government makes an automatic 1% contribution and up to 4% more in matching. Continuation pay and a lump-sum option also exist.

How this is calculated

• Pension. 10 U.S.C. 1409 substitutes 2 for 2½ in the modernized system, so 20 years pay 40% of the pay base instead of 50%.
• Automatic 1%. Under 5 U.S.C. 8440e the service contributes the 1% described in 5 U.S.C. 8432(c)(1) starting 60 days after entry, until the member completes 26 years. The tool starts it from the first month, a small simplification.
• Match. 5 U.S.C. 8432(c)(2) matches dollar for dollar on the first 3% of pay and 50 cents per dollar on the next 2%, so putting in 5% earns a 4% match. Under 8440e matching begins 2 years and 1 day after entry and ends at 26 years. Total agency contributions cannot exceed 5% of basic pay.
• Growth. Contributions grow monthly at your assumed return. The tool shows the government's money only, plus your own balance for scale.

Worked example (illustrative inputs)

A 20-year member with a $7,000 high-3 base: BRS pays 40%, or $2,800 a month, against $3,500 under 2.5%, a monthly gap of $700. Assume $60,000 a year in basic pay, the member contributes 5%, and the account earns 6% a year. For the first 24 months the government puts in 1% ($50 a month), then 5% ($250 a month) for the remaining 216 months: $55,200 contributed in total, growing to about $98,864. Whether $98,864 offsets $700 a month depends on the member's choices; the point of the tool is to put both figures on one screen.

Reading the trade-off

The pension is guaranteed for life; the TSP balance is not, and it only matters if the member contributes enough to earn the full match. A member who contributes 3% earns a 3% match plus the 1% automatic, a total of 4%, and a member who contributes nothing gets the 1% automatic alone. Change the contribution field to see the match shrink.

What this does not cover

• Continuation pay, a mid-career payment CRS places between 8 and 12 years of service with an added service obligation, and the lump-sum option at retirement.
• Pay raises, promotions and varying contributions; the model holds pay flat.
• Taxes on retired pay and TSP withdrawals (see the TSP withdrawal calculator), and the cost of the Survivor Benefit Plan.

Sources

Retrieved 2026-10-26. Each page was opened and read against the claim next to it.

• CRS In Focus IF10483, Defense Primer: Military Retirement (updated May 20, 2024): BRS design: 2.0% multiplier, 1% automatic plus up to 4% matching, continuation pay, lump-sum option.
• 5 U.S.C. 8440e, uniformed services Thrift Savings Plan: automatic contribution from 60 days, matching from 2 years and 1 day, both ending at 26 years, 5% cap.
• 5 U.S.C. 8432(c), agency contributions: dollar for dollar on the first 3% and one-half of the next 2%.
• 10 U.S.C. 1409, retired pay multiplier: substituting 2 for 2½ in the modernized retirement system.