Guard & Reserve
Hit 50 points in a year for a "good year," and 20 good years earns a pension.
U.S. Army National Guard photo by Cpl. Zachary M. Zippe, DVIDS (public domain).
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Open LES Tool→Reserve and Guard retirement does not work like active duty. Instead of counting years, it counts points, and instead of a pension the day you hit 20 years, you usually draw it at age 60. The number every drilling reservist should know is 50. Earn at least 50 points in your retirement year and it counts as a good year. Stack 20 good years and you have earned a Reserve pension.
Points are the currency of a Reserve career. You earn them four ways, and they add up across the year toward that 50-point threshold.
Where points come from
The limits to know
A typical year of drills (about 48 IDT points) plus 15 membership points and a two-week annual training easily clears the 50-point good-year bar.
Source: DoD Military Compensation; DFAS
A good year (officially a satisfactory year of service) is any retirement-anniversary year in which you earn 50 or more points. You need 20 good years to qualify for non-regular (Reserve) retired pay. Years where you fall short of 50 points still count for some purposes, but they do not count as good years toward the 20.
Here is the part that separates Reserve retirement from active duty: you generally do not start drawing retired pay at 20 years. You wait until age 60, and the stretch in between is called being a gray area retiree. Your pension is built from your total points, not just your good years.
How the pension is figured
Drawing it earlier than 60
More points means a bigger check. Every drill, school, and active-duty day you log adds to the total that gets divided by 360.
Source: DoD Military Compensation, Reserve Retirement; DFAS Gray Area Retirees
It does. Points get miscounted, and a missing good year can cost you eligibility. Check your annual statement of retirement points every year, fix errors while the records are fresh, and keep your own copies of orders and drill records.
What is a good year?
A retirement-anniversary year in which you earn at least 50 retirement points. You need 20 good years for a Reserve pension.
How many points is a drill weekend?
A standard drill weekend is four drills, so four points, plus you earn 15 membership points a year and a point for each day of active duty or annual training.
When do I start getting paid?
Usually at age 60. Qualifying active-duty or mobilization time can move that earlier, by three months for every 90 cumulative days in a fiscal year, but not before age 50.
How is my Reserve pension calculated?
Total career points divided by 360, times your multiplier (2.5% legacy or 2.0% under BRS), times your high-3 base pay average.
Is there a cap on points?
Inactive points (drills, membership, correspondence) are capped per year (currently 130; confirm with your branch). Active-duty points are not capped.
