FERS retirement calculator: estimate your federal pension
Use this FERS calculator to estimate your federal pension based on years of service, high-3 salary, sick leave, and retirement age. Whether you are five years out or five months away, understanding your FERS annuity is the first step to a confident federal retirement.
Your FERS annuity follows one formula set by the Office of Personnel Management: high-3 average salary times years of creditable service times a multiplier. Enter your own numbers below to see your estimated annual and monthly pension, then read on to understand how each piece works.
FERS pension calculator
Estimates are for educational purposes only and are not a guarantee of your actual benefit. Your official figures come from OPM and your agency.
How to calculate your FERS pension in 4 steps
Your FERS annuity follows one formula set by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM): high-3 average salary × years of creditable service × multiplier. Here is how to work it out.
- Find your high-3 average salary. Average your highest 36 consecutive months of basic pay (base salary plus locality, not overtime or bonuses).
- Total your creditable service. Add your FERS-covered years, unused sick leave (2,087 hours equals one year of credit), and any military service you have bought back.
- Determine your multiplier. Use 1.0%, or 1.1% if you retire at age 62 or later with at least 20 years of service. Law enforcement officers, firefighters, and air traffic controllers use 1.7% for their first 20 years.
- Multiply the three together. High-3 × years × multiplier equals your estimated annual FERS pension. Divide by 12 for the monthly amount.
Example: a $100,000 high-3 with 25 years of service at the 1.1% multiplier works out to $100,000 × 25 × 1.1% equals $27,500 per year ($2,292 per month). Enter your own numbers in the calculator above to see your estimate.
How the FERS pension formula works
Your FERS pension is calculated using a straightforward formula established by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). While the math itself is simple, the variables that feed into it, your salary history, creditable service, and retirement age, involve nuances that can significantly affect your retirement income. The basic annuity formula is: annual pension equals high-3 average salary times years of creditable service times your multiplier.
High-3 average salary
Your high-3 is the highest average basic pay you earned during any 36 consecutive months of federal service. For most employees, this is the final three years before retirement. Your high-3 includes your base salary and locality pay, but does not include overtime, bonuses, awards, or other premium payments.
If you took a lower-paying position later in your career, for example moving from a GS-14 supervisory role to a GS-13 non-supervisory position, OPM will look at every possible 36-month window in your career and use whichever one produces the highest average. This means your high-3 could come from an earlier period rather than your final years.
Maximizing your high-3 is one of the most impactful retirement planning decisions you can make. A $5,000 difference in your high-3 translates to $50 to $55 more per year for every year of creditable service, compounding over a 20 to 30 plus year retirement.
Years of creditable service
Your creditable service includes all periods of federal civilian employment covered by FERS deductions, plus any additional service credit you may qualify for. This can include:
- All time in a FERS-covered position where retirement deductions were withheld
- Military service, if you complete a military service deposit (buyback)
- Unused sick leave, which is converted to service credit at the time of retirement
- Certain periods of temporary or intermittent employment, if deposits are made
The sick leave conversion is particularly important. OPM converts your unused sick leave balance into additional months and days of creditable service using a factor of 2,087 hours per year. For example, 2,087 hours of unused sick leave adds a full year of service credit to your annuity calculation. At 1,000 hours, you would receive approximately 5 months and 22 days of additional credit.
Unlike annual leave (which is paid out as a lump sum when you retire), sick leave directly increases your pension for the rest of your life.
The multiplier: 1% vs. 1.1% vs. 1.7%
- Standard, 1%: Most FERS employees who retire before age 62, or who retire at 62 or older with fewer than 20 years of service.
- Enhanced, 1.1%: Age 62 or older with at least 20 years of creditable service. A 10% increase in pension, thousands of dollars per year.
- Special category, 1.7% then 1%: Law enforcement officers, firefighters, and air traffic controllers receive 1.7% for their first 20 years, then 1% thereafter.
Enhanced multiplier qualification: To qualify for the 1.1% multiplier, you must actually be age 62 at the time of retirement. If you retire at 61 and later turn 62, you do not receive the enhanced multiplier.
Special category multiplier: Law enforcement officers, firefighters, and air traffic controllers receive the 1.7% multiplier for their first 20 years of covered service, then 1% for any years beyond 20. This recognizes the demanding nature of these positions and their earlier mandatory retirement ages.
