How does a retirement time work with mixed Active Duty and Reserve time?

2023-11-14T21:10:40-05:00

I was in the reserves for 6 years and transferred to active duty. I know that most of the time in the reserves won't count towards the active duty retirement but does it work in reverse? If I did 14 years of active duty and was unable to continue, would the combined time of service make me eligible for the reserve retirement? Multiple retention NCO's are not very knowledgeable on mixed time unfortunately. I know that at the very least I should be eligible for federal retirement. I also have 3 years with the post office.

Response by CPT Lawrence Cable made Nov 15 at 2023 5:57 AM

2023-11-15T05:57:38-05:00

If you have 6 good years Army Reserve and 14 Active Army, you will have enough years and points to qualify for a Reserve Retirement at age 60. Until age 60, you are a gray area Retiree. It has some benefits, but no pay or Tricare. No idea about the post office.
You will get credit for every Reserve Point earned for Pay, points divided by 360 to figure years credited for pay. The Active years are already maxed out.
Are you on the old system or the new mixed retirement?

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 15 at 2023 10:23 AM

2023-11-15T10:23:17-05:00

20 years is 20 years ... the difference is when (and how much you get paid - depending on which retirement plan you are under) you can start getting paid. You are elligible to start collecting your pention right after completing 20 years of active duty. Those with reserve time are not elligible until age 60 (minus any creditible service time).

Response by COL Randall C. made Nov 15 at 2023 12:37 PM

2023-11-15T12:37:47-05:00

Short answer: Yes, your active component time counts towards a non-regular retirement ('non-regular retirement' is the formal name for a "reserve retirement" while 'regular retirement' is the formal name for an "active duty retirement").

There used to be a law that you had to serve the last six years before retirement in the reserve component, but that was rescinded in 2005. However, you'll still come across some documents that mention the six year requirement because they were created before it was rescinded or it got through the editing process in later versions.

Longer answer:

Your question should be in reference to "eligibility", as all "good" time is counted regardless if it is active duty, reserve IDT, while in training, etc. I say that because most of the confusion comes from mixing "compensation" and "eligibility" in the discussion. For example, your comment "most of the time in the reserves won't count towards the active duty retirement" is correct if you are referring to "retirement eligibility", but incorrect if you are referring to "retirement compensation".

Just like a regular retirement, to be eligible for a reserve retirement (or 'non-regular retirement'), you must have 20 years of qualifying service (a year of service in the regular component counts as a year of qualifying service). However, there are slight differences in additional eligibility requirements according to law (for the Army, that is 10 U.S. Code § 7326*). For example, a qualifying year for a non-regular retirement is a year which you have 50 credited points. Points are given for:
● One point for each day of active-duty service
● One point for each day of full-time service while performing training duty or instruction at a service school
● One point for attendance at a each period of drill or instruction (i.e., a typical 'weekend drill' four periods .. i.e., MUTA-4)
● One point for each day during which funeral honors duty was performed
● 15 points for each year of membership in a reserve component of the military

So, if you earned 50 points in a year, then that is considered a qualifying year of service for eligibility. Keep in mind that a "year" is probably not January 1st through December 31st (unless you came into the military on New Year's Day), it depends on your Retirement Year Ending/Anniversary Year End (RYE or AYE .. they refer to the same thing) date is when you entered an active status (not 'active duty' .. the day you officially joined the active or reserve component).

Assuming there is no break in service, "your personal year" starts on that date each year and goes to the date previous to that in the next year (unless again, you somehow entered active status on 1 JAN ... then it would go to 31 DEC of the same year). So, if you enlisted on 15 September of the year, your Year End would finish on 14 September of the next year. That's the 'year' you would have to have 50+ points earned.

The "personal year" is important if you had a break in service before you joined the reserve component. For example, you enlisted on active duty on 15 February 2000. You were discharged on 31 March 2014 and later joined a reserve unit in June of 2015. If you did it from a straight "calendar year", you would have had 14 qualifying years for your non-regular retirement (all you need is 50 points each year). However, you only actually have 13 qualifying years because the year goes from 15 February to 14 February of the next year (the last year goes from 15 February 2015 through 31 March 2015 .. and that means it's 45 days).
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* Title 10 U.S. Code, Section 7236 - https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/7326
* DoDI 1215.07 - Service Credit for Non-Regular Retirement - https://www.esd.whs.mil/Portals/54/Documents/DD/issuances/dodi/121507p.pdf
* AR 135-180 - Retirement for Non-Regular Service - https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/r135_180.pdf
* Army Reserve Retirement Points Information Guide - https://soldierforlife.army.mil/Documents/Army%20Reserve%20Retirement%20Point%20Information%20Guide%2014%20May%202018.pdf
* DoD 7000.14-R - DoD's Financial Management Regulation, Volume 7B, Chapter 1 (Initial entitlements - Retirement) - https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/fmr/current/07b/07b_01.pdf

10 U.S. Code § 7326 - Computation of years of service: voluntary retirement; regular and reserve...

Response by SSG Dave Johnston made Jan 11 at 2024 9:44 PM

2024-01-11T21:44:28-05:00

I had 16 years Active when I took the VSI offered in 1992... I was able to bounce between Ready Reserves and IRR... Between 9/11 and my retirement date in 2007 I'd been MOBed twice and during my last MOB I was able to enter 10 U.S.C. 1176 (Sanctuary)... Your Reserve time will add up to allow you to retire... I enjoyed it because I could call USAHRC and ask for a 6 to 18 month call up. Re you time with USPS will have to be compiled separately if the two entities can be combined... That is a Civil Service question to be resolved

Response by SPC Michael Budzinski made Jan 21 at 2024 5:12 AM

2024-01-21T05:12:39-05:00

Reserve time should not count