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 can be one of the more valuable moves available to 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.
As an illustration only: a buyback might cost around $4,000 and add a year of service credit. On a $75,000 high-3 that could mean roughly $750 more in annual pension — about $18,750 over a 25-year retirement. Your actual cost and benefit depend on your military pay, salary history, age, and retirement date; individual results vary.
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 →