Retirement Center
Plain-language explainers on military retirement pay, VA benefits, TRICARE, and transition planning — each reviewed against official sources. Benefits information is educational only and does not replace official guidance from your service, DFAS, VA, or TRICARE. Checklists are planning aids and do not replace official service requirements. This platform does not provide tax, investment, legal, medical, or individualized claims advice, and does not predict disability ratings or VA outcomes.
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Blended Retirement System (BRS) Overview
BRS combines a reduced defined-benefit pension (2.0% per year of service) with automatic and matching government TSP contributions, plus a mid-career Continuation Pay bonus.
REDUX vs. High-3: What's the Difference?
REDUX offered a one-time Career Status Bonus at the 15-year mark in exchange for a reduced multiplier (2.0% per year instead of 2.5%) and slower cost-of-living adjustments, with pay recalculated to the High-3 rate at age 62.
The Final Pay Retirement System, Explained
Final Pay calculates retired pay from your single highest basic pay rate at retirement, multiplied by 2.5% per year of service; it applies only to members who first entered service before September 8, 1980.
Understanding the High-3 Retirement System
High-3 calculates retired pay from the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay, multiplied by 2.5% per year of service, and applies to most members who entered service between September 8, 1980 and December 31, 2017.