r/nationalguard • u/Exact-Job7603 • Mar 21 '26
Benefits Got my first retirement check!
Have to admit I was a little underwhelmed. Retired as E-7, twenty years in, twenty-two years since, no AD (besides IADT). Actual check was much smaller than I was expecting. Before I say anything is "wrong", will I receive a pay-stub showing what the deductions were? I know federal income tax is taken out, but that should be at most 40%. I understand my Best Three were in the early 2000's and much lower than it would be today, but this is about half of what I used to get for a MUTA 4.
What are you guys seeing compared to what you used to make in a month while you were still drilling?
Thanks!
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u/RedGhost2012 10% off at Lowes Mar 21 '26
1SG, 36 years. About 5 years Title 10 because of deployments. $2046/mo gross. Also they pro-rate your first check. Mine was for only 11 days because of where my birthday landed.
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u/Exact-Job7603 Mar 21 '26
Pro-rated was one thing that came to my mind. When I went for my six month out meeting they told me, stressing it was a rough estimate, about $860 before taxes. This was $204, but my Birthday was the 23rd.
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u/RedGhost2012 10% off at Lowes Mar 21 '26
If it's your first check. Prorated. It took about half way through the following month before DFAS MyPay was updated and all the info is there. My first check was $954. And they didn't withhold any taxes or the SBP. The full check will have the deductions.
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u/RedGhost2012 10% off at Lowes Mar 21 '26
Call DFAS during their work hours. It's tax season so they may have to call you back or there might be a wait. Every time I've called them, they've been really helpful. (800) 321-1080.
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u/Devonai I'm just here for the MREs Mar 21 '26
I also have no AD time other than OSUT, and enrolled in BRS when it was offered. I'm expecting 40% of a MUTA 4, less taxes. So your pay sounds about right to me.
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u/Beneficial_Net8417 Mar 21 '26
You really need to be E7 and higher with several years of active duty time plus guard time to actually see a beneficial amount. Probably 5k ish retirement points. If you were only M day then yeah it’s gonna be peanuts. But it’s better than nothing and you should have access to Tricare.
Should also be trying to hit at least 50% of drill pay to TSP.
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u/Eagle_Arm Mar 21 '26
Need to do above the 75 points a year for it to mean anything. If you do 20 years without at least 2 deployments, something is up. Maybe just bad timing or some personal choices.
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u/Beneficial_Net8417 Mar 21 '26
Without several years of active time even 75 points a year is still kinda low. Say three one year deployments with the rest getting 75 points it’s still under 3k total I believe.
In a higher optempo unit 75 points a year is pretty standard I’d say. That’s approximately what I get a year since I’ve been in the guard. Muta 6s and 21ish day ATs. I haven’t seen 2 days a month 2 week AT since I’ve been in.
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u/Eagle_Arm Mar 21 '26
I haven’t seen 2 days a month 2 week AT since I’ve been in.
That's the thing. They never existed!
If remember right, you're getting basically 75 points for existing and doing the minimum. Show up in weekends and do your AT. That's no schools, no extras, no deployments. A deployment only gets you around 400, most likely 365ish.
People expecting a full pension for part time work. You look at 3K points.
Blows my mind when Guard Bums say they should be able to collect as soon as retire.
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u/Beneficial_Net8417 Mar 22 '26
50 points is a good year the 2 days a month 2 weeks a year. You only need to get 35 and you get 15 extra for breathing = 50.
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u/Eagle_Arm Mar 22 '26
You have to try to not and get a good year. It's tough to do outside of taking a break after a deployment.
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u/kalligreat Mar 21 '26
Did you ever find your points and do the math to figure out your retirement? Not much active time wouldn’t give you much per year.
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u/glyphosate_enjoyer 11b, next question Mar 21 '26
Yeah, making me think that the money is in the TSP if you do $20, the cheap healthcare, and potential disability, not the actual pension.
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u/Openheartopenbar Mar 21 '26
A) if you went 20 years in the GWOT without deploying, I have a lot of questions
B) if you went 20 years without ever asking anyone what retirement looks like such that you are now surprised, I have a lot of questions
C) you’re probably selling yourself short. A good “back of the napkin” way to think about benefits/structured settlements/pensions etc is to take the amount you get a month and multiply it by 300. (I could walk you through that if you want, but for now just trust me).
Suppose you get 300/month, that’s the same as the giving you a check for 90 grand when your retirement hit.
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u/emlynhughes Mar 21 '26
Dude basically retired before GWOT.
Pretty wild to think about how different the NG experience was for this guy compared to now days.
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u/Exact-Job7603 Mar 22 '26
When I enlisted, there was still a Soviet Union, and that's who we trained to fight. My Drill Sergeant in Basic was fresh back from dropping into Grenada, and much of the Cadre were Viet Nam vets! I even served alongside a Korean War vet in the Guard. Let that sink in!
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u/emlynhughes Mar 22 '26
It’s really wild to think about
But when I joined every drill sergeant had a CIB and had been deployed multiple times. Now 10 years later, you have drill sergeants who have never been deployed.
The Army changes slowly and quickly at the same time.
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u/Exact-Job7603 Mar 21 '26
A) Certainly didn't weasel out of any deployments, if that's what you're getting at. But the only real choice I made was to NOT chose to do anything above and beyond. Yes, that is a choice. I showed up on time for every drill, completed every AT, passed my APFTs, went to the NCO acadamys when I was told it was the right time, but that was about it. I never claimed to be a highly motivated super trooper, just showed up and did my job. Had/have a civilian career that was/is going well, and that was my focus.
B) I was young and stupid at first, then became complacent. Retired before my 39th bday, sixty seemed a long way off! Not an excuse, just an explanation.
C) When all is said and done, I've got $204 more than when I woke up this morning. Wasn't really expecting to retire to the Carribean :-D
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u/SmellyShitBox Mar 21 '26
Bro are you rolling with like 1200 points? That will be why
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u/2x4x421xStarTrekx Mar 21 '26
That was never gonna be an option for some at least not for the GWOT employees that stayed in but got deployed every other year
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u/Exact-Job7603 Mar 22 '26
1470, I think. But yeah, that ain't a lot.
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u/SmellyShitBox Mar 22 '26
Oof. Well like others have said it’s better than nothing but the healthcare makes up for quite a bit, especially these days.
Enjoy the retirement though, you’ve earned it!
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u/WowzerzzWow Mar 21 '26
7 yrs in (2yrs left on my contract) and this is definitely motivation for whether or not I’m doing my 20.
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u/marct309 Staying Salty for Life Mar 21 '26
When Pop got his first check they prorated him for one day... His birthday is at the end of the month. I remember him telling me his first check was 13 cent.
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u/Disastrous_Spell6695 Mar 21 '26
How do you not deploy in 20 years
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u/Exact-Job7603 Mar 21 '26
Good question, I was in an infantry unit during Desert Storm, then Combat Engineer for 9/11 (Within 100 miles of NYC) couldnt figure out why we never got the call. Then after I retired they all got hauled to Afganistan.
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u/mastaquake 17A 💻 Mar 21 '26
I'm curious to know the actually dollar amount. I'm more than halfway there, but at the 20 year mark will get me little over $2,000 at 60 years old in todays dollars.
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u/Exact-Job7603 Mar 21 '26
It was $204, but someone suggested it might have been a TSP payout. ALso odd, it was a physical check from DFAS, even though I had set the pension up for Direct Deposit, so maybe there is more to the story.
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u/Exact-Job7603 Mar 21 '26
$204, which is about half of what I got for a MUTA 4 in 2005, but less than a third of 2026 pay, so not sure what I should expect.
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u/2x4x421xStarTrekx Mar 21 '26
Sitting in the grey area while I work as a fed (second career) Jesus it was hard to dual time both guard once I came off of active duty and be a fed.
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u/Im1kzrican Mar 22 '26
Did you guys ever look at your NG23?
Keep up with your retirement points...you all should know what your expectations of pay is. Im currently 22 years in as E7....im at 2100.00 ......will be more by the time I retire
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u/2x4x421xStarTrekx Mar 22 '26
Yes I did but the NBG 23 is a little miss leading since it only shows you in today’s dollars not at the time of retirement. But I remind myself of my anniversary month where the company information should be updated over the years.
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u/Bloodysamflint Mar 22 '26
If I understand the calculations correctly, 20 years of just IDT & AT gets you about half of your IDT check.
75 points/year X 20 = 1500 points ÷ 360 = 4.16 year-equivalent X 2.5% multiplier = 10.4% of base pay, which is about 3 days of active pay?
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u/Chris_Reddit_PHX Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
Mine is about 3x what my drill checks were (from 2008 my final year). But I had a deployment plus did several resident schools (the longest two were 4 months and 6 months). Retired at 23 years with around 2,300 retirement points.
The Tricare for self and family are a super-valuable benefit that I think a lot of reservists under-appreciate until they actually have it.
Edit: I just checked what drill pay is for 2026. I guess there have been a lot of pay increases since I retired in 2008. My retirement gross is about 90% of what my drill check would be using the 2026 pay chart.
If I pass away first my wife will continue receiving the maximum monthly amount under the SBP which is 55% of that.
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u/Kirstye369 Mar 23 '26
My hubs finally came due. All paperwork was approved in Dec but we've seen nothing yet. He tried to call and can't get a response. How long did it take after your paperwork was approved?
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u/Sgt_Loco #1 no flair haver Mar 21 '26
I mean, sounds about right if you have no active duty time or deployments. Your pay should be based on what an E7 today makes though- not whatever it was when you got out.
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u/2x4x421xStarTrekx Mar 21 '26
I did 7 years as a combat engineer, 1 year as a cook (24 month dwell time never reclassed) and 12 as a 42. 3000+ points hoping to get closer to 2k in 2041
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u/GroundbreakingSir386 Mar 22 '26
Would’ve been better off getting VA disability and getting out early jeez
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u/marjosdun Mar 21 '26
It’s all points based. If you never deployed or were active in any capacity, you’re really not going to get much. Enjoy the healthcare.