Putting it together: the complete calculation
For a standard FERS employee, the calculation flows like this:
- Determine your high-3 average salary
- Add up your total creditable service (including sick leave conversion and any military buyback)
- Determine your multiplier based on your age and years of service at retirement
- Multiply: high-3 × total years × multiplier equals annual pension
If you elect a survivor benefit for your spouse, your pension is then reduced by 5% (for a 25% survivor benefit) or 10% (for a 50% survivor benefit) to fund that protection.
The calculator above automates this entire process. Enter your numbers to see your estimated annual and monthly pension, then read the examples below to understand how different scenarios play out.
FERS pension examples at different career stages
Understanding the formula is one thing. Seeing it applied to real federal salary levels makes the impact tangible. Below are four common scenarios using 2026 GS pay scales.
Example 1: GS-12 Step 5, 20 years, retiring at age 60
- High-3: $88,520
- Service: 20 years plus 1,200 hrs sick leave (about 7 months extra credit)
- Multiplier: 1% (under age 62)
$88,520 × 20.58 × 1% equals $18,214/yr ($1,518/mo). At age 60 with 20 years, this employee qualifies for an immediate unreduced pension and may also receive the FERS supplement until age 62.
Example 2: GS-13 Step 10, 25 years, retiring at age 62
- High-3: $113,750
- Service: 25 years plus 1,800 hrs sick leave (about 10.3 months extra credit)
- Multiplier: 1.1% (age 62 or older with 20 or more years)
$113,750 × 25.86 × 1.1% equals $32,343/yr ($2,695/mo). The 1.1% multiplier adds $2,940/yr versus the standard 1%, an additional $73,500 over a 25-year retirement.
Example 3: GS-15 Step 7, 30 years, retiring at age 62
- High-3: $152,200
- Service: 30 years plus 2,000 hrs sick leave (about 11.5 months extra credit)
- Multiplier: 1.1%
$152,200 × 30.96 × 1.1% equals $51,816/yr ($4,318/mo). For high-earning federal employees, the pension alone replaces a significant portion of pre-retirement income. Combined with Social Security and TSP withdrawals, many achieve 80 to 90% income replacement.
Example 4: Law enforcement officer, 20 years, retiring at age 50
- High-3: $97,400
- Service: 20 years plus 800 hrs sick leave (about 4.6 months extra credit)
- Multiplier: 1.7% (special category, first 20 years)
$97,400 × 20.38 × 1.7% equals $33,753/yr ($2,813/mo). The 1.7% multiplier for special category employees produces a pension nearly 70% larger than the standard 1% formula would yield for the same salary and service years.
What these examples do not include
These calculations show the base pension only. Your actual retirement income picture also includes Social Security benefits (beginning at age 62 or later), TSP and 401(k) withdrawals, the FERS supplement (if eligible), and any survivor benefit reductions you elect. A comprehensive retirement analysis considers all of these income sources together.
The FERS supplement and early retirement options
If you are planning to retire before age 62, the FERS supplement is a critical part of your income picture. It acts as a bridge payment that partially replaces Social Security income until you become eligible for actual Social Security benefits.
What is the FERS supplement?
The FERS supplement is a monthly payment that approximates the Social Security benefit you earned during your years of FERS-covered federal employment. It begins when you retire and ends at age 62 (or when you become eligible for Social Security, whichever comes first).
The supplement is only available to employees who retire on an immediate, unreduced annuity before age 62. This means you must meet one of these eligibility criteria:
- MRA + 30 years: You have reached your Minimum Retirement Age and have at least 30 years of creditable service
- Age 60 + 20 years: You are at least 60 years old with 20 or more years of creditable service
Employees who retire under the MRA+10 provision (Minimum Retirement Age with 10 to 29 years of service) do not receive the FERS supplement, and their pension is reduced by 5% for each year they are under age 62.
How is the supplement calculated?
OPM estimates your supplement using this approach: they calculate your estimated full Social Security benefit at age 62, then multiply that by a fraction of your years of FERS service divided by 40.
Example: If your estimated Social Security benefit at 62 would be $2,000/month and you have 25 years of FERS service, your supplement would be approximately $2,000 × (25/40) equals $1,250/month.
This can represent significant income. In the GS-13 example above, the supplement could add $1,000 to $1,500 per month to bridge the gap between retirement and Social Security eligibility. For a full walkthrough of eligibility and the earnings test, see our FERS supplement guide.
Important supplement considerations
The FERS supplement is subject to an earnings test similar to Social Security. If you work after retiring and earn more than the annual exempt amount, your supplement is reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn above the limit. Your actual FERS pension is not affected by this earnings test, only the supplement.
The supplement also does not receive cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs). While your FERS pension receives annual COLAs after age 62, the supplement remains fixed at the amount calculated when you retire.
Planning your federal retirement timeline
Whether to retire at your MRA, wait until 60, or hold out for age 62 and the 1.1% multiplier is one of the most consequential financial decisions a federal employee faces. The difference can amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars over a 25 to 30 year retirement.
A thorough analysis runs these scenarios against your specific pension, supplement eligibility, TSP balance, Social Security timing, FEHB considerations, and tax implications to identify the optimal retirement date for your situation.
FERS calculator FAQ
How is my FERS pension calculated?
According to OPM guidelines, your FERS annuity is calculated using the formula: years of creditable service × high-3 average salary × multiplier. The standard multiplier is 1% for most employees. If you retire at age 62 or older with at least 20 years of service, the multiplier increases to 1.1%. Special category employees (law enforcement officers, firefighters, and air traffic controllers) receive a 1.7% multiplier for their first 20 years of service and 1% thereafter. Your creditable service includes all periods of federal employment covered by FERS, plus unused sick leave credit (which is added to your service time for annuity computation purposes).
How does sick leave credit affect my annuity?
Unused sick leave is converted into creditable service for your FERS annuity calculation. The conversion depends on when you retire and how much sick leave you have. For retirements after 2014, all unused sick leave counts toward your annuity (previously, only 50% counted for FERS employees). The leave balance is converted into months and days of service credit, which is then added to your total creditable service before applying the FERS formula. For example, if you have 2,000 hours of unused sick leave, that converts to approximately one year of additional service credit. This can significantly increase your annuity, in many cases by several hundred dollars per month.
What is the 1.1% multiplier and do I qualify?
The enhanced 1.1% multiplier is available if you retire at age 62 or older with at least 20 years of creditable service. This represents a 10% increase over the standard 1% multiplier. For example, with a high-3 salary of $100,000 and 25 years of service, the standard formula gives you $25,000/year (25 × $100,000 × 1%), but with the 1.1% multiplier you receive $27,500/year (25 × $100,000 × 1.1%), an extra $2,500 annually. To qualify, you must actually be age 62 when you retire, not just meet Minimum Retirement Age. Employees who retire before 62 receive the standard 1% multiplier even if they eventually turn 62.
How does the survivor benefit reduce my annuity?
The FERS survivor benefit provides ongoing income to your spouse after your death, but it reduces your annuity during your lifetime. You have three options: full survivor benefit (your spouse receives 50% of your annuity, costs you 10% of your annuity), partial survivor benefit (spouse receives 25%, costs you 5%), or no survivor benefit (maximum pension for you, but nothing for your spouse). For example, if your calculated annuity is $30,000/year and you elect the full survivor benefit, you will receive $27,000/year ($30,000 minus 10%), and your spouse will receive $15,000/year (50% of the unreduced amount) after your death. The decision depends on your spouse's other income sources, health, and age difference.
What is the high-3 average salary?
The high-3 is your highest average basic pay earned during any consecutive 36-month period of service. It typically includes your base salary but does not include overtime, bonuses, locality pay adjustments (for annuity purposes, though locality is part of your actual salary), or other premium pay. OPM calculates this by looking at all possible 36-month periods in your career and identifying which one yields the highest average. For most employees, this is their final three years before retirement, but if you took a lower-paying position later in your career, an earlier period might produce a higher average. Maximizing your high-3, through promotions, step increases, or avoiding demotions near retirement, can significantly impact your lifetime annuity.
Ready for a professional FERS analysis?
This calculator provides estimates, but your actual FERS calculation involves many nuances. Sit down with a federal specialist to check your real numbers and explore optimization strategies for your specific situation.