ATC retirement planning

Before You Begin

Gather a few official records so the calculator can produce the most accurate estimate possible. You can still begin without every item and return later to replace assumptions with official figures.

Required

FAA Earnings & Leave Statement

Use your latest LES for salary, leave balances, FERS contribution rate, FEHB and FEGLI deductions.

Strongly recommended

SSA.gov access

Sign in with Login.gov or ID.me. Scroll down on the first dashboard page and note early, full and delayed monthly benefits.

Strongly recommended

Military DD-214s

Each DD-214 documents your exact active-duty dates so military creditable service and buyback time are counted accurately.

Optional

FAA or OPM retirement estimate

Use it for a known High-3, service totals or cumulative employee retirement contributions, when available. If you have one, you'll enter its service totals on Page 2 by checking Advanced Mode.

Optional

TSP balance

Have your current or projected balance ready if you want TSP withdrawal and growth planning.

Typical time10–15 minutes

PrivacyData stays in this local prototype and is not sent to FAA, OPM, SSA or TSP

Planning estimate only. This calculator is designed to provide the most accurate estimate reasonably possible and to help you visualize how retirement dates, elections and other choices may affect income. It should not be used as the sole source for a retirement decision. Confirm eligibility and final benefits with official FAA, OPM, SSA, TSP and tax information. Beta feedback: OutofControllingFeedