Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Estimated annual FERS pension
$23,750
Estimated monthly FERS pension
$1,979
Multiplier used
1.00%
Extra annual amount from 1.1% multiplier vs 1%
$0
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How to use this
- 1Enter high-3 average salary ($).
- 2Enter years of creditable service.
- 3Enter age at retirement.
- 4Read your estimated annual fers pension on the right — it updates as you type.
- 5Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
FERS provides a defined-benefit pension calculated from your high-3 average salary (the highest average basic pay over any 3 consecutive years) multiplied by a benefit multiplier and your years of creditable service. The standard multiplier is 1% per year of service, but bumps to 1.1% per year if you retire at age 62 or later with at least 20 years of service — a meaningful difference worth timing around if you're close to that threshold. FERS is only one leg of federal retirement; the other two are Social Security (earned through FERS-covered work, which is Social Security-covered unlike old CSRS) and the Thrift Savings Plan. This calculator computes your estimated annual and monthly FERS annuity from your inputs, and separately flags whether you qualify for the higher 1.1% multiplier, so you can see the financial impact of retiring a few months earlier or later relative to that age-62 threshold.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- High-3 average salary: 95000 $
- Years of creditable service: 25
- Age at retirement: 60
Results
- Estimated annual FERS pension: $23,750
- Estimated monthly FERS pension: $1,979
- Multiplier used: 1.00%
- Extra annual amount from 1.1% multiplier vs 1%: $0
What each field means
Inputs
- High-3 average salary ($)
- The high-3 average salary used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 95000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Years of creditable service
- The years of creditable service used in the calculation. Starts at 25 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–50.
- Age at retirement
- The age at retirement used in the calculation. Starts at 60 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 40–75.
Results
- Estimated annual FERS pension
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Estimated monthly FERS pension
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Multiplier used
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Extra annual amount from 1.1% multiplier vs 1%
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
What exactly is 'high-3' salary?
It's the average of your highest 36 consecutive months of basic pay, not necessarily your final three years — for most people whose pay steadily increased, this ends up being their last three years, but it can differ if you took a lower-paying role, went part-time, or had a pay-affecting change near retirement.
Is FERS enough to retire on by itself?
No, FERS is deliberately designed as one of three pillars alongside Social Security and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), typically replacing only 30-40% of pre-retirement income on its own for a full career employee. Financial planning for federal retirement needs to account for all three sources together.
Does an early retirement (like MRA+10) reduce my pension?
Yes, retiring under the Minimum Retirement Age plus 10 years of service provision but before meeting full unreduced retirement eligibility triggers a 5% per year reduction for every year you're under age 62, unless you meet an exception like MRA with 30 years or age 60 with 20 years, which allow immediate unreduced benefits.
How does a FERS annuity get inflation adjustments?
FERS COLAs are smaller than CSRS or Social Security COLAs and only start at age 62 for most retirees (special provision retirees like law enforcement get them immediately), and they're calculated using a diet formula that caps the increase below the full CPI increase when inflation exceeds 2%.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). FERS Pension Estimate Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fers-pension-estimate
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fers-pension-estimate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">FERS Pension Estimate Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [FERS Pension Estimate Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/fers-pension-estimate) (2026).