High-3 Salary Calculator
Calculate your highest 36 consecutive months of basic pay - the key number used to determine your FERS retirement pension.
What is High-3?
Your "high-3" average salary is the average of your highest 36 consecutive months of basic pay. This amount is used to calculate your FERS retirement annuity.
Note: Only basic pay counts toward high-3. Overtime, bonuses, awards, and locality pay adjustments do not count (though locality-adjusted salaries are your basic pay for calculation purposes).
Salary History
Period 1
$
Tip: Add separate periods for each promotion, step increase, or locality change.
Understanding Your High-3
- • Your high-3 doesn't have to be your most recent 3 years - it's the highest consecutive 36 months
- • Basic pay includes your grade/step salary plus locality pay adjustment
- • Overtime, bonuses, awards, and other premium pay do not count toward high-3
- • If you had a promotion or step increase, the higher salary months will likely be in your high-3
- • OPM uses your official personnel records - this calculator is for estimation only
Related Tools
How the High-3 Calculation Works
Your "high-3" is the average of your highest 36 consecutive months of basic pay. OPM uses this figure as one of three components in your FERS pension formula: High-3 × Years of Service × Multiplier (1% or 1.1%).
OPM calculates your high-3 using a 360-day year convention (30 days per month). Each salary rate you received during the 36-month period is weighted by the time you held it. If you had promotions, locality changes, or within-grade increases during this window, each pay rate contributes proportionally to your final average.
The High-3 Formula
High-3 = (Sum of Weighted Annual Salaries) ÷ 3
Each salary rate is multiplied by a time factor based on how long you received it. For a full year at one rate, the factor is 1.0. For 6 months, it's 0.5. OPM's 360-day chart provides exact factors for any period.
What Counts Toward Your High-3
Included in High-3
- ✓Base Pay - GS/WG salary for your position
- ✓Locality Pay - Geographic adjustments (DC = 33.94%)
- ✓Special Rate Supplements - Hard-to-fill position pay
- ✓LEO Availability Pay - 25% law enforcement premium
- ✓Shift Differentials - For WG (blue-collar) employees
Excluded from High-3
- ✗Overtime Pay - Not part of basic pay
- ✗Bonuses & Awards - One-time payments
- ✗Night/Sunday Differential - For GS employees
- ✗COLA - Non-foreign area cost adjustments
- ✗Lump-Sum Leave - Paid at separation
Worked Example: High-3 with Promotion
Consider an employee in Washington, DC who retires January 2027. They were promoted from GS-11 to GS-12 during their final 3 years:
| Period | Grade/Step | Annual Salary | Time Factor | Weighted Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2024 - Dec 2024 | GS-11 Step 5 | $95,878 | 1.0 | $95,878 |
| Jan 2025 - Dec 2025 | GS-12 Step 1 | $101,401 | 1.0 | $101,401 |
| Jan 2026 - Dec 2026 | GS-12 Step 2 | $105,829 | 1.0 | $105,829 |
| Total Weighted Pay | 3.0 | $303,108 | ||
High-3 Average: $303,108 ÷ 3 = $101,036
With 25 years of service at age 60: $101,036 × 25 × 1% = $25,259/year pension
Worked Example: Moving to a Lower Locality Area
What happens when you move from Washington, DC (33.94% locality) to a Rest of US location (17.91% locality) two years before retirement? Let's compare:
| Period | Locality | GS-12 Step 10 Salary | Time Factor | Weighted Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2024 - Dec 2024 | DC (33.94%) | $122,299 | 1.0 | $122,299 |
| Jan 2025 - Dec 2025 | RUS (17.91%) | $107,706 | 1.0 | $107,706 |
| Jan 2026 - Dec 2026 | RUS (17.91%) | $108,783 | 1.0 | $108,783 |
| Total Weighted Pay | 3.0 | $338,788 | ||
High-3 (Last 3 Years): $338,788 ÷ 3 = $112,929
But wait! If this employee stayed at GS-12 Step 10 in DC from 2021-2023, their high-3 from that earlier period would be approximately $117,000 - that's $4,000 more per year, adding roughly $1,000/year to their pension over their lifetime.
Key Takeaway: When moving to a lower-locality area, use this calculator to check if an earlier 36-month period produces a higher average. OPM uses your HIGHEST period, not your LAST.
Edge Cases & Special Situations
Acting Positions & Temporary Promotions
Yes, they count! If you receive a temporary promotion or detail to a higher-graded position with higher pay (documented on SF-50), those months at the higher rate count toward your high-3. A 6-month temporary promotion to GS-14 while you're a GS-13 means 6 months at the GS-14 rate factor into your average.
Extended LWOP (Leave Without Pay)
LWOP of 6 months or less per calendar year is treated as if you were at work. LWOP exceeding 6 months in a calendar year is not credited — your high-3 window would need to span more calendar time to capture 36 months of actual credited service.
Phased Retirement
During phased retirement, your high-3 is calculated using your pre-phased retirement salary history. You work part-time (typically 50%), receive 50% of your annuity, and continue earning service credit. At full retirement, your annuity is recalculated to include the additional service.
No "Terminal Leave" in Federal Service
Federal civilian employees don't have terminal leave. You work until your retirement date, then receive a lump-sum payment for unused annual leave. This lump-sum is paid AFTER retirement and is NOT included in your high-3 calculation.
📋 Legislative Watch: High-5 Proposal
The "high-5" proposal (which would have changed the calculation from 36 months to 60 months) was removed from the 2025 reconciliation bill. Federal employees will continue using the high-3 calculation for now. However, S.26 (119th Congress) proposes excluding locality pay from high-3 for new employees — this bill has been introduced but not passed.
Last updated: January 2026 | We monitor legislative changes affecting federal retirement benefits.
Learn More About FERS Retirement
Your high-3 is just one component of your FERS pension. Understand the full formula, eligibility requirements, and strategies to maximize your retirement benefits.
Read the Complete FERS Retirement Guide →