CSRS Retirement Calculator

Enter your high-3 salary, years of creditable service, planned retirement age, and life expectancy. “High-3” generally means the highest average basic pay over three consecutive years of service, not necessarily the final three calendar years. OPM explains how federal annuities are computed on its CSRS information page.

Choose a survivor-benefit option: none, 25%, or 55%. The calculator models those options as a 5% reduction for the 25% survivor benefit or a 10% reduction for the 55% option. Enter a COLA and inflation rate to compare nominal annuity increases with purchasing power. Add Social Security monthly income and its start age if relevant, then enter monthly expenses to estimate the gap.

The calculator assumes that the entered annuity is payable beginning at the selected retirement age. It does not decide whether you meet the age-and-service requirements for an immediate retirement, whether a reduction applies for an early or deferred retirement, or whether your service is creditable. Confirm those details with OPM or your agency’s retirement office.

The calculator applies three accrual rates to portions of service:

• 1.5% of high-3 salary for the first five years.
• 1.75% for the next five years.
• 2% for each year after the first ten.

With a $110,000 high-3 and 30 years of service, the three pieces are:

First five years = $110,000 × 5 × 1.5% = $8,250

Next five years = $110,000 × 5 × 1.75% = $9,625

Remaining 20 years = $110,000 × 20 × 2% = $44,000

Adding them gives $8,250 + $9,625 + $44,000 = $61,875 annual annuity. Dividing by 12 gives $61,875 ÷ 12 = $5,156.25, displayed as $5,156 per month. The replacement rate is $61,875 ÷ $110,000 = 56.25%, displayed as 56%.

The formula is capped at 80% of high-3 salary in the calculator. For the default salary, that cap would be $110,000 × 80% = $88,000. Since the raw estimate of $61,875 is below the cap, the result is not capped. The 80% cap is part of the model’s calculation; special service credit, unused sick leave, and other official details can affect an actual benefit.

A COLA increases the nominal annuity amount over time. Inflation measures how the cost of goods and services changes. If the COLA assumption equals inflation, the calculator’s inflation-adjusted annual annuity stays level in purchasing-power terms, even as the dollar payment rises.

With the defaults, both the COLA and inflation assumptions are 2.5%. The first projected annual payment is $61,875. At age 86, the year-25 nominal payment is $111,915, while its inflation-adjusted value is still displayed as $61,875. The cumulative nominal annuity through the 25-year projection is $2,113,509. It is not a present value: the calculation does not discount future payments to today’s dollars.

Yearly nominal annuity = starting annual annuity × (1 + COLA rate) ^ years elapsed

Inflation-adjusted annuity = yearly nominal annuity ÷ (1 + inflation rate) ^ years elapsed

The calculator uses 25 payment years, from age 62 through age 86. It stops at one year before the entered life expectancy of 87 because it counts years as life expectancy minus retirement age. Changing life expectancy changes the lifetime-value projection, not the initial monthly annuity.

Actual CSRS COLAs are subject to program rules and may not match the exact rate you enter every year. OPM publishes official information about COLAs for federal retirees. Treat a constant 2.5% as a planning assumption, not a promise.

A survivor election trades some of your own annuity for potential income for an eligible survivor. Under this calculator’s assumptions, selecting the 25% option reduces the calculated annuity by 5%; selecting the 55% option reduces it by 10%. On the default $61,875 annuity, those modeled reductions would be $3,093.75 per year and $6,187.50 per year, respectively, before monthly rounding. These percentages are simplified calculator inputs, not a substitute for OPM’s official survivor-benefit election calculation.

The decision is not only about maximizing your own monthly payment. A survivor benefit may provide continuing income after your death, while no survivor election leaves more of the annuity payable to you while you are alive. Consider your survivor’s other income, health coverage, savings, and ability to manage expenses. Compare the election using OPM’s official estimate process.

Some CSRS retirees may also qualify for Social Security based on employment covered by Social Security, a spouse’s record, or other qualifying work. The calculator adds entered Social Security income if the selected retirement age is at least the entered start age. Its input is a simple monthly amount; it does not calculate eligibility or an individual benefit.

The Social Security Fairness Act repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO) for benefits payable after December 2023. This may affect some people with CSRS pensions, but it does not mean every CSRS retiree qualifies for Social Security. Review the Social Security Administration’s information on the law and use an official estimate based on your work record.

The non-default rows show how changing one input affects the formula; they are not precomputed payment results. For personal estimates, compare with the retirement annuity calculator and pension income calculator.

The default income-gap result is $844 per month. The entered monthly expenses are $6,000; the calculator subtracts the $5,156 monthly annuity and the default $0 Social Security income:

Monthly income gap = max(0, monthly expenses − annuity − eligible entered Social Security)

$6,000 − $5,156 − $0 = $844 per month.

This is a gross comparison, not a full household budget. It does not account for federal or state income taxes, health insurance premiums, Medicare, survivor income, savings withdrawals, or other income unless you include them in the relevant fields. It also cannot determine whether the Social Security estimate is correctly timed or whether the entered annuity is net of deductions.

If your expenses exceed the annuity, estimate how savings might fill the difference with a retirement withdrawal calculator or retirement withdrawal strategy calculator. If you have a 457 plan or IRA, examine those assets separately with the 457 plan withdrawal calculator or IRA calculator. For tax planning, read about tax-efficient withdrawals from retirement accounts.

Does the calculator confirm I can retire at the age entered?

No; it estimates an annuity and does not confirm eligibility. CSRS retirement eligibility depends on age, service, and the type of retirement; verify your circumstances with OPM and your agency.

Does 30 years of service always produce a 56% replacement rate?

No; the estimate depends on high-3 salary and the tiered service formula, and other rules may affect the official annuity. In this example, the model calculates $61,875 ÷ $110,000, or 56% after rounding.

Is the lifetime value a lump sum I can receive?

No; it is the sum of modeled annual payments over the projection period, with assumed COLAs. It is not a cash-out value or present value.

Should I choose the 25% or 55% survivor option?

Compare the reduction in your annuity with the continuing income your survivor would receive. The calculator’s reductions are simplified, so use OPM’s official estimate and consider the survivor’s total financial picture before making an election.

Does a CSRS pension prevent me from receiving Social Security?

Not necessarily; eligibility depends on your Social Security-covered earnings or other qualifying grounds. WEP and GPO were repealed for benefits payable after December 2023, but the repeal does not create eligibility where none exists. Check your record with the Social Security Administration.

Why does the monthly annuity differ slightly from annual annuity divided by 12?

The calculator rounds the annual amount and monthly amount separately. The exact division is $61,875 ÷ 12 = $5,156.25, while the displayed monthly amount is rounded to $5,156.

Does the estimate include federal taxes or health premiums?

No; the income-gap result compares the calculated monthly annuity and entered Social Security with entered expenses. For withdrawal tax planning, compare the tax-efficient retirement withdrawal calculator and the retirement needs calculator.

What should I verify before choosing a retirement date?

Confirm your official service history, high-3, unused sick leave treatment, eligibility date, survivor election, and any Social Security estimate. Then test your spending plan with a retirement goal calculator and review how to withdraw from retirement accounts tax-efficiently.

For an official benefit decision, use OPM’s process; use this estimate to identify assumptions and questions before you request it.