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Posted on Nov 27, 2018
If I have six (good) years in the National Guard, followed by 20 years active duty will my pension reflect 20 years of service? Or 26?
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Posted in these groups: 
Retirement
Pension
Retirement Pension
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 9
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Points earned from the Guard service should boost your pension when you attain age 60!
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CW2 (Join to see)
That is what I'm assuming. However, I haven't found documentation or anyone to confirm.
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CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025
CW2 (Join to see) Papers do vanish. Records personally maintained and organized can be a Godsend. Guard deductions may also accrue to your Social Security benefit when you attain the age for filing for SS.
Everything is easier when you are younger, trust me.
Do the Standard form 180 for a Nat’l Archives request and they should furnish a copy of the Form 20 from your days in the Guard.
I did not retain my file of documents after filing for my age 60 military retirement. I should have kept everything for the Social Security folks.
Everything is easier when you are younger, trust me.
Do the Standard form 180 for a Nat’l Archives request and they should furnish a copy of the Form 20 from your days in the Guard.
I did not retain my file of documents after filing for my age 60 military retirement. I should have kept everything for the Social Security folks.
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I had a similar experience when I moved from the Guard to AD Navy. Only your time on orders will be included in calculating your BASD but all of your retirement points count once you've attained retirement. For me, I gained active duty with 2.5 yrs added to me BASD, but once I hit twenty I'll effectively have ~22.
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LTC Curtis Madsen
I think the rule of thumb is you’ll get 1 year of active service for every 12 years or reserve time. This is added to the end once you’ve reached 20 years AFS. If you have more reserve points, then the rule of thumb I mentioned will change. I retired with just over 20 AFS and had 12 years reserve and ended up with 22.5 years of credited AFS. That only changes you percentage of retired pay you’ll receive, you’ll still be credited based on the pay scale with you total number of years served.
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LTC Curtis Madsen
Maybe the rule of thumb was 6 years of reserve time for every 1 year of active service credited.
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LCDR (Join to see)
LTC Curtis Madsen so it depends on the points you’re accruing during your reserve service. The standard is 48 unit training assemblies (or whatever your particular service calls drill periods), 15 days of annual training and 15 membership points just for breathing. Only the time or orders counts towards reaching retirement but every point counts as one day once you get your 20 year letter. The normal year is 78 points which comes out to 1/5 of an active duty year. But most reservists end up missing part of that so your 1 and 6 rule probably comes out to close to average for a non-operational reservist.
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LTC Curtis Madsen
Yup, I totally understand the process. I retired AGR and became rather an expert with this. The 1405 worksheet really breaks down the traditional time, so you can get a snapshot of what you reserve time will equate to.
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You will receive an active duty retirement so only your 20 years will count. While your LES will say 26 years for pay, your retirement is based off your BASD. Any active time during your reserve period counts towards your active service.
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https://militarypay.defense.gov/Pay/Retirement/
Retired Pay Base
There are two methods for determining the retired pay base. They are the final pay method and the high-36 month average method. The final pay method, as the name implies, establishes the retired pay base equal to final basic pay. The high-36 method is the average of the highest 36 months of basic pay divided by 36. This is generally the last 3 years of service and is sometimes called high-3. The method used depends upon when the member first entered military service.
The method is determined by DIEMS (Date of Initial Entry to Military Service) or DIEUS (Date of Initial Entry to Uniformed Services). The date a member first entered uniformed service in any capacity establishes DIEMS. This date is fixed---it does not change. Departing the military and rejoining does not affect DIEMS.
Some individuals have unique circumstances that complicate determining their DIEMS. Here are a few examples:
The DIEMS for Service Academy graduates who entered an Academy with no prior service is the date they reported to the Service Academy, not the date they graduated.
Beginning an ROTC scholarship program or enlisting as a Reserve in the Senior ROTC program sets the DIEMS, not the graduation or commissioning date.
Members who entered the military, separated, and then rejoined the military have a DIEMS based on entering the first period of military service.
