Point Accumulation

How do reservists accumulate points for retirement?

Every reservist earns points toward retirement. All points earned while on active duty, up to 365 per year (366 in a leap year), count toward retirement.

By law, members may receive credit for up to 60 inactive points for retirement years that ended before Sept. 23, 1996; up to 75 inactive points for retirement years ending on or after Sept. 23, 1996, and before Oct. 30, 2000; and up to 90 points for retirement years ending on or after Oct. 30, 2000, and before Oct. 27, 2007.

A provision of the 2008 Defense Authorization Act increased to 130 the number of inactive-duty points that reservists can apply to their retirement pay for the year of service that includes Oct. 30, 2007, and any subsequent year.

Points from these sources may be added to points earned from active duty and active duty for training in any given year to increase the total points applied toward retirement.

Leave-and-earnings statements, correspondence course information and other documents can prove service or work that counts for retirement points. Orders are not proof of points earned.

Typically, each service notifies members annually of their total points. If your Reserve Personnel Center does not have your current address, you will not receive the statement.

Discrepancies can be resolved by providing documentation of your service record or personnel files. Individual service members have primary responsibility for their personnel records.

Accrual. Points can be accrued in the following ways:

♦ One point for each day served on active duty up to a maximum of 365 per year (366 in a leap year).

♦ Fifteen points for each year of membership in a reserve component.

♦ One point for each unit training assembly or drill. Reservists normally get four or five points for a reserve weekend, depending on when it starts (i.e., Friday night or Saturday morning). Two points are the maximum for any one calendar day.

♦ One point for each day in which a member is in a funeral honors duty status.

♦ One point for every three hours of nonresident instruction or correspondence courses documented as successfully completed.

Qualifying year. The day you enter reserve status is considered your anniversary date and retirement year. From that point, you must accrue a minimum of 50 retirement points in a retirement year to make that a “qualifying year” toward retirement.

As long as you do not have a break in service, this anniversary date will remain the same even if you go from active to inactive status and back. Once a break occurs, your anniversary date is the day you sign up again.

Once reservists reach 20 or more qualifying years, they have three options:

♦ Remain in the Ready Reserve. If qualified and able to stay in an active drill status, a reservist can continue to drill for pay and points. Accumulating more points will raise total retirement pay, increase the possibility for promotion and boost time in service for the purpose of longevity pay raises.

♦ Transfer to the Retired Reserve. By requesting transfer to the Retired Reserve, a member enters a status in which retirement points no longer can be accumulated. Time in the Retired Reserve counts toward longevity service for retired pay.

In the event of full mobilization, retired reservists can be recalled to active duty. Such a recall would allow reservists to accumulate more points for retirement. While in the Retired Reserve, members have the same rights and entitlements that they had as drilling reservists.

♦ Request discharge from the reserve components. By doing this, retired reservists are no longer subject to any kind of recall or mobilization. From time of discharge until they start collecting benefits at age 60, however, they cannot increase their benefits. At age 60, they will have access to base/post exchanges and unlimited commissary visits.

Nonqualifying year. A nonqualifying year (one in which a reservist does not earn at least 50 points) counts toward total time in service but not retirement. Points earned in a nonqualifying year also count toward the final total. Points cannot be carried from year to year to claim a qualifying year.

Status. You do not have to be in an active, drilling or paid status with a Reserve unit to earn points. Reservists in many categories can earn points and gain qualifying years toward retirement. These include: Participating Individual Ready Reserve, Individual Mobilization Augmentees, Navy Volunteer Training Units and Standby Reserve-Active Status List.

For more information regarding recording and reporting retirement points for the Army, see the following link:  https://www.hrc.army.mil/content/Recording%20and%20Reporting%20Retirement%20Points

Navy personnel that want to view their online point record may contact the nearest Navy Operational Support Center (NOSC) for assistance. You can locate the nearest NOSC using the following link: https://www.thereserveforce.com/navy/nosc/  In addition, the My Navy Career Center can be reached at 1-833-330-6622 and can provide you with a verbal of your Reserve point record.