Military Buyback Calculator
See exactly what your military buyback costs — and what that $4,200 returns to you in lifetime federal pension dollars. Built for federal employees with prior military service.
We're finalizing the math with Ann Werts against the latest DFAS interest schedules. Drop your email below and we'll send you the calculator the day it launches — plus a 3-page explainer on the 3-year interest-free window most feds miss.
What this calculator will do
Calculate your exact buyback cost
Enter your military basic pay history and we'll compute the 3% deposit — plus any accrued DFAS interest if you're past your 3-year window.
Project the lifetime pension ROI
See what adding those years does to your FERS formula — at your high-3, at your service computation date, across a 25- or 30-year retirement horizon.
Find your break-even month
Most military buybacks pay for themselves in year one of retirement. Yours might be faster. The calculator shows the exact month you break even.
Flag the interest-free deadline
You have 2 years and 364 days of federal service to complete a buyback interest-free. After that, the math gets ugly fast. We'll tell you where you stand.
Why military buyback is almost always a win
If you served in the military and you're not already drawing a military retirement, a buyback is usually one of the highest-ROI moves you can make as a federal employee. You pay 3% of your military basic pay (not your civilian salary — your actual military pay for those years). In exchange, those years count toward your FERS service computation date, your pension formula, and your eligibility thresholds for retirement.
We've seen buybacks cost $4,000 and unlock a full additional year of federal pension — every year, for life. On a $75,000 high-3, that's roughly $750 more in annual pension, which over a 25-year retirement works out to about $18,750 in today's dollars. For a $4,000 outlay.
The catch is timing. You have 2 years and 364 days of federal employment to complete the buyback interest-free. After that, DFAS starts charging variable interest — and the longer you wait, the more it compounds. The calculator flags whether you're inside or outside the window.
Send me the calculator when it launches
We'll email you the moment the tool goes live — plus a 3-page PDF explainer on the RI 20-97 process and the most common mistakes feds make with buyback timing.
You're on the list
We'll email you the moment the tool launches — plus the companion PDF explainer we mentioned.
Can't wait? Book a 20-minute review and we'll run the numbers with you live. Book a complimentary review →