The DIEMS for members who enlisted under the delayed entry program is when they entered the delayed entry program, not when they initially reported for duty.
For those who joined the Reserves and later joined the active component, their DIEMS is the date they joined the Reserves.
Retired Pay Base
There are two methods for determining the retired pay base. They are the final pay method and the high-36 month average method. The final pay method, as the name implies, establishes the retired pay base equal to final basic pay. The high-36 method is the average of the highest 36 months of basic pay divided by 36. This is generally the last 3 years of service and is sometimes called high-3. The method used depends upon when the member first entered military service.
The method is determined by DIEMS (Date of Initial Entry to Military Service) or DIEUS (Date of Initial Entry to Uniformed Services). The date a member first entered uniformed service in any capacity establishes DIEMS. This date is fixed---it does not change. Departing the military and rejoining does not affect DIEMS.
Some individuals have unique circumstances that complicate determining their DIEMS. Here are a few examples:
The DIEMS for Service Academy graduates who entered an Academy with no prior service is the date they reported to the Service Academy, not the date they graduated.
Beginning an ROTC scholarship program or enlisting as a Reserve in the Senior ROTC program sets the DIEMS, not the graduation or commissioning date.
Members who entered the military, separated, and then rejoined the military have a DIEMS based on entering the first period of military service.
The DIEMS for members who enlisted under the delayed entry program is when they entered the delayed entry program, not when they initially reported for duty.
For those who joined the Reserves and later joined the active component, their DIEMS is the date they joined the Reserves.
Military Pay and Benefits Website sponsored by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
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I know that my pension will reflect 26 years of service. What I don't know is if my pension will be 50% of my base pay, or if it will be more due to my six years in the guard, or will it be adjusted from 50% to 65% once I turn 60.
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LCDR (Join to see)
Add up all of your days on orders & divide by 365, your retirement will be reduced by these years. Add up all of your remaining retirement points & divide by 365, these years will be added to your retirement calculation once you've attained retirement. For me, I served nine years, had 2.5 on orders and two more in points. All six of your years will be included in your PEBD for your pay
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SFC Kenneth Hunnell
You take your 20 yrs x 365=7300 pts. Then take the points you recieved in National Guard, for argument sakes say 600 pts. Then you would have about 7900 pts. Make sure you allow for leap years. Then take that number divide it by 365, then time .025. The result will be the number that you multiply against your pay rate according to rank retired at. Make sure you use the calculation that was in affect when you first came into the service
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LTC Curtis Madsen
Your 6 years depends on the number of points you have. If you have 6 years good time it comes out to 468 points, so you’ll get a little over a year, 1.282 to be exact. So you end up with a little over 2.5 % for that six years. Have your Admin person run a 1405 report from RPAS, that should give you The number of years you will earn from reserve time. You’ll need to find an admin person that has that access too, not everyone has access.
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I believe you just get credit for any active duty time during those six years, IET, AT, any full time schools, and any Federal active duty. for active retirement. those days divided by 365 will give you the amount of time it adds to your retirement. You get 2.5 percent per year served.
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Pay is based on actual time in service, so those 5 years should add on. Look at your current LES, what does it say for time in service for pay? That is what you will be based on upon Active duty retirement
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CW2 (Join to see)
I know that my retirement will reflect 26 years of service. What I don't know is if the six years of National Guard time add to my pension. Would my pension still be 50% base pay? Will it increase when I turn 60? Does the national guard time affect my pension in any way whatsoever outside of overall years of service?
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MSgt Michael Bischoff
CW2 (Join to see) - since you will retire on active duty you will get only active duty pay unless your state like Alaska which offers retirement for anyone who serves over 5 years with them. I would check that out!
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MSgt Michael Bischoff
CW2 (Join to see) what you talking about is you date of initial entry in service. Is yours prior to Sept 80 or after there lies the answer to your question on how much and 60 does not matter with active duty retirement it does not change as you age.
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I don't know what the actual formula is, but my two good years from the Guard added about .5% to my active duty retirement.
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