About This Site
Military Retirement Calculator answers one question: what will your military retirement actually pay, after taxes, with VA disability counted, in your state. The calculator is free, works for every rank from E-1 to O-10, and never sends your numbers anywhere. Everything is computed in your browser.
I built this site and I maintain it alone. I'm a retired Army veteran with 22 years of service, and I went through the transition myself: the pension math, the VA rating, the state tax question, the TRICARE decisions, all landing in the same season of life. It was more complicated than it needed to be, and most of the tools I found skipped the parts that mattered.
My goal here is simple: accurate numbers for every service member approaching retirement, so you walk out set up for success. The site is independent and has no affiliation with the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, DFAS, or any government agency.
Where the numbers come from
Every dollar figure on this site traces to a primary source:
- Pension math: official DFAS pay tables, 2023 through 2026. High-3 averages are built month by month from the real tables, not estimated.
- VA disability: VA.gov compensation rates effective December 1, 2025, including dependent added amounts and spouse Aid and Attendance.
- Federal tax: the 2026 brackets and standard deductions from IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32.
- State tax: how each of the 50 states treats military retirement pay, checked against state revenue department guidance.
- TRICARE: the official TRICARE 2026 Costs and Fees sheet.
How verification works
In July 2026 the site went through a full accuracy audit: every checkable claim in the calculator and the guides was traced to its primary source and confirmed against an independent second source. Numbers that failed got corrected, and the audit is logged internally so the next pass knows what to watch.
The cycle repeats every December, when the new COLA takes effect and the next year's pay tables, VA rates, and TRICARE fees publish. If you ever spot a number that looks wrong, email me. Sourced corrections ship within days.
How the site pays for itself
Everything is visible on the page: a $4.99 retirement worksheet that turns your calculator results into a printable 7-page PDF, book recommendations on the resources page that use Amazon affiliate links, and a few military-focused services recommended under the calculator results that use referral links. Affiliate and referral links earn the site a small commission and never change your price. Every one is disclosed where it appears.
That's the whole model. No display ads, no sponsored posts, and your email address is never sold or shared. The newsletter exists to send rate updates, nothing else.
Contact
Questions, corrections, or a device reset for the worksheet: militaryretirementcalc@gmail.com
Corrections get priority. If a number on this site is wrong, I want to know before anyone plans around it.
Everything on this site is educational. It is not financial, legal, or tax advice, and it is not a substitute for DFAS, the VA, or a professional who can see your full situation. For decisions with real money on the line, verify with the primary sources linked above or a qualified advisor.