High-3 vs BRS: how military retirement pay compares in 2026

High-3 vs BRS comes down to one trade. The legacy High-3 pension pays 2.5% per year of service. The Blended Retirement System pays 2.0% per year, and in exchange the government puts money into your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) every month you serve.

Which one you're under isn't a choice anymore for most people. Here's how each works and what the difference looks like in dollars.

Who is under High-3 and who is under BRS?

It depends on when you first entered service. According to the Defense Department's military compensation site:

• First joined on or after January 1, 2018: you're in BRS automatically.
• Joined before 2018 and opted in during the 2018 enrollment window: BRS.
• Joined on or after September 8, 1980 and before 2018, and didn't opt in: High-3 (DoD also calls it High-36).

The opt-in window closed at midnight on December 31, 2018. DoD says more than 400,000 service members opted in. If you didn't, you can't switch now.

There are two older plans you may hear about. Final Pay covers people who entered before September 8, 1980. REDUX applied to members who took the Career Status Bonus, an election that ended December 31, 2017.

How is the pension calculated?

Both plans start with the same number: the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay, usually your last three years. Then:

• High-3: 2.5% × years of service × that average
• BRS: 2.0% × years of service × that average

Years of service	High-3 pension	BRS pension
20	50%	40%
24	60%	48%
30	75%	60%

That 10-point gap at 20 years is permanent. It's paid every month for the rest of your life.

What does that look like for an E-7 at 20 years?

Take an E-7 retiring at exactly 20 years. Using the 2026 DFAS pay table, the last 36 months are 12 months at the "over 16" rate ($6,000.90) and 24 months at the "over 18" rate ($6,177.30). That averages about $6,118.50 a month.

	High-3	BRS
Multiplier at 20 years	50%	40%
Monthly pension	about $3,059	about $2,447
Yearly pension	about $36,711	about $29,369

This is simplified. Real pay rises every January, so an actual High-3 average would use three different years' tables. Look up any grade and year with the military pay calculator.

The BRS member gives up about $612 a month in pension. What they get for it is below.

What does BRS add?

The TSP contributions are the big one. Under the rules the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board published in 2017, and as the Army Reserve's BRS page lays out:

• An automatic contribution of 1% of basic pay starts after 60 days of service. You keep it once you've served two years.
• Matching starts at the beginning of your 25th month. The government matches your first 3% dollar for dollar and the next 2% at 50 cents on the dollar.
• Put in 5% and the government adds 5% (the automatic 1% plus a 4% match). Matching contributions are yours right away.
• Both the automatic 1% and the match stop when you reach 26 years of service.

The catch: you only get the full match if you contribute at least 5% yourself. Contribute nothing and you get the automatic 1%, nothing more.

Continuation pay is a one-time bonus offered between 8 and 12 years of service, in exchange for at least three more years. Each service sets the amount. A September 2024 Marine Corps infographic lists 2.5 to 13 times monthly basic pay; the Army Reserve page cites a range of half a month to six months for its members.

The lump sum is optional. At retirement you can take 25% or 50% of your discounted pension up front, paid at once or in up to four yearly installments. Your monthly check is reduced until you reach full Social Security retirement age (67 for most people), then goes back to the full amount.

Which plan comes out ahead?

There's no single answer, and this article isn't financial advice. A few things that are true either way:

• If you leave before 20 years, only BRS sends you off with government money: the vested TSP contributions (the automatic 1% after two years, plus every match).
• If you do stay 20, the High-3 pension is 25% larger. The BRS member needs the TSP balance to make up that gap.
• Under BRS, contributing at least 5% is what gets you the full match.

For your own numbers, look up the grade and years you expect to retire at in the military pay calculator. Then talk it over with a financial counselor before you make TSP choices.