Introduction
This FERS Retirement Calculator helps federal employees estimate their pension under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Enter your date of birth, service dates, High-3 salary, and sick leave hours to get a quick estimate of your monthly and annual pension. The calculator also checks which retirement types you qualify for, applies the correct multiplier (1.0% or 1.1%), and accounts for survivor benefit deductions and early retirement penalties.
Your FERS pension is one of three parts of federal retirement income, along with Social Security and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Knowing your estimated pension amount helps you plan ahead and decide when to retire. Use this tool to see how changes in your retirement date, sick leave balance, or survivor benefit election affect your final pension.
How to Use Our FERS Retirement Calculator
Enter your federal employment details below to estimate your FERS pension. The calculator will show your gross and net annual pension, monthly payments, eligibility status, and a full step-by-step breakdown of how your benefit is computed.
Date of Birth: Enter the date you were born. This sets your Minimum Retirement Age (MRA), which determines when you can first retire under FERS rules. If you need to calculate your exact age on a specific date, try our Age Calculator.
Retirement Service Computation Date (RSCD): Enter your RSCD, not your hire date. Your RSCD adjusts for breaks in service, part-time work, and military buybacks. You can find this date on your SF-50 or by asking your HR office. To figure out the exact duration between your RSCD and retirement date, our Date Duration Calculator can help.
Projected Retirement Date: Pick the future date you plan to retire. This must be after both today's date and your RSCD.
Retirement Type: Choose the type of retirement you expect to use. Options include Regular Retirement, MRA+10 (with or without an early penalty), VERA, and Discontinued Service Retirement.
Unused Sick Leave (Hours): Enter the number of sick leave hours you expect to have when you retire. The calculator converts these hours into extra service credit at a rate of 2,087 hours per year.
Prior Military Service: Select "Yes" if you served in the military. If you did, enter the years and months you served, whether you receive a military pension, whether that pension is for a disability, and whether you have completed or started a military deposit (buyback). Military time only counts toward your FERS pension if you paid the deposit or receive a military disability pension. If you are also estimating a military pension, see our Military Retirement Calculator.
High-3 Average Salary: Enter the average of your three highest-paid consecutive years of base pay. Do not include overtime, bonuses, or locality adjustments beyond base pay. Most federal employees hit their High-3 in their final three years of work. If you need to convert your pay between formats, our Salary Calculator or Hourly to Salary Calculator can help.
Marital Status: Select "Married" or "Not Married." Married employees are automatically set to the 50% survivor benefit by default, as required by OPM unless your spouse consents to a waiver.
Survivor Benefit Election: Choose the survivor benefit level for your spouse. The 50% election reduces your pension by 10%. The 25% election reduces it by 5%. Choosing "No Survivor Benefit" means no reduction, but your spouse will not receive a continuing pension after your death. If you are weighing whether a life insurance policy might replace the need for a survivor benefit, compare the long-term costs carefully.
What Is the FERS Retirement Calculator?
This calculator estimates your federal pension under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is the retirement plan for most civilian federal workers hired after 1987. If you work for the federal government, your FERS pension is one of three parts of your retirement income. The other two parts are Social Security and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).
How Your FERS Pension Is Calculated
Your FERS pension is based on a simple formula: High-3 Average Salary × Years of Creditable Service × Multiplier. Your High-3 is the average of your highest-paid three consecutive years of base pay. Creditable service is how long you worked for the federal government, plus any military service you bought back and unused sick leave. The multiplier is either 1% or 1.1%. You get the higher 1.1% rate if you retire at age 62 or older with at least 20 years of service.
When Can You Retire Under FERS?
FERS has several retirement types, each with its own age and service rules:
- Regular Retirement: Age 62 with 5 years of service, age 60 with 20 years, or your Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) with 30 years.
- MRA+10: Your MRA with at least 10 years of service. If you retire before age 62 under this option, your pension is reduced by 5% for each year you are under 62.
- VERA (Early Out): Age 50 with 20 years, or any age with 25 years. Your agency must offer this option.
- DSR (Discontinued Service): Same age and service rules as VERA, but applies when your job is eliminated or you face involuntary separation.
Your Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) depends on your birth year. It ranges from 55 to 57. Most people born in 1970 or later have an MRA of 57.
Key Terms You Should Know
Your Retirement Service Computation Date (RSCD) is not the same as your hire date. It is adjusted for breaks in service, part-time work, and military buybacks. This date sets how many years of creditable service you have. Unused sick leave is added to your service time when your pension is calculated. Every 2,087 hours of sick leave equals one extra year of service credit. Sick leave helps increase your pension amount, but it does not count toward meeting eligibility rules like the 20-year requirement for the 1.1% multiplier.
Survivor Benefits and Your Pension
If you are married, your pension automatically includes a 50% survivor benefit for your spouse. This means your spouse would receive 50% of your pension after you pass away. In return, your pension is reduced by 10% while you are alive. You can choose a 25% survivor benefit instead, which only reduces your pension by 5%. You may also waive the survivor benefit entirely, but your spouse must agree to that in writing. To understand how a survivor annuity compares with other options, you can explore our Annuity Calculator or Annuity Payout Calculator.
Military Service and Your FERS Pension
If you served in the military, that time can count toward your federal pension. However, you must complete a military deposit (buyback) to get credit for that service. The one exception is if you receive a military disability pension — in that case, no deposit is needed. If you receive a regular (non-disability) military pension and have not paid the deposit, your military time will not be added to your FERS service. Veterans planning both a military and federal retirement can use our Military Retirement Calculator and VA Disability Calculator to estimate their total benefits. For a broader look at all your retirement income streams, try our Retirement Calculator or explore the Social Security Break-Even Calculator to decide when to start claiming Social Security alongside your FERS pension.