Use our free retirement calculator to estimate your monthly and annual payments.
Who is Eligible for National Guard/Reserve Retirement?
All active duty servicemembers and Reserve Component (RC) members are eligible for military retirement as long as they meet certain requirements. However, the eligibility for RC military retirement differs from that for active duty military retirement, so we have different calculators for each group.
Calculate active duty military retirement pay on this page or simply click the “Active Duty” button under “Status at retirement” on this calculator.
Across the Reserve Component, the eligibility for retirement is the same for all members.
Members of the Reserve Component include:
- Air National Guard
- Air Force Reserve
- Army National Guard
- Army Reserve
- Coast Guard Reserve
- Navy Reserve
- Marine Corps Reserve
See our complete guide on Guard/Reserve Retirement here.
How to Qualify for Guard/Reserve Retirement
If you’re in the Reserve Component, you must earn 20 qualifying years of service to qualify for retirement. To have a qualifying year in the RC, you must earn 50 points, commonly referred to as a Good Year.
Additionally, as part of the RC, you cannot claim retirement pay until age 60 unless you serve enough active duty time to earn an early Guard/Reserve Retirement. Since the military
Earning Retirement Points
Reserve members earn points for various activities, such as drills, training, and active-duty service. For every day of active-duty service, you’ll receive one point. Read our detailed Guard/Reserve point guide here for a full breakdown of how to earn more retirement points.
Each point contributes to your retirement pay calculation. To find your points statement, use the following table.
| Reserve Component Branch | Where to Find Your Points Statement |
|---|---|
| Army National Guard | Go to IPPS-A Landing Page (army.mil). Select “HR Professional,” then select “View Retirement Points.” |
| Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard | Go to https://www.my.af.mil. Navigate to the Virtual Military Personnel Flight (vMPF), select “Self-Service Actions,” select “Personal Data,” and click “ANG/USAFR Point Credit Summary Inquiry (PCFARS).” |
| Army Reserve | Review your “Chronicle Retirement Point Statement DA 5016” at www.hrc.army.mil. Select the “My Record” tab to review. Note: CAC card required. |
| Marine Corps Reserve | Review your “Career Retirement Credit Report” at https://mol.tfs.usmc.mil/mol |
| Navy Reserve | Review your “Annual Retirement Point Record” (ARPR) at https://www.bol.navy.mil/ARPR/ |
| Coast Guard Reserve | Go to https://portal.direct-access.us. Click “My Reserve Points Statement” under the “Employee View” menu. |
At retirement, the total number of accumulated points is divided by 360 to convert them into equivalent years of service. This figure is then used in the retirement pay formula, which varies depending on the military retirement plan you are eligible for.
Other Factors That Impact Guard/Reserve Retirement Pay
Outside of the eligibility requirements and how pay is calculated, most retirement benefits are fairly similar between active duty members and members of the Guard/Reserve. To learn more about the impacts on your military retirement pay, like how to figure out your retirement plan and how taxes will affect your retirement pay, see the following links:
- How to Figure Out Your Retirement Plan
- How to Calculate Your TSP
- How Rank Affects Pay
- Your Retirement Date
- Retirement Pay Cost of Living Adjustments
- Military Retirement Pay Tax Deductions
- Common Withholdings
- Disability Compensation & Retirement Pay
Final Thoughts on Your Future Benefits
The biggest differences between active duty and Reserve military retirement come down to the points system and when you are eligible to receive retirement pay and other benefits. While active duty service gets you access to military retirement faster, aspects of active duty service may not interest you. Whereas being in the Reserves will give you access to those strong VA benefits, but also allow you the opportunity to seek professional growth in the civilian workforce sector.
Ryan Guina says
Hello Doug Miller, I’m not speaking for Doug Nordman, but I’ll answer to the best of my ability.
My understanding is that you need 20 years of active duty service to qualify for active duty retirement benefits and an immediate pension. All inactive points are then converted using the calculations in this article (inactive points, divided by 360, which converts to years, that are then added to your 20 year base).
In your example, 1,608 points would convert to 4.47 years. So, assuming you retired with those numbers, you would have roughly 24.5 years of retirement credit. Your personnel or human resources office can help you run an estimate to better understand your situation.
Best wishes!
Ryan Guina says
Joe, I can’t speak for Doug, but I can walk you through this. First, I wish you the best of luck in returning to the military to earn a final year and qualify for retirement. Next, you have a lot to be proud of. Definitely buy back your military service time for your civil service pension. It will be well worth it!
Regarding estimating your military retirement benefits, if you can get back in – you have the information in this article. divide 4,700 points by 360, and you get 13.05 years. To make things easier, use 13 as your time in service multiplier, which gives you 32.5%. Then multiply 32.5% by the average of your High-36 pay. I don’t know your rank, so I can’t do that for you. But you can easily do it. You will need to take the base pay for the highest held rank for the last three years and average it. Then multiply that by 32.5%. That should provide you with a rough estimate. If you get back in the service, your personnel or human resources office can run an official estimate for you. But this can serve as a back of the envelope calculation until you need a more accurate estimate. Best wishes!
Ryan Guina says
S.P.,
I don’t have a lot to go on by your comment. If you are a retiree, your military retirement pay will be offset by your VA disability compensation. You can read more about how VA disability impacts retirement pay in this article.
If you are currently serving, I encourage you to read the following two articles to get a better idea of how a VA disability rating impacts your ability to serve in the Guard or Reserves, and how to determine whether to waive military or VA compensation for the days you served in both statuses.
Regarding serving with a VA disability rating: you can only earn one type of pay on any given day. You can’t earn VA disability compensation on the same day you earn military compensation. Because there is no way for the VA to track this in real-time, you will receive a form each year outlining the days that you received compensation for both payments. You will then need to choose one to waive. These benefits are pro-rated based on the monthly compensation rate. In almost every case, it is best to waive the VA disability compensation. If you choose to do so, the VA will withhold a portion of future payments until you have repaid the debt. The above article outlines the details.
Best wishes!
Ryan Guina says
Dean, I can’t speak for Doug, but I’ll answer to the best of my ability.Your TAFMS is your Total Active Federal Military Service. This only counts your active duty time. Your PCARS should inclue all of your points, including TAFMS and inactive points. You need 20 years worth of TAFMS to qualify for active duty retirement benefits. You just need 20 good years to qualify for Guard or Reserve retirement benefits.
In your example, this person can retire with active duty benefits once he has 20 years of TAFMS. But since he will have 23 years worth of points, his retirement would be based on 23 years worth of points. And since it would be the equivalent of an active duty retirement, it would start the month after he retires, instead of him having to wait until age 60.
I hope this helps!
Dean O says
Mahalo Ryan.
It clears up a lot of confusion we have between the Air National Guard (AGR’s, Technicians, and Week End Warriors) and Active Duty Air Force and their retirements.
Ryan Guina says
SSG Ret Ballard, no, you will not generally be able to add points to your retirement total once you have retired. You can contact your branch of service’s Human Resources or Personnel office for more information on your points total. You should be able to contact DFAS to obtain an estimate for your monthly retirement pay once you become eligible. Just be aware that there will be one more cost of living increase between now and next year. Best wishes!