Run your numbers
A projection, not a forecast and not advice. The return is whatever you type; the TSP publishes each fund's actual returns. Contributions are capped at the IRS elective deferral limit. Nothing you enter leaves your device.
How the BRS match works
Under BRS your service puts in an amount equal to 1% of your basic pay every pay period whether you contribute or not (after 60 days of service), and matches what you contribute on the first 5% of pay: the first 3% dollar for dollar, the next 2% at 50 cents on the dollar. Contribute 5% and the government adds 4% plus the automatic 1%, for a total of 5% of basic pay. The automatic 1% and its earnings vest at two years of service; matching contributions are yours once received. If you hit the annual limit before December, matching stops for the rest of the year, which is why the TSP tells people to spread contributions across all 12 months.
Source: TSP, What is a contribution and DoD, Blended Retirement System. Checked at the source: October 25, 2026.
The 2026 limits
| Limit | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Elective deferral (traditional and Roth combined) | $24,500 |
| Catch-up at 50 and over | $8,000 |
| Higher catch-up, ages 60 through 63 | $11,250 |
| Annual additions (your money plus the government's) | $72,000 |
Traditional contributions from tax-exempt combat pay bypass the $24,500 limit up to the $72,000 annual additions limit; Roth contributions from combat pay count toward the $24,500 but qualified earnings come out tax-free. This calculator applies the $24,500 cap to your contributions and does not model catch-up or combat-zone contributions.
Source: TSP, Contribution limits (IRS figures). Checked at the source: October 25, 2026.
About the return you type
The TSP's five core funds and the Lifecycle funds have different histories and different risks, and none of them promise a rate. This page does not pick one for you. Try a few returns and look at how much of the ending balance is the government's money and growth on it, which is the part of the picture that does not depend on the market at all.
Fund returns, published monthly: TSP, Fund performance.
Keep going
The TSP is one leg of military retirement. These free StandWatch pages cover the rest:
