2026 Military Retirement Pay Chart
Monthly retired pay by pay grade and years of service, under High-3 and BRS, calculated from 2026 DFAS basic pay.
A reference chart, not your pension.
Each amount assumes you held the same grade for your final 36 months and were paid at 2026 rates throughout. Earlier months are usually paid at lower annual rates, so your actual High-3 average is often somewhat lower.
High-3 monthly retired pay by rank
| Pay grade | 20 years | 22 years | 24 years | 26 years | 28 years | 30 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enlisted | ||||||
| E-5 | $2,210 | $2,431 | $2,653 | $2,874 | $3,095 | $3,316 |
| E-6 | $2,621 | $2,897 | $3,160 | $3,424 | $3,687 | $3,950 |
| E-7 | $3,059 | $3,422 | $3,839 | $4,262 | $4,837 | $5,300 |
| E-8 | $3,345 | $3,813 | $4,322 | $4,825 | $5,436 | $5,931 |
| E-9 | $3,826 | $4,389 | $4,990 | $5,619 | $6,368 | $6,950 |
| Warrant officers | ||||||
| W-2 | $3,568 | $4,047 | $4,524 | $4,987 | $5,399 | $5,785 |
| W-3 | $3,994 | $4,602 | $5,164 | $5,726 | $6,347 | $6,871 |
| W-4 | $4,412 | $5,020 | $5,713 | $6,442 | $7,215 | $7,834 |
| W-5 | — | — | $6,308 | $7,112 | $7,947 | $8,621 |
| Commissioned officers | ||||||
| O-3 | $4,502 | $4,952 | $5,402 | $5,852 | $6,302 | $6,753 |
| O-4 | $5,236 | $5,780 | $6,305 | $6,831 | $7,356 | $7,882 |
| O-5 | $5,803 | $6,559 | $7,364 | $8,056 | $8,676 | $9,296 |
| O-6 | $6,451 | $7,446 | $8,395 | $9,332 | $10,466 | $11,391 |
| Prior enlisted officers | ||||||
| O-1E | $3,242 | $3,566 | $3,890 | $4,214 | $4,539 | $4,863 |
| O-2E | $3,831 | $4,214 | $4,598 | $4,981 | $5,364 | $5,747 |
| O-3E | $4,759 | $5,285 | $5,765 | $6,246 | $6,726 | $7,207 |
BRS monthly retired pay by rank
| Pay grade | 20 years | 22 years | 24 years | 26 years | 28 years | 30 years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enlisted | ||||||
| E-5 | $1,768 | $1,945 | $2,122 | $2,299 | $2,476 | $2,653 |
| E-6 | $2,097 | $2,317 | $2,528 | $2,739 | $2,949 | $3,160 |
| E-7 | $2,447 | $2,738 | $3,071 | $3,409 | $3,870 | $4,240 |
| E-8 | $2,676 | $3,050 | $3,457 | $3,860 | $4,349 | $4,745 |
| E-9 | $3,061 | $3,511 | $3,992 | $4,495 | $5,094 | $5,560 |
| Warrant officers | ||||||
| W-2 | $2,854 | $3,237 | $3,619 | $3,990 | $4,319 | $4,628 |
| W-3 | $3,195 | $3,681 | $4,131 | $4,581 | $5,078 | $5,497 |
| W-4 | $3,530 | $4,016 | $4,570 | $5,153 | $5,772 | $6,267 |
| W-5 | — | — | $5,046 | $5,689 | $6,357 | $6,897 |
| Commissioned officers | ||||||
| O-3 | $3,601 | $3,961 | $4,322 | $4,682 | $5,042 | $5,402 |
| O-4 | $4,189 | $4,624 | $5,044 | $5,465 | $5,885 | $6,305 |
| O-5 | $4,642 | $5,247 | $5,891 | $6,445 | $6,941 | $7,436 |
| O-6 | $5,161 | $5,957 | $6,716 | $7,465 | $8,373 | $9,113 |
| Prior enlisted officers | ||||||
| O-1E | $2,593 | $2,853 | $3,112 | $3,371 | $3,631 | $3,890 |
| O-2E | $3,065 | $3,371 | $3,678 | $3,985 | $4,291 | $4,598 |
| O-3E | $3,807 | $4,228 | $4,612 | $4,996 | $5,381 | $5,765 |
How this chart is calculated
Retired pay equals your retired pay base × a multiplier. Under High-3 the multiplier is 2.5% per year of service; under the Blended Retirement System (BRS) it is 2.0% per year. The pay base is the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay. For each cell, we average the 36 monthly 2026 basic-pay rates for that grade as service moves through the DFAS service bands, then round the monthly result down to whole dollars under 10 U.S.C. 1412.
Example: an E-7 retiring at exactly 20 years has a 2026 High-3 reference of $6,118.50. Under High-3, 20 × 2.5% = 50%, so retired pay is $3,059 per month. Under BRS, 20 × 2.0% = 40%, or $2,447 per month, plus the TSP account built with government contributions.
What the chart leaves out
- O-7 and higher grades are omitted. Their 2026 basic pay is limited by the Executive Schedule cap, and the capped table is not their retired pay base.
- A dash means the grade has no published rate for part of the final 36 months, such as W-5 before 20 years.
- Reserve retirement, REDUX, disability retirement, the BRS lump-sum option, Survivor Benefit Plan premiums, VA disability offsets and taxes are not included.
- Amounts are the first monthly payment before any cost-of-living adjustment.
Is military retirement pay taxable?
Military retired pay is generally subject to federal income tax. State treatment varies: many states fully or partly exclude military retired pay, while others tax it. Check your state revenue agency for current rules.
Does military retired pay increase every year?
Retired pay receives an annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) based on the same CPI-W measure used for Social Security. The amounts in this chart are initial payments before any COLA. Use the retirement calculator to add a COLA assumption.