Military pay, benefits &
retirement, made simple.

More military tools are in active development. Browse by topic below.

Most pay comparisons between military and civilian careers use base pay — and that comparison misleads. A sergeant with dependents stationed in San Diego draws base pay plus BAH (a locality-adjusted housing allowance) plus BAS (subsistence), and none of those allowances are federally taxed. Regular Military Compensation captures all three components and adds back the tax advantage as a dollar equivalent, producing a number that can be set next to a civilian salary on even footing. The two calculators here build RMC from your pay grade, years of service, and duty station. Use them before accepting or comparing any job offer that quotes a civilian salary against your base pay alone.

• 01Military Pay (RMC) CalculatorPayCalculate your Regular Military Compensation: base pay + BAH + BAS + the tax advantage, plus a civilian-equivalent gross salary readout.Launch→
• 02BAH & RMC CalculatorPayLook up your 2026 housing allowance by duty station, pay grade, and dependency status, then see your total Regular Military Compensation.Launch→

• 01GI Bill Housing Allowance Reset August 1: Your New 2026 RateGuideThe GI Bill MHA reset to 2026 BAH rates on August 1. What changed, the online-only rate, rate protection if your ZIP dropped, and why your first check is short.Read→
• 02BRS TSP Match: Why BAH Doesn't Count and Front-Loading Burns YouGuideThe BRS match rides on basic pay only, never BAH or BAS, and stops cold if you max the TSP early. The exact dollar cost for an O-4 and E-6, plus the fix.Read→
• 03How an O-3 Making $142K Pays Under 3% Federal TaxGuideMilitary pay gives officers a Roth window civilians can't match: 2.9% effective tax stateside, 0.2% with combat months, and $39,500 of annual Roth room.Read→

Service members who entered on or after January 1, 2018 are automatically enrolled in the Blended Retirement System: a smaller pension (40% of High-3 at 20 years, versus 50% under legacy) paired with a government TSP match of up to 5% of base pay. Whether the TSP match closes that pension gap depends on your pay grade, contribution rate, and investment return over a full career — the BRS vs High-3 calculator runs that comparison. Guard and Reserve members retire under a separate points-based formula: good years and retirement points determine the multiplier, and the age-60 draw date can drop to 50 for qualifying mobilizations. The Reserve Retirement Points calculator handles that math, including the two multipliers for BRS and legacy members.

• 01BRS vs High-3 CalculatorRetirementCompare the Blended Retirement System (40% + TSP match) against legacy High-3 (50%) over your career. See whether the TSP match covers the pension gap at your pay grade and return assumption.Launch→
• 02Reserve Retirement Points CalculatorFor: Guard/ReserveEstimate your Guard or Reserve pension from retirement points and good years. Covers High-3 (2.5%) and BRS (2.0%) systems, with optional age-reduction for qualifying mobilizations.Launch→
• 03Military Retirement Income CalculatorRetirementModel the combined income picture when a military retiree takes a federal civilian job: retired pay, VA disability offset, and the GS salary stacked together.Launch→

• 01BRS TSP Match: Why BAH Doesn't Count and Front-Loading Burns YouGuideThe BRS match rides on basic pay only, never BAH or BAS, and stops cold if you max the TSP early. The exact dollar cost for an O-4 and E-6, plus the fix.Read→
• 028,000 Uniformed Retirees' Pensions Can Stop in a ShutdownGuideNOAA Corps and USPHS retirees missed a pension check in the 2025 shutdown. H.R. 8732 just passed the House to fix it. Which of the 8 services are protected.Read→
• 03Getting SBP Bills With No Spouse? The Trap and How to CancelGuideSingle and medically retired veterans keep getting surprise SBP premium bills. The insurable-interest trap, admin defaults, and the exact cancellation paths.Read→

The military-to-federal path typically moves in three steps. First, understand salary equivalence: your rank, time in service, and education map to a GS grade range, and the translator puts your full RMC next to that GS pay so the comparison is honest. Second, decide on buyback: purchasing your active-duty years into FERS adds them to creditable service, raising your eventual pension — but it usually requires waiving military retired pay, so the calculator walks through the lifetime payoff. Third, understand veterans preference: your preference type (5-point, 10-point CPS, CP, XP, or TP) raises your competitive-examination score by a fixed amount and creates procedural rights that remain in effect throughout federal hiring. The three tools here map that sequence.

• 01Military-to-GS Salary TranslatorFederal bridgeMap your rank and time in service to the equivalent GS grade, then compare military RMC (pay + BAH + BAS + tax advantage) against the GS salary.Launch→
• 02Military Service Buyback CalculatorFederal bridgeEstimate the deposit to buy back active-duty service toward your FERS pension, plus the lifetime annuity payoff.Launch→
• 03Veterans Preference CalculatorFederal bridgeDetermine your preference type — 5-point, 10-point, CPS, CP, XP, TP — and see how it changes your standing in federal hiring.Launch→

• 01GI Bill Housing Allowance Reset August 1: Your New 2026 RateGuideThe GI Bill MHA reset to 2026 BAH rates on August 1. What changed, the online-only rate, rate protection if your ZIP dropped, and why your first check is short.Read→
• 02Military Service Credit in State Pensions: 6 Systems ComparedGuideState pensions let veterans buy military time at very different prices. TRS Texas, CalPERS, FRS, TRS Georgia, NYSLRS, and OPERS vs the FERS buyback, compared.Read→
• 03Guard/Reserve vs. 20 Active Years: The $1M Pension GapGuideLeave active duty at 10 years or push to 20? The 2026 math on reserve pensions, FERS buyback, and the $1 million timing gap most service members miss.Read→

Military retirees entering federal civilian employment face a benefits decision that compounds over time. TRICARE remains available to retirees and dependents, but federal employment opens access to FEHB — and FEHB can be suspended rather than cancelled, preserving the right to re-enroll at a later Open Season. Many retirees carry TRICARE as primary with FEHB suspended, while others value FEHB's broader provider network or want the ability to coordinate both for catastrophic costs. The TRICARE vs FEHB calculator prices that trade-off against your specific plan and family size. Separately, the Survivor Benefit Plan commits 6.5% of your elected base amount in exchange for a 55% survivor annuity — a decision that locks in outside narrow exit windows (months 25–36 of retired pay, or anytime for insurable-interest elections). The SBP calculator runs break-even ages against the term-life alternative so you can stress-test the coverage.

• 01TRICARE vs. FEHB CalculatorBenefitsCompare premiums, coverage, and out-of-pocket costs for military retirees choosing between TRICARE and FEHB in a federal civilian job.Launch→
• 02SBP CalculatorBenefitsPrice Survivor Benefit Plan coverage against your retired pay: the 6.5% premium, the 55% annuity, break-even ages, and the term-life alternative.Launch→

• 01Deploying While Federal: Your FEHB, FEGLI, and FERS ClockGuideEvery benefit runs on its own clock when a Guard or Reserve fed deploys. The FEHB two-track premium rule, the FEGLI month-12 election, and the FERS deposit.Read→
• 02Getting SBP Bills With No Spouse? The Trap and How to CancelGuideSingle and medically retired veterans keep getting surprise SBP premium bills. The insurable-interest trap, admin defaults, and the exact cancellation paths.Read→
• 03Space Force Part-Time Guardians: Pay, TSP, and the TRICARE GapGuideThe first 18 part-time Guardians joined July 17. How nonsustained duty pay, retirement points, and BRS matching work, and the TRICARE question nobody has answered.Read→

