US Army pension question... 20 years active and lets say 4 yrs reserves?

Okay Im in the Army right now (Active duty). I know you obviously get a pension after 20 years active duty. It might be a stupid question. But is that consecutive years? or can you do say....

4 years active duty

then 4 years reserves

and back to active duty for the remaining 16 years.

So you'll still serve 20 years active, but you'd also serve 4 in the reserves after your first enlistment.... will you be able to draw your pension that day you finish your last term?

thank you!!

Curt J

To gain an Active Duty pension, you MUST serve at least 20 years Active Duty. The 4 years served in the Reserves would have an effect on the amount of money you receive, based upon earning at least 50 points per year while in the reserves, applying the conversion factor, which I don't remember and applying the resulting months to the 20 years Active.

Sorry my answer isn't more specific.

susie d

Yes you will once you complete the 20 years active. Additionally you may get time for the mutas you earned ie the weekends and annual training u did in the reserves should be calculated at your transition.

Sandra M

You have to be careful. If you are in year 16 and you then do 4 years as a reservist, I believe that you retire as a reservist and you cannot collect your retirement until you are 60. If you have done 4 years reserve and then have done 16 years active, you retire active and can collect immediately after you qualification date. I think that you might also be able to do the 4 years in the middle but I am not sure if the amount that you receive will be less than if you have done the entire 20 years active.

You might want to check:
http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/generalpay/a/retirementpay.htm

Ed J

20 years "Active duty" reserve time does not factor in as if it were Active time. The finance section can explain it better than I, or perhaps personnel could.

jimmy s

I am in a similar situation as you. I served 6 years in the active duty Marine Corps, 3 years in the Reserves, and 12 years in the active duty Army. This makes things a little complicated when trying to figure out when you will be able to retire. Your Personel Support Batalion should be able to figure it out for you. There is a form that they use to figure out your total amount of active duty service, I cant remember what the name of the form is but they will know. Basically you will have 2 different time of service amounts calculated.
1. Your time of service for pay purposes
2. Your time of service for retirement purposes.
You should have 4 more years for pay than for retirement because youe reserve time in service counts for your pay but not towards retirement unless you were activated while in the reserves.

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