How many years do you need to serve in the military to get a pension?

20 years
You’ll need to serve 20 years or more to qualify for the lifetime monthly annuity. Your retirement benefit is determined by your years of service. It’s calculated at 2.5% times your highest 36 months of basic pay.

How old do you have to be to leave active duty?

Our commands were also filled with active-duty junior servicemembers who were separating at 8-12 years of service, and older ones who were retiring at 20-30 years. I identified much more with those groups.

When do you leave active duty for the reserves?

When you reach 18 years of service, federal law guarantees that you’ll be allowed to continue on active duty until 20. If you leave active duty for the Reserves or National Guard you’ll still be able to serve up to at least 20 good years, but you may also have a six-year commitment to the unit. (Talk with your Reserve recruiter to verify this.)

How often do you see your spouse on active duty?

My spouse was working alongside Reservists, too, but we only saw them once a year for their two weeks of active duty. To be fair, the Reserves were a minority of the staff. Our commands were also filled with active-duty junior servicemembers who were separating at 8-12 years of service, and older ones who were retiring at 20-30 years.

When do you get your pension after 20 years of duty?

When you serve for at least 20 years of active duty, the pension starts the minute you retire from active duty. When you do at least 20 good years of active duty and Reserve duty (a combined total of at least 20 good years) then for most retirees the pension starts at age 60.

How long do you have to be on active duty to get a pension?

But for this article, we will refer to 20 years as the standard. Active duty retirees need to have 20 years of active duty service to qualify for retirement. An active duty pension starts immediately upon retirement.

How many years of service do you need to retire from the National Guard?

Active duty retirees need to have 20 years of active duty service to qualify for retirement. An active duty pension starts immediately upon retirement. Members of the National Guard or Reserves also need 20 Good Years* of service – this can be any combination of qualified service in the National Guard, Reserves,…

How many years of active duty do you need to be eligible for Tera?

There are some exceptions, such as those who receive a medical retirement, or those who are eligible for retirement under Temporary Early Retirement Authority (TERA). But for this article, we will refer to 20 years as the standard. Active duty retirees need to have 20 years of active duty service to qualify for retirement.