U.S. · Federal employees (FERS)
FERS pension calculator.
Turn a high-3 average salary and your years of service into a yearly and monthly FERS basic annuity, with the 1.1% rate, the MRA+10 age reduction and a survivor election built in.
Your numbers
Placeholders only. Use your own high-3 and service from your agency retirement estimate.
Result
The FERS basic annuity in one line
OPM's computation page gives the formula: 1% of your high-3 average salary for each year of service, or 1.1% for each year if you retire at 62 or older with at least 20 years. This tool applies that, drops to a reduced annuity when you retire at your minimum retirement age (MRA) with only 10 years, and takes the survivor reduction if you choose one.
How this is calculated
| Step | Rule |
|---|---|
| High-3 | Highest average basic pay over any 3 consecutive years of service; overtime and bonuses are not basic pay. |
| Accrual rate | 1% a year; 1.1% a year at age 62 or older with 20+ years. |
| Service length | All creditable service added up, dropping any fraction of a month. |
| MRA+10 | Retiring at MRA with 10+ years: reduced 5/12 of 1% for each full month under 62 (5% a year). No reduction with 30 years, or with 20 years if the annuity starts at 60. |
| Survivor election | A 50% survivor annuity reduces yours by 10%; a 25% election reduces it by 5%. |
The MRA comes from OPM's table by birth year: 56 for 1953–1964, rising by two months a year to 57 for 1970 and later. Immediate unreduced retirement is MRA with 30 years, age 60 with 20, or age 62 with 5.
Worked example
High-3 of $95,000, 30 years of service, retiring at 57 with a 1969 birth year (MRA 56 years 10 months). At 1% this is $95,000 × 0.01 × 30 = $28,500 a year, or $2,375 a month, 30% of high-3. Retire instead at 62 with 25 years and the rate is 1.1%: $95,000 × 0.011 × 25 = $26,125 a year. The 0.1 point lift applies to every year of service, which is why the tool shows the accrual rate in the result.
An MRA+10 case: high-3 $80,000, 12 years, retiring at 57 with a 1968 birth year. Gross is $9,600. Five years under 62 reduce it 25%, leaving $7,200 a year. A 50% survivor election on a $100,000 high-3 with 30 years takes $30,000 to $27,000.
What this does not cover
- The FERS annuity supplement, which has its own calculator, and Social Security itself.
- Unused sick leave credit, special provisions for law enforcement, firefighters and air traffic controllers, deposits, and any CSRS component for transferred employees.
- Cost-of-living adjustments after retirement and the tax on the annuity.
- Disability or discontinued-service retirement, which follow different rules.
Sources
Retrieved 2026-10-26. Each page was opened and read against the claim next to it.
- OPM, FERS annuity computation: 1% and 1.1% rates, high-3 definition, service length, MRA+10 reduction and survivor reductions.
- OPM, FERS types of retirement: the MRA table by birth year and the immediate-retirement age and service combinations.
Common mix-ups
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Often assumedFERS always pays 1% of high-3 for each year of service.
What the source saysOPM gives two rates. The rate is 1% a year, but it becomes 1.1% a year if you retire at 62 or older with at least 20 years of service, so a few extra months of waiting can change the multiplier for every year of service. [1]
Checked against these sources on .
Frequently asked questions
What is the FERS pension formula?
OPM states it as 1% of your high-3 average salary for each year of service, or 1.1% for each year if you retire at 62 or older with at least 20 years of service.
What is a high-3 salary?
It is the highest average basic pay you earned during any 3 consecutive years of service. Basic pay includes retirement-deducted increases but excludes overtime and bonuses.
How much is my pension reduced under MRA+10?
If you retire at your minimum retirement age with at least 10 years of service, the annuity is reduced by 5/12 of 1% for each full month you are under 62, which is 5% for each year. It is not reduced with 30 years, or with 20 years if the annuity starts at 60.
What does a survivor benefit cost?
Per OPM, a survivor election of 50% reduces the annuity by 10%, and a 25% election reduces it by 5%.
Does the tool include unused sick leave?
No. Sick leave can add service credit, but it is not modelled here. If your agency estimate includes it, add it to the service fields yourself.
Where do I find my MRA?
It depends on your birth year. For 1970 or later it is 57; for 1953 through 1964 it is 56, with two-month steps in between, per the OPM table. The birth-year field applies it.
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.