Calculator

FERS Pension Estimator

Estimate your FERS pension based on High-3 salary, years of service, and applicable multiplier.

Free, no sign-in, and built on the current VA rate tables. The calculator runs in your browser on this page.

How the FERS formula works

The FERS basic annuity is a formula (5 U.S.C. 8415): 1 percent of your High-3 average salary for each year of creditable service. If you retire at age 62 or later with at least 20 years, the multiplier is 1.1 percent for every year.

High-3 is the average of your highest-paid 36 consecutive months of basic pay, usually the last three years. Locality pay counts; overtime, bonuses and awards do not.

Creditable service includes civilian time, military time you paid a deposit for, and unused sick leave converted at retirement.

A worked example

Retiring at 62 with 25 years and a High-3 of $95,000

1. At 62 with 20 or more years the multiplier is 1.1 percent.
2. 25 years times 1.1 percent is 27.5 percent of High-3.
3. 27.5 percent of $95,000 is $26,125 a year, or about $2,177 a month before deductions.
4. The same career ending at 60 would use 1 percent: $23,750 a year. The two extra years are worth $2,375 a year for life.

What this estimate leaves out

• The estimate is the gross basic annuity. Health and life insurance premiums, taxes, and the survivor benefit election reduce the deposit you actually receive.
• Retiring under MRA+10 before age 62 reduces the annuity by 5 percent for each year under 62. Special provisions for law enforcement, firefighters and air traffic controllers use different multipliers. Neither is modeled here.
• The FERS annuity supplement, paid until 62 to some early retirees, is not included.

Questions veterans ask

What counts in High-3?

Basic pay including locality pay, over your highest-paid 36 consecutive months. Overtime, night differential, bonuses and cash awards are left out.

Does military service count?

Only after you pay the military deposit. Then it counts in the years of service and toward eligibility.

How is sick leave used?

Unused sick leave is converted to months and added to your service for the formula. It does not help you reach eligibility; it raises the amount once you are eligible.

When does the 1.1 percent apply?

Only when you retire at 62 or older with at least 20 years of service. One day short on either count means 1 percent.

Read next

• Add military years with a deposit
• Add unused sick leave
• How the pension grows after retirement

Sources

• FERS computation, U.S. Office of Personnel Management
• 5 U.S.C. 8415, computation of basic annuity

Other calculators

• VA Combined Rating: How several ratings combine and round.
• Monthly Compensation: Tax-free monthly pay by rating and dependents.
• Back Pay: Retroactive pay from your Intent to File date.
• Hearing Loss Rating: Your audiogram through VA's Tables VI and VII.
• Military Buy-Back: Cost and payoff of buying back active-duty time.
• TSP Growth: Thrift Savings Plan balance over time.
• COLA Growth: How cost-of-living adjustments change retired pay.
• GI Bill: Post-9/11 tuition and housing allowance.
• Sick Leave Credit: Unused sick leave as FERS service credit.

YourVABenefits is software you run on your own records. It is not part of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and does not file claims. You file on VA.gov, or an accredited representative files for you at no charge.