Years Towards Retirement

[LoneRider]

Greetings. How do years in the National Guard count towards retirement compared to the active duty military? I ask because I see myself entering the Guard three years from now after I ETS from the Navy. On my ETS day I will have had a year of enlisted service, four at a military academy, and five years of active service. How would my years be counted?

v/R

LoneRider

[Frisco]

You get credited points for each day of active duty service. So, for exactly six years of active duty, you'd get 2191 points (365 x 6, plus an extra day for leap year). I don't know whether or not military academy time counts as active duty for retirement purposes. Those points are then added to the points you earn for Guard service, and that total determines your retirement pay.

Active duty days are very good for retirement purposes, because on typical drill status, you can only earn a maximum of 130 per year (until recently, that cap was 90). And while you can convert active duty service toward a National Guard retirement, the reverse is not true - you can't convert reserve time to credit toward an active duty retirement.

[WV EOD tech]

I would just suggest going to your admin section and have them print out your RPAS statement. Those points, plus the future active duty days you perform, are what you will carry into the Guard.