Military Transition Calculator

Your personalized transition plan — built around your dates.

About You

First Name *

Please enter your first name.

Branch of Service *

Please select your branch.

Rank Category *

Enlisted (E)

Warrant Officer (W)

Officer (O)

Please select a rank category.

Rank *

Please select your rank.

Years of Service *

Enter years between 1 and 40.

Retirement requires 20+ years of service. Choose Separation, or update your years of service.

Date of Rank

Date of rank can't be in the future or after your separation date.

Used to calculate time in current grade for pay accuracy.

Type of Transition *

Retirement20+ years of service

SeparationUnder 20 years

Please select transition type.

Built for active-duty voluntary retirement and separation. Guard/Reserve (including gray-area retirement, where retired pay starts around age 60 rather than the month after separation), medical retirement/IDES, and involuntary separation follow different rules — the dates and pay figures here will not be correct for those paths. Use them as a rough frame only and confirm everything with your career counselor.

Key Dates

Estimated Retirement / Separation Date *

Date must be in the future.

Today's Date

Auto-set. Edit only if needed.

Leave & Time Off

Days of Accrued Leave Planned to Use

This becomes your terminal leave period before your separation date. Note that selling leave back is capped at 60 days for an entire career — taking it as terminal leave is not.

Current BAH ($/month)

Tax-free, and the single biggest thing civilian salary comparisons miss. Used by the terminal-leave and "what salary do I need" tools. Look up your BAH →

Taking Permissive TDY?

Per DAFI 36-3003 / service equivalent, retirees may be authorized up to 20 days CONUS (30 OCONUS) for house and job hunting; separatees are generally limited to around 10 days — confirm your authorized days with your career counselor.

Days of Permissive TDY

Up to 20 days CONUS / 30 days OCONUS for retirees; separations are typically capped lower (~10 days). Max 30 days.

Taking SkillBridge?

DoD SkillBridge allows up to 180 days of civilian work experience before separation while receiving full military pay.

Days of SkillBridge

ℹ️ Select your branch and rank above to auto-populate your authorized SkillBridge days.

Max 180 days per DoD policy.

Post-Transition Plans

Desired Post-Transition Location

Career Interest

Planning to use GI Bill?

Planning to file VA disability?

Married / have a spouse?

Own (or buying) a home?

Hold a security clearance?

Pursuing federal employment?

Retiring from an OCONUS (overseas) station?

These tailor your checklist, deadlines, and decision tools to your situation.

There are no accounts. Your plan is saved at a private link only you have — bookmark it to come back and edit later.

Just looking? — nothing is saved.

2-Year Window

Key Milestone Dates

Transition Timeline

From today to your freedom day — scroll horizontally to see every milestone in order.

Total Pre-Transition Period

180-Day Maximum 0/180

Timeline Calendar

Month-by-month view of SkillBridge, PTDY, and terminal leave

SkillBridge PTDY Terminal Leave Separation Date

Pay & Income Estimator

Retirement pay + VA disability + TSP — your full projected income

Retirement Pay Calculator

Monthly Base Pay (2026 DFAS)

Select rank and YOS to auto-populate.

Years of Service at Retirement

Retirement System

High-3 / LegacyYOS × 2.5%

BRSYOS × 2.0%

CSB/REDUX40% at 20, +3.5%/yr

Took the $30,000 Career Status Bonus at 15 years? Choose CSB/REDUX — its multiplier is materially lower than High-3 (54% vs 60% at 24 years).

Source: dfas.mil. Retired pay is computed from the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay (High-3), assembled from the pay tables this app holds — not from your current month alone. Where a month falls outside the available tables it is estimated, and the note above says so. Contact DFAS for your official figure.

VA Disability Compensation

Select Your VA Disability Rating

Effective Dec 1, 2025 COLA. Your household (spouse / dependents, set below and in your plan) is included in the figure above. VA pays no dependent allowance below a 30% rating. Amounts also vary with the number and ages of children and with a dependent parent — see va.gov/disability/compensation-rates for your exact entitlement.

I have dependents

Combined Income Summary

Concurrent Receipt Rules

If your VA disability rating is below 50%, your retirement pay may be reduced by the amount of VA compensation (VA waiver). However, if you qualify for CRDP (Concurrent Retirement and Disability Pay) at 50% or higher VA rating, you can receive both full retirement pay AND full VA compensation with no offset. Members with combat-related disabilities may qualify for CRSC regardless of rating percentage. Consult your finance office for your specific situation.

Rating	Ret. Pay	VA Comp	Total/Mo	Annual	Status

The Retirement Pay column is shown after the VA waiver, so Total Monthly is what you would actually receive. CRDP restores the waived amount only at 20+ years of service and a 50%+ rating; CRSC may restore the combat-related portion instead (see the CRDP vs CRSC tool below).

Income by VA Rating — Visual Comparison

Retirement Pay VA Compensation

TSP Savings & Withdrawal Estimate

Current TSP Balance ($)

Enter your current Thrift Savings Plan balance.

