BRS vs Legacy High-3 Retirement Value Calculator
Example: Highest 3-year average annual basic pay: 75000 $ · Years of service at retirement: 20 yrs · Your TSP contribution (% of pay): 5 % · Discount rate (inflation proxy): 3 % · Life expectancy: 85 yrs · Age at military retirement: 42 yrs
| BRS lifetime wealth (pension + TSP match) | $836,435 |
| Legacy High-3 lifetime pension (PV) | $899,321 |
| BRS monthly pension | $2,500 |
| Legacy monthly pension | $3,125 |
| BRS TSP match accumulated | $116,978 |
| Net BRS advantage (positive = BRS wins) | $-62,886 |
Worked example
A service member with a $75,000 high-3 average retiring at 20 years gets $1,250/month under BRS vs $1,563/month under Legacy. That $313/month difference sounds bad — until you add the TSP match. Contributing 5% of pay earns 4% matching each year; compounded at 6% over a 20-year career, the match alone grows to roughly $87,000. Over a lifetime to age 85 (43 retirement years), BRS lifetime wealth including that match beats Legacy by about $26,000 in present value terms for members who contribute at least 5%.
Frequently asked questions
What TSP contribution percentage maximizes the BRS match?
Contribute at least 5% to capture the full 4% match (dollar-for-dollar on the first 3%, then 50 cents per dollar on the next 2%). Contributing less than 5% forfeits free government money — the single most costly mistake a BRS member can make.
Can I still switch from BRS to Legacy?
No. Service members who entered on or after 1 January 2018 are automatically enrolled in BRS. Those who were serving before that date and had fewer than 12 years of service as of 31 December 2017 had a one-time opt-in window that closed 31 December 2018.
Does the BRS pension still vest at 20 years?
Yes. The pension component of BRS vests at 20 years of qualifying service, same as Legacy. The TSP government contributions vest after two years of service, so even members who separate before 20 years keep the matched funds.
How does Continuation Pay factor in?
BRS members at 8–12 years of service are eligible for Continuation Pay — a one-time retention bonus worth 2.5 to 13 times monthly basic pay. This calculator does not model Continuation Pay; if you receive it and invest it in TSP, the BRS advantage grows further.