BRS Comparison

Plan for retirement by viewing personalized retirement reports, performing "what-if" exercises to see how your benefits might change.

Access to the BRS Comparison Calculator requires a CAC or DS Logon Premium Account. This allows an Airman's or Guardian's personnel data to populate the calculator fields for a personalized, close estimate of retired pay.

BRS opt-in Eligibility

The opt-in period for Blended Retirement System (BRS) ended effective December 31, 2018 for most military members. There are some exceptions for the following members:

If you are a cadet attending service academy who joined on or before December 31, 2017, or are in the Reserve Officer Training Program with a signed contract on or before December 31, 2017, you’re also grandfathered under the legacy retirement system. However, if commissioning (or being placed on pay status) occurs after the 2018 opt in window, you will have 30 days upon commissioning to opt into the BRS. If you enter an academy or sign your service contract on or after January 1, 2018 your retirement plan is automatically under BRS.

Break in service - If you have break in service, rejoined after the 2018 calendar year opt-in window and still meets the less than 12 years of service criteria or have fewer than 4,320 retirement points, you will have 30 days to choose the BRS or remain in the legacy retirement system.

Individual Ready or Standby Reserve. If you are a BRS-eligible member of the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) or the Standby Reserve who entered paid status for the first time after 2018, you may receive a one-time BRS opt-in extension. Once in paid status, you have 30 days to opt into the BRS.

If an Airmen believes they should be considered for a hardship extension of the enrollment period, in accordance with Reference OSD Memorandum Implementation of the Blended Retirement System, dated 27 January 2017. Airmen can access information in myFSS and open a help ticket to receive more guidance on submitting a hardship extension. If you have questions about BRS, please contact the MyAirforceBenefits Help Desk between 9AM and 5PM EST Monday - Friday at 888-721-2769.

For more information see; BRS fact sheet or please see your personnel or finance office for further information.

BRS comparison Instructions: In the following screens, select High 3 Legacy retirement, next at the bottom of the results select go back to my information and choose Blended Retirement System from the drop down to compare the two retirement programs. In the Blended Retirement System calculator, you may select continue to view TSP savings component.

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Featured: Reunion

The return home from combat can often leave servicemembers feeling out of place with the most important people in their lives - their families.

"In deployment, Soldiers grow accustomed to a new lifestyle and a new 'family' - those buddies that bond together to defend each other," said Maj. Ken Williams, 14th Military Police Brigade chaplain. "This lifestyle change is prolonged and becomes familiar, i.e., the new normal."

The families also change while the Servicemember is deployed.

"The family is a system," Williams said. "When one family member is absent, the whole system changes. All members of the family adapt to a new 'normal' way of life."

When the servicemember returns, the family may feel uncomfortable with each other, and the servicemember may withdraw from the family.