Updates to the NEW Benefit Calculators

This page provides information on updates performed on the New Benefit Calculators. The list below starts with the most recent updates. Check back here to view specific information about each update.

If you are experiencing a calculator issue not listed here, please contact our Help Desk.

2025-09-02 Maintenance Update:

  • General:
    • Performed miscellaneous bug fixes and technical improvements to optimize the calculator user experience and increase accuracy
    • Users can now use the drop-down navigation in the “NEW Benefit Calculators” main menu to go to another calculator, even after beginning a calculation
    • Mapped additional data fields pre-populating for Airmen and Guardians for all MyAFB calculators
  • Retirement Calculators:
    • Final Pay, High-3, REDUX, and BRS
      • Added a button on the results page that allows users to see the previous 36 months of pay
      • For reserve retirement calculations, added “Mandatory Separation Date” (used by the Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard) to the tool tip for “Mandatory Removal Date” (used by the Army and the Marines)
      • For reserve retirement calculations, users can now complete a calculation when the 20-year letter date field is unfilled
      • Fixed an issue with reserve retirement calculations that created an error when the “Previous Date of Rank” date was later than the “Current Date of Rank” and the error now clears allowing the user to continue with a calculation
      • For BRS calculators only, new fields were added to the Reserve Component calculator “Retirement Information” screen to display the TSP service member contributions differently from the government matching funds by assigning a different color in the graph for each
    • Medical Retirement
      • The “Continue” button in the Reserve retirement High-3 calculator now responds and allows users to progress to the next calculator screen and complete calculations
  • SBP Premium Calculators:
    • Calculators now correctly use 6.5% as the multiplier for the base amount on SBP premiums vs. 7%
    • Reservists planning to transfer to active duty status in the future, can now receive more accurate estimates for retired pay, SBP premium, and survivor monthly annuity amounts instead of showing zeroes
  • Survivor Benefits Calculators:
    • Users calculating an active duty death as single with SBP coverage for children but not for a spouse now shows survivor benefits for covered students ages 18-22
    • Benefits are now divided when there is more than one household with spouse showing in the correct household and calculating correctly for all eligible beneficiaries
    • Calculator results for reservists with a death that is not service connected (Reserve Other in drop-down) now show correctly
    • Lump sum benefits now show for all users
    • Tables for Social Security Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) were updated
  • Deployment Calculator:
    • Installation names were updated in the calculator
  • Online Survivor Benefits Report (OSBR):
    • Benefits are now divided when there is more than one household with spouse showing in the correct household and calculating correctly for all eligible beneficiaries
    • Reports containing a current/primary spouse and a former spouse can now both have benefits when case law dictates
    • Spouse Social Security amounts now display correctly at age 60
    • Page error no longer occurs when “Child Only” is selected
    • Tables for Social Security Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) were updated
    • Fixed bug preventing creation of new cases

2025-07-16 Features Update:

  • General:
    • If users do not complete all mandatory fields, the calculator will highlight unfilled fields in red and user must fill those in before hitting "continue"
  • Retirement Calculators:
    • Reserve Retirements for High-3, REDUX, and BRS
      • Introduction Screen improvements assist AGR members to get to the correct calculator
      • New fields added to the Personal Information screen for Date of Rank, Previous Grade, Previous Date of Rank, and Projected Grade to make the calculations more accurate
      • The Projected Grade and Projected Date of Rank fields are prepopulated with the current grade and current date of rank information; these fields can be manually changed
      • Field for Date of Retirement added to simplify calculation of total years and months
      • Date of Rank is now used for pay table changes instead of the PEBD, allowing better accuracy for High-3 calculations
      • New fields added to the Retirement Information section for 20-year Letter Date, Mandatory Removal Date, and Calculation for Retired Pay Age
      • Personal information inputs now display on the calculation results screen so users can see the information entered to perform the calculation
      • Added a TSP information section to the Retirement Information page, which includes a TSP dropdown menu for users to indicate whether to include or not include their TSP in the retired pay estimate
      • Users can manually enter dates or use the date picker for calculator fields
      • Added the ability to perform Gray Area retired pay calculations
      • The 20 year letter date will prepopulate from IPPS-A or calculate based on the user's personal information
      • The grades entered on the personal information screen will automatically populate on the Career Progression screen; users can manually change these if desired
      • Users can calculate Reduced Eligibility Age for Retirement, if applicable
      • Fixed a bug causing the reduced eligibility age for retirement to calculate incorrectly
      • Qualifying years for retirement is now based on the AYE instead of the PEBD
      • Removed the Active Service Date field from Reserve retirement calculator fields as it is not needed
      • Fixed a bug that caused estimated retired pay points to calculate incorrectly
      • Tool tips were added for Date of Rank, 20-year Letter, AYE Date, Previous Grade, and Mandatory Removal Date
    • Reserve Retirements for Final Pay 
      • New fields added to better assist those in this retirement system
  • SBP Premium Calculators:
    • New fields added to the Personal Information screen for Date of Rank, Previous Grade, Previous Date of Rank, and Projected Grade to make the calculations more accurate
    • Field for Date of Retirement added to simplify calculation of total years and months
    • Date of Rank is now used for basic pay table changes instead of the PEBD, allowing better accuracy for High-3 calculations

2025-06-18 Maintenance Update:

  • General:
    • Changed the names of military installations to align with recent changes
    • Updated pay tables used in the calculators to reflect pay increases for junior enlisted service members that took effect 1 April 2025
    • Performed miscellaneous bug fixes and technical improvements to optimize the calculator user experience
  • Retirement Calculators:
    • Final Pay, High-3, REDUX, and BRS
      • Active duty points and retirement points from IPPS-A are now pre-populated in the personal information section on all reserve retirement calculators
      • Fixed an issue that caused the display of total creditable points for retirement to be incorrect for those in the Active Component but separating or retiring from the Reserve Component
    • Medical Retirement
      • Pay estimate was moved below the PDRL notes on the calculator results page
  • SBP Premium & Survivor Benefits Calculators:
    • Spouse and child birthdates now populate from DMDC automatically in the SBP Premium and Survivor Benefits calculators
    • For Active Component retirements, the Active Service Date (ASD) now populates correctly instead of using the Pay Entry Base Date (PEBD) in the Survivor Benefits calculator
    • Fixed a bug that was causing the Survivor Benefits calculator to stall and not continue after adding a child
    • Fixed an issue that caused the Survivor Benefits calculator to show $0 for the SBP amount in the survivor benefits report regardless of the choice of service member's duty status at the time of death; correct SBP now shows according to the duty status at time of death
    • SBP election in the SBP Premium calculator now defaults to Option C, immediate coverage, when no choice is made versus defaulting to Option A, no coverage
  • Deployment Calculator:
    • Fixed an issue that based the pay rates in the report on the day of the calculation instead of the date deploying so the report is now more accurate
    • Fixed a bug that caused the calculator to recognize an invalid zip code; the calculator will now produce an error that requires a valid zip code be entered prior to proceeding
      • Online Survivor Benefits Report (OSBR):
        • Only first names for spouses and children beneficiaries are now used in both the Initial and Interactive OSBRs
        • Corrected the benefit effectiveness date reference in the Initial and Interactive OSBRs to "Current Benefit" instead of "As Of (Date of Death)"
        • New information and fields were added to the Initial OSBR to allow adding a guardian and the guardian's contact information
        • The Initial OSBR now provides SBP annuity rates that include estimated cost of living adjustment (COLA) increases
        • Fixed a bug that caused a second household to show online but not in a download of the Initial OSBR 

      2025-05-12 Maintenance Update:

      • General:
        • Updated pay tables and rates in Deployment and Survivor Benefits calculators to increase report accuracy
        • Miscellaneous bug fixes and technical improvements to optimize the calculator user experience
      • Retirement Calculators:
        • Active Service Date field is now included in all personal information screens except for the Reserve Retirement calculator as PEBD must be used for reservist calculations
        • Fixed data pull from IPPS-A so that PEBD information is now pulled vs. BASD for reserve calculations, eliminating an error in the Years of Service selection
      • SBP Premium & Survivor Benefits Calculator:
        • Added fields to include spouse and child middle names, including the acceptance of one character names, numbers, or two middle names, to help identify beneficiaries
        • Fixed report annuity results error in Survivor Benefits calculator causing social security to not show at age 60 for surviving spouses
        • Fixed an issue that was not allowing users to indicate marital status as married and did not allow the continuation of the calculation after adding children
        • Fixed an issue that caused SBP to show zero dollars for disabled children
        • Fixed an issue that caused deceased children to appear in the reports
        • Made improvements to the report results screen
        • Updated pay tables and rates in Survivor Benefits calculator to increase report accuracy
      • Deployment Calculator:
        • Fixed an issue causing the appearance of Family Separation Allowance (FSA) when service members had no dependents
        • Updated pay tables and rates to increase report accuracy
          • Online Survivor Benefits Report (OSBR):
            • Fixed an issue with personal information not persisting when user navigated from the calculation results back to the personal information inputs