A quick estimate to compare drill pay (with later VA recoupment) vs waiving drill pay for retirement points.
Drilling for points can impact TSP, FICA, allotments, and insurance (SGLI/SGLV). Verify with official resources and your unit.
Choose your pay grade and your time in service (TIS). Then pick your VA disability rating. When ready, click Calculate.
Dependents don’t change VA pay at 10% or 20%. This starts at 30%.
This calculator helps you quickly compare drill pay vs waiving pay for points (with VA recoupment considerations). It’s designed for service members drilling in a Reserve Component.
Uses 2026 military drill pay and VA compensation tables. If a grade/TIS combination is missing from the source table, the result will show that there is not enough info instead of guessing.
Short answers for Guard and Reserve members comparing military drill pay, VA compensation recoupment, and retirement points.
The better choice depends on your pay grade, time in service, VA disability rating, and dependent status. PayOrPoints compares typical MUTA-4 drill pay with the VA amount you may give up for those drill days so you can see which option is likely higher.
VA compensation changes by disability percentage, and the jump from 90% to 100% can be especially large. A higher VA daily amount can make waiving drill pay for retirement points more competitive.
The calculator uses the available 2026 military drill pay table and 2026 VA disability compensation table included with the app. If a pay grade and time-in-service combination is missing, the calculator shows that there is not enough information instead of guessing.
No. PayOrPoints is an estimation tool, not an official government calculator and not legal, tax, or financial advice. Always verify final decisions with official VA or DFAS resources and your unit.