• 012027 Pay Gap: Feds 0%, Military 5-7%The proposed civilian-vs-military raise gap, the year-by-year data, and the pension impact.Read→
• 02Military Buyback GuideHow buying back military service works, deadlines, and whether it pays off for your situation.Read→
• 03Navy DRP 2026: Civilian Employee GuideDRP eligibility, the $46,800 severance gap vs. VERA, and the financial decision Navy civilians face before the September deadline.Read→
• 04Navy Civilian Reduction 2026: 10/15/20% GuideWhat the 10–20% civilian workforce review means for each command, who is protected, and what every Navy civilian should do now.Read→

• 01GI Bill Housing Allowance Reset August 1: Your New 2026 RateThe GI Bill MHA reset to 2026 BAH rates on August 1. What changed, the online-only rate, rate protection if your ZIP dropped, and why your first check is short.Read→
• 02Army's 54-Day Firing Rule: No PIP, 7 Days to RespondArmy Directive 2026-18 lets supervisors remove civilians in about 54 days with no PIP. What the 7-day response window means and the rights you still have.Read→
• 03Deploying While Federal: Your FEHB, FEGLI, and FERS ClockEvery benefit runs on its own clock when a Guard or Reserve fed deploys. The FEHB two-track premium rule, the FEGLI month-12 election, and the FERS deposit.Read→
• 04BRS TSP Match: Why BAH Doesn't Count and Front-Loading Burns YouThe BRS match rides on basic pay only, never BAH or BAS, and stops cold if you max the TSP early. The exact dollar cost for an O-4 and E-6, plus the fix.Read→
• 05USACE's NYC Move: 45% Say They'll Quit. Your 3 OptionsUSACE is moving 465 NYC employees to New Jersey by August 15. Relocate, decline, or wait? The severance, DSR, and reasonable-offer rules that decide it.Read→
• 068,000 Uniformed Retirees' Pensions Can Stop in a ShutdownNOAA Corps and USPHS retirees missed a pension check in the 2025 shutdown. H.R. 8732 just passed the House to fix it. Which of the 8 services are protected.Read→
• 07How an O-3 Making $142K Pays Under 3% Federal TaxMilitary pay gives officers a Roth window civilians can't match: 2.9% effective tax stateside, 0.2% with combat months, and $39,500 of annual Roth room.Read→
• 08House NDAA Passes 216-212: What DOD Civilians Won and LostH.R. 8800 passed July 22 with termination bans for DoDEA, childcare, and DHA workers, and a collective bargaining fix the Senate already rejected. The stakes.Read→

Should I buy back my military service time for FERS?

Buying back active-duty service adds that time to your FERS creditable service, which raises your pension and can move up your retirement eligibility. The trade-off: you generally must waive military retired pay, with disability retirements and most Reserve/Guard retirements as exceptions. For employees who will spend years in federal service, the buyback usually pays off — run your own numbers with the Military Service Buyback Calculator.

Can I collect military retirement and a FERS pension at the same time?

Often yes. If you do not buy back your active-duty time, military retirees can keep their retired pay and separately earn a FERS annuity for their civilian years. If you buy the time back into FERS, you typically waive military retired pay (disability and Reserve/Guard retirements are treated differently). The right choice depends on your years of service in each system.

How does my military rank translate to a GS grade?

There is no official one-to-one rank-to-GS chart, but your rank, years of service, and education map to a GS grade and step range. The Military-to-GS Salary Translator estimates the equivalent grade and compares your military Regular Military Compensation against the GS salary.

As a military retiree taking a federal job, should I keep TRICARE or FEHB?

You can be eligible for both. Many retirees keep TRICARE and suspend FEHB, while others carry FEHB for broader provider access or to coordinate the two. The best fit depends on cost, your providers, and family coverage — our TRICARE vs FEHB comparison walks through the trade-offs.

Is military pay really lower than civilian pay?

A fair comparison uses Regular Military Compensation — base pay plus BAH, BAS, and the federal tax advantage on allowances — not base pay alone. Once those are included, the gap is usually much smaller than the base-pay figures suggest.