Reserve or medical retirement, CRDP/CRSC, and Medicare need separate eligibility checks. Review the retirement coordination checklist. Planning recreation? Build a benefits-aware trip budget.
Can I afford to retire?
Your retirement income, line by line.
Enter your pay grade, years of service, ZIP code, and VA rating first. VetOps computes your retired pay from the 2026 military pay tables and estimates net monthly income using federal brackets and state military-retirement tax rules.
Your situation
Start with your ZIP code and filing status — we'll figure out your state and taxes.
Used for state pension limits. Blank does not establish age-based eligibility. TSP withdrawal timing and exceptions need separate review.
Military retirement
PEBD improves the basic-pay longevity estimate. It may differ from DIEMS and does not replace your creditable retirement service. Confirm both dates on your official records.
Estimated gross retired pay: $0/mo
Pension assumptions and official sources
DFAS basic-pay tables · Retirement systems and actual High-36 calculation
Unchecked means the scenario applies a dollar-for-dollar VA waiver, not that you are ineligible. Rating and years alone do not confirm entitlement. Reserve payment age and Chapter 61 limits can matter. CRSC is a separate benefit and is not modeled. Confirm with DFAS.
VA disability (tax-free)
Estimated VA disability: $0/mo
Education allowance
Choose your benefit, then enter paid months and the requested award details below. Until those details are complete, totals exclude education. VR&E and GI Bill housing are not added together for the same veteran and period. VA determines eligibility and the actual allowance.
From your award and enrollment plan, allowing for partial months and unpaid breaks. The budget spreads this amount over 12 months, not 12 promised payments.
Separate from your VA compensation selections. Standard rates effective October 1, 2025; later increases are not projected.
E-5 with-dependents basis regardless of family size. Online-only, OHA/foreign, OJT, and protected individual rates need the VA award option.
Allowance paid to you only, not tuition paid to the school. Confirm enrollment, eligibility, and any proration with VA.
Official VR&E rates · GI Bill payment and school-break rules
Traditional combat-zone contributions may be tax-exempt; their earnings are not. Nonqualified Roth withdrawals can include taxable earnings. Do not guess the taxable share.
Separate from year-end age. Model a period with the same withdrawal tax treatment; crossing an age threshold during the year needs a separate calculation.
Without a confirmed exception, this scenario adds 10% of the taxable draw before age 59.5. An exception does not remove ordinary income tax or satisfy the Roth five-year rule. A VA disability rating or military retirement alone does not establish an IRS exception.
IRS Roth qualification rules · IRS early-distribution exceptions
Additional monthly income
These taxable income amounts feed the federal and state tax estimate.
Monthly household budget
Use current or expected retirement spending. The total is compared with estimated after-tax income.
Scenario only. State-tax and education/TSP assumptions are still under review; do not use this net estimate to make a retirement decision.
See all veteran benefits for this state — plates, tolls, property tax, education, recreation →
| Income source | Tax status | Monthly | Annual |
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Next step
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Your VA disability is the biggest tax-free piece of this picture. Make sure it's right before you retire. VetOps is not VA, a VSO, or a government agency. No guaranteed outcomes.