U.S. · Federal employees (CSRS)
CSRS annuity calculator.
Work out a Civil Service Retirement System basic annuity from your high-3 salary and service, with the stepped accrual rates and the 80% ceiling.
Your numbers
Placeholders. Use your own high-3 and service dates from your agency retirement estimate.
Result
How CSRS pays, band by band
Unlike a flat percentage, a CSRS annuity is built in three layers. OPM's computation page sets 1.5% of high-3 for each of the first 5 years of service, 1.75% for each of the next 5, and 2% for every year beyond 10. The sum is then compared against a ceiling of 80% of high-3.
How this is calculated
- High-3. The highest average basic pay over any 3 consecutive years of service; overtime and bonuses are excluded.
- Length of service. All creditable service plus the period represented by unused sick leave, dropping any fractional month. Sick leave counts only for an immediate annuity.
- Bands. 5 × 1.5% = 7.5 points, the next 5 × 1.75% = 8.75 points, then 2% a year. Ten years of service therefore equal 16.25% of high-3.
- Ceiling. OPM says the most CSRS can pay is 80% of high-3, plus credit for sick leave; it mainly affects people with more than 41 years 11 months of service.
- Early reduction. Retiring before 55 outside disability or special provisions reduces the annuity by 1/6 of 1% for each full month under 55.
Worked example
High-3 of $90,000 and 30 years of service. The bands give 7.5 + 8.75 + 2 × 20 = 56.25% of high-3, which is $50,625 a year or $4,218.75 a month. A 42-year career hits the ceiling: 7.5 + 8.75 + 64 = 80.25 points is cut back to 80%, which is why the extra months past about 41 years 11 months add nothing. Retiring at 53 with the reduction switched on takes 24 months × 1/6 of 1% = 4% off the annuity.
CSRS compared with FERS
For the same 30 years and $90,000 high-3, FERS at 1% pays $27,000 a year before the supplement and Social Security, while CSRS pays $50,625. The two systems are built differently, so compare totals only after you add the other pieces each retiree has, such as the FERS supplement, Social Security and TSP savings: the FERS pension calculator shows the 1% and 1.1% math.
What this does not cover
- Whether you meet an age-and-service rule for an immediate annuity; the tool computes the formula only.
- Survivor-annuity reductions, deposits and redeposits, and unpaid pre-1982 service deposits.
- Cost-of-living adjustments after retirement, which OPM applies periodically.
- Any FERS component for employees who transferred between systems.
Sources
Retrieved 2026-10-26. Each page was opened and read against the claim next to it.
- OPM, CSRS annuity computation: the 1.5%, 1.75% and 2% bands, high-3 definition, sick leave credit, the 80% ceiling and the under-55 reduction.
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedCSRS pays a flat 2% of high-3 for every year worked.
What the source saysOPM uses stepped rates: 1.5% for the first 5 years, 1.75% for the next 5, and 2% only for years beyond 10. Ten years therefore earn 16.25% of high-3, not 20%. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What is the CSRS annuity formula?
OPM sets 1.5% of high-3 for each of the first 5 years of service, 1.75% for each of the next 5 years, and 2% for each year beyond 10.
What is the maximum CSRS annuity?
OPM says the most CSRS can pay is 80% of your high-3 average salary, plus credit for unused sick leave. It mainly affects people with more than 41 years 11 months of service.
How much is CSRS reduced for retiring before 55?
Outside disability or special provisions, OPM reduces the annuity by 1/6 of 1% for each full month you are under 55. Tick the box in the calculator to apply it.
Does unused sick leave increase a CSRS annuity?
Yes, for an immediate annuity. OPM adds the period represented by unused sick leave to your creditable service before the fractional month is dropped. Enter it in whole months.
Is a CSRS annuity bigger than FERS for the same career?
Usually the basic annuity is. CSRS pays 56.25% of high-3 for 30 years versus 30% under FERS at 1%, but FERS retirees also have Social Security and the TSP. Compare the whole package, not one line.
What is a high-3 for CSRS?
The highest average basic pay you earned during any 3 consecutive years of service. Overtime and bonuses are not basic pay.
Estimate only
This is an educational estimate, not benefits, tax or legal advice. OPM, DFAS, the Thrift Savings Plan or your plan administrator makes the binding calculation, and rules change. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.