By MyArmyBenefits staff     July 2025

As you approach 20 years of service in the Army, you may be thinking, “what’s next?” Deciding when and how to retire is a significant decision that requires careful planning. Ideally, you should begin actively planning for retirement at least 36 months before your anticipated last day in uniform. Even though that may seem like quite a bit of time, you still have a day job to balance with the many tasks to complete before you retire. Fortunately, there are tools and resources available to assist you in this transition, including the MyArmyBenefits website.

Step 1: Assess your readiness to retire

Before making any decisions, ask yourself if you are ready to retire. Consider factors such as the possibility of a promotion, and the accompanying pay increase, personal reasons why you want to remain in uniform longer, and family considerations. If you find yourself asking these questions, you can use the MyArmyBenefits Retirement Calculator to see how your retired pay changes with different rank and retirement date projections. By logging in with your CAC or DS Logon, your personal information will populate from IPPSS-A, giving you an accurate estimate.

Step 2: Utilize MyArmyBenefits resources

Once you decide you are going to retire, and have determined your planned retirement date, MyArmyBenefits offers several resources and tools to assist you:

• Financial planning: You can use the SBP Premium Calculator to compare Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) elections and estimate your SBP premiums.
• State/Territory Benefits fact sheets: With 56 State/ Territory Benefits fact sheets available (50 states and 6 U.S. territories), these resources provide information on taxes, education, employment benefits, and more offered to veterans and their family members in various regions.
• Benefit Library: The Benefit Library allows you to view federal benefits by category. Under the “Transitioning & Retirement” dropdown, you will find fact sheets relevant to retirement, including the Army Transition Assistance Program, retirement letters, VA benefits and services, and more. You can also find additional information in the A-to-Z fact sheet list on benefits including the Employment Readiness Program, VA Home Loans, and the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Step 3: Engage with your spouse

Talk to your spouse about retirement: Ask your spouse what they want to do after your last day in uniform. There are a multitude of programs available to support military spouses in education or employment after retirement, including:

• Military Spouse Education and Career Opportunities (SECO) Program: Offers free career coaching, educational resources, and job search assistance.

• Military Spouse Employment Partnership (MSEP) Program: Connects spouses with employers committed to hiring military spouses.

• Mrs. Patty Shinseki Spouse Scholarship Program: Provides scholarships to military spouses pursuing higher education.

Additionally, make sure to check programs offered by states and territories to further support your spouse’s transition.

Step 4: Familiarize yourself with the Army Retirement Services program

As you start planning the next chapter, get familiar with the Army Retirement Services program. Visit the Retirement Planning page on the Soldier for Life (SFL) website, which offers additional information and resources about retirement. Stay informed by following SFL’s social media for information on job fairs, career fairs, entrepreneurship, and networking events. Also, be sure to follow MyArmyBenefits on Facebook and Instagram for benefits updates. If you need assistance with specific aspects of your retirement planning, such as estimating your retired pay or exploring state benefits, your Retirement Services Officers are here to help.