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Military Pension Suite

Produce an indicative estimate of your Armed Forces pension and any Early Departure Payment. Enter what you know — figures are calculated in today's money using published scheme rules.

Estimates for planning only — not an official forecast

Every figure on this page is a simplified estimate to help you plan. It is not a benefit statement, and it excludes inflation, tax, ill-health awards and McCloud (Remedy) adjustments unless stated. Every result below has a "How this is calculated" panel showing the formula, assumptions and any approximations used — check it before relying on a figure.

Only Veterans UK can give you an official forecast. Decisions such as commuting pension for a lump sum or transferring your pension are one-off and irreversible — get regulated guidance from the Forces Pension Society, MoneyHelper, or an FCA-regulated financial adviser before acting (see links below).

How the Armed Forces pension schemes work

A plain-English overview before you estimate. Which scheme applies depends on when you served.

AFPS 75 (service before 6 April 2005)

A final-salary scheme. Your pension is based on a representative rate of pay for your rank and your length of reckonable service. Immediate pensions are typically payable after long service (e.g. 16 years as an officer or 22 years for other ranks).

AFPS 05 (service 6 April 2005 – 31 March 2015)

A final-salary scheme building 1/70th of final pensionable pay per year, with a separate tax-free lump sum. Leaving early with qualifying service can trigger an Early Departure Payment (EDP) — an income and lump sum paid before your pension age.

AFPS 15 (current scheme from 1 April 2015)

A career-average (CARE) scheme building 1/47th of your pensionable earnings each year, revalued over time, with its own EDP 2015 arrangements and the option to commute some pension for a larger lump sum.

The McCloud Remedy

Between 1 April 2015 and 31 March 2022 (the "remedy period"), members who were moved to AFPS 15 are being given a choice of having those years treated as AFPS 75/05 or AFPS 15, whichever is better for them. Tick "I served across the 2015 change" below to see a simplified, side-by-side comparison of both possible outcomes — this tool never picks a winner for you. For your real Remediable Service Statement, contact Veterans UK or the Forces Pension Society below.

Your details

Pick your scheme and enter your service figures.

Career average (CARE) scheme with EDP 2015.

Published AFPRB rates, including X-Factor, at the Trade Supplement 1 / standard officer rate — other trade supplements and specialist pay spines earn more. Pre-fills the pay field below — you can still edit it.

Pensionable pay is defined differently by scheme (AFPS 75: representative rank rate; AFPS 05: final pensionable pay; AFPS 15: actual career-average earnings) — for precision, use the figure from your own annual pension statement instead.

Source: AFPRB 55th Report 2026, Appendix 1 (Table 1.1 Trade Supplement 1 / Table 1.5), effective 1 April 2026. Last verified 2026-07-08.

A representative average of your annual pensionable pay across service (CARE estimate).

Drag the slider, use the arrow keys while focused, or the +/- buttons. 0–50 years.

Drag the slider, use the arrow keys while focused, or the +/- buttons. 16–75 years old.

Percentage of your annual pension to exchange for extra tax-free lump sum, up to the 25% AFPS 15 maximum. Leave at 0% if unsure — see the trade-off below before deciding.

Affects some scheme thresholds.

Enter your details and your estimate will appear here.

Pension & finance guidance

Plain-English background on commutation, resettlement grant, Early Departure Payments, preserved/deferred pensions, tax on lump sums, budgeting through the income drop, and how a pension can interact with Council Tax and Universal Credit.

General information only — never a personal recommendation

Everything below is general, publicly-sourced information to help you understand the rules. It is not financial, benefits, or legal advice, and it does not take account of your personal circumstances. For advice tailored to you, contact the Forces Pension Society or MoneyHelper (free, independent, government-backed); for decisions like a pension transfer, use an FCA-regulated financial adviser.

Forces Pension Society

Independent, members' organisation offering expert guidance on Armed Forces pensions.

Visit Forces Pension Society

Veterans UK

The MOD service for official pension forecasts and scheme administration enquiries.

Visit Veterans UK