Estimated Years Until Retirement

Auto-calculated from your separation date. Editable.

Expected Annual Growth Rate: 6%

1%3%5%6%7%8%10%

TSP L2040/L2050 funds have historically averaged ~6–7% annually. This is an estimate, not a guarantee.

TSP Contribution Mode

$ Fixed

% of Base Pay

Monthly dollar amount contributed to TSP.

Retirement Age

Typical for 20-year military retiree joining at ~25.

Withdrawal Method

Monthly Installments (Fixed Amount) You choose a fixed monthly withdrawal

Monthly Installments (Life Expectancy / IRS Tables) Payment recalculates annually based on IRS tables

TSP Annuity (Lifetime Payments) Guaranteed income for life; balance is no longer yours

Desired Monthly Withdrawal ($)

All figures are estimates for planning purposes only. TSP projections assume consistent growth and do not account for market volatility, taxes, or inflation. Consult a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® or your installation's Personal Financial Counselor before making financial decisions.

TSP Official Calculator TSP Annuity Calculator TSP Withdrawal Options

Key Financial Takeaways

Decision Tools & Calculators

Estimate the big, irreversible decisions — SBP, concurrent receipt, healthcare, domicile, your move, and your TSP

SBP Premium & Break-Even

SBP base amount ($/mo)

Your age at retirement

Spouse age (optional)

Premium = 6.5% of the elected base amount; survivor annuity = 55% of base. Coverage is paid-up only after 360 payments AND age 70. The SBP-DIC offset was repealed in 2023. DFAS SBP →

CRDP vs. CRSC Net Pay

Gross retired pay ($/mo)

VA rating

Combat-related %

Marginal tax rate

VA comp offsets retired pay dollar-for-dollar. CRDP (auto at 20yr + 50%+) is taxable; CRSC (combat-related, requires DD 2860) is tax-free. Estimates only. DFAS →

Retiree Healthcare Cost (TRICARE Select + FEDVIP)

TRICARE group

Coverage

Est. annual Rx ($)

FEDVIP premium ($/mo)

CY2026 TRICARE Select enrollment fees. Medically retired members & survivors (Group A) pay $0. Active-duty healthcare costs $0 — budget for the jump. TRICARE fees →

TRICARE Prime vs. Select

Expected doctor visits

I prioritize lowest cost I want provider flexibility / no referrals

Decide within 90 days of retirement (retroactive up to 12 months). General guidance, not a coverage determination. Compare plans →

Best State of Residence (Domicile)

Annual retired pay ($)

Candidate states (2-letter codes)

Estimates tax on military RETIRED pay only (VA comp is always tax-free). "Taxed" uses the top marginal rate as an upper bound; partial exemptions vary. Confirm with a tax pro.

PPM / DITY Move Estimator

Government Constructed Cost / GCC ($)

Your expected expenses ($)

Incentive is 100% of GCC (2025+); profit (incentive minus documented expenses) is taxable and withheld at ~22%. Move.mil PPM →

TSP: Keep-In vs. Roll-Out

Age at separation

Traditional ($)

Roth ($)

Advisory fee (%)

Years invested

Fee drag assumes ~6% growth and the TSP's ~0.05% expense ratio. Not investment advice — vet any advisor on FINRA BrokerCheck.

Terminal Leave vs. Selling Leave Back

Days to compare

Days sold earlier

Counts against the 60-day career cap.

Base pay ($/mo)

BAH ($/mo)

BAS ($/mo)

Selling leave pays base pay only (no BAH/BAS) as a one-time lump sum, taxed at ~22% federal withholding, and is capped at 60 days across your whole career (37 U.S.C. 501). Terminal leave keeps you on active duty — full pay plus tax-exempt BAH/BAS — for the same days, but delays your separation date and any civilian paycheck that would start after it. This compares take-home dollars only; it doesn't weigh starting a civilian job earlier, which sell-back enables and terminal leave doesn't.

What Civilian Salary Do I Need to Break Even?

Military pay looks smaller than it is: BAH and BAS are completely untaxed, and healthcare is nearly free. A civilian offer has to clear a higher bar than your base pay to leave you where you are today. This works out that bar.

Tax filing status

Civilian health premium ($/mo)

Your share of the premium, not the employer's.

Employer 401(k) match (%)

Shown separately — deferred pay, not take-home.

Uses 2026 federal brackets and the standard deduction, FICA at 7.65%, and your state's damped effective rate. Your retired pay (if any) is counted as continuing income, which lowers the salary you need. Bonuses, equity, PTO, commute and relocation costs are not modeled — treat the result as the floor of a negotiating range, not a precise target.

Compare a Different Date

Moving your date isn't just a schedule change: crossing a longevity step or another year of service changes both your High-3 average and your multiplier — for life. Try a date and see the trade.

Alternative date

Years of service then

Personalized Phase Checklist

Things to Think About

Big, often-overlooked decisions and the personal side of retiring — not a checklist, but worth a hard think