Posted on Jun 6, 2022
SSG Water Treatment Specialist
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Looked through threads and have found information, but all of it a little outdated, and not specifically what I was looking for.
In summary, I am an E6 with 10 years total TIS. I started my career in the National Guard ( 4.5 years), was released and now on Active duty. Going forward, I am looking at possibly trying to drop into the Guard to finish out my career and start working on life after-service.

What I want to know, is how will retirement work in that situation?
Ex: I enlisted in 2012, but want to get out in 2032, finishing out in the Guard.
How will my original Guard time be calculated, as well as my active duty service time, as well as any potential remaining Guard time? I know I am not the first person to be in such a situation, but it is tough to find consistent information.

Thank you to anyone who takes time to read this and help answer. ?
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Responses: 4
CPT Assistant Operations Officer (S3)
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When you go to the Guard they will have to calculate your retirement points. You will be able to read this on your RPAM Statement. It will count up all of your point that you have accrued. In the Guard your retirement isn't triggered by points but by time. In the Regular Army it is triggered by having twenty years of points.

A Soldier in the National Guard must have completed 20 years of qualifying service to be eligible for retired pay at age 60. A qualifying year is a complete year in which a Soldier has earned a minimum of 50 retirement points.

A Soldier earns points for inactive duty for training (IDT), active duty for training (ADT), active duty, Reserve membership, and equivalent instruction, some examples are as follows:

-One point is earned for each day of active service (active duty and active duty for training).
-15 points for each year as a Soldier (based on a calendar year from the date the Soldier joins the Army (e.g., 31 March-30 March).
-One point for each unit training assembly.
-One point for every three hours of satisfactory completion of accredited correspondence courses.

When you retire from the Guard you will have more points than the average. Non-Regular Retired pay under the Reserve system is computed by totaling all points earned during a Soldier's career, dividing by 360 (one year) and then multiplying by 2.5 percent to determine the benefit multiplier. The multiplier is then applied to the Soldier's basic pay rate or "high-36" (36 months) average at the time the retirement request is made. For example, a Soldier who retires after 24 years of service (YOS) with a total of 3,600 points will receive 25 percent of their "high-36" average basic pay for retirement (3,600/360 x 2.5=25%).
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CPT Assistant Operations Officer (S3)
CPT (Join to see)
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CPT Lawrence Cable - They are not necessarily triggered by time. If you have an absence while you are in service then that does not count and your eligibility to retire is moved. It is based on based but those points are gained by a day of service. I have over 20 years of service already but I still have 4 years till I can retire from the Regular Army.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
CPT Lawrence Cable
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CPT (Join to see) - But he is going the other way, Guard time, Active Duty time, and back to the Guard. He won't lose any time as long as his guard years have 50 points, he just won't be able to collect pay until he is 60.
Going your way, for Guard to Active, points really don't count at all, but you will get credit for every active duty day you pulled in the Guard, including AT, IET, Schools, Deployments, etc. What confuses everyone is that when you retire, you get credit for membership points and all of those IDT points for pay.
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COL David Turk
COL David Turk
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There are a select few USAR/NG who could possibly retire before age 60. If they were activated on certain types of orders for certain contingency operations, they would be eligible to collect before age 60. I’ve been out too long to remember the details. The legislation was passed in response to 9-11, but was not in effect until 2008.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
CPT Lawrence Cable
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COL David Turk - You get credited for every aggregate block of deployment of 90 days in any fiscal year. It doesn't have to be concurrent, but it only counts in blocks of 90 days. If you deployed since 2008 and earned 6 each 90 day blocks, you could retire a 1 1/2 early.
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MAJ Intell Officer
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Soldiers must have 20 qualifying years of service.
In the Reserve/NG, a good/qualifying year is based on getting at least 50 points per your fiscal year. Reserve/NG cannot start receiving retirment pay until 60 years old (unless you have deployments to reduce the age/time requirement).
If you are retiring from the Guard, you fall under reserve/NG standards for receiving/collecting retirement. Your points will be totalled (from active and guard) and divided by 365 to determine years of service. And then calculated at 2.5% times your highest 36 months of basic pay.
https://militarypay.defense.gov/Pay/Retirement/
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COL David Turk
COL David Turk
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“ and divided by 365 to determine years of service.” In the USAR, it’s divided by 360 (at least it was).
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CPT Staff Officer
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I guess the two things you want to know are:
1) How much you get a month.
2) WHEN do you get it. Are you going to do 20 active years (in which you get it once you retire with those 20 active years), or do you have to wait till you're 60?

Lastly, I'm sure it's not an issue, and others defined a good year as 50 points, but that alone does not make a good year. One still has to attend Annual Training and not rack up enough unexcused abscesses. One can still get to 50 points and entirely miss Annual Training which could justify separation.

Finally......... POINTS POINTS POINTS.......... that's what drives the pay check calculation. Submit all those DA1380s for points at every opportunity. One can pick up 5-10 points easy without even trying. By the end of your career that can add up to an entire extra year of active duty time, and all you might have done is gone to Medical Exams on your own time during the week while not on orders or Battle Assembly.
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SSG Water Treatment Specialist
SSG (Join to see)
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Sir thanks for the answer. I should have maybe worded the question better, but essentially I am wanting to know, A) how will it be calculated and B) How many total years does it look like start to finish ( as you addressed.) Thanks again.
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CPT Staff Officer
CPT (Join to see)
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SSG (Join to see) - are you on the OLD retirement pension or did you take the new one that came out in 2018? The difference is 50% of base times point factor verses 40% of base times points factor
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COL David Turk
COL David Turk
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“ One still has to attend Annual Training” “One can still get to 50 points and entirely miss Annual Training which could justify separation.”
Is this requirement fairly new? Speaking from experience, that did not apply in the past.
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CPT Lawrence Cable
CPT Lawrence Cable
2 y
COL David Turk - The point count isn't hard to make without an AT, show up for drill and you get at least 48, then 15 points for membership. I have not found a regulation that states you must attend an AT to have a good year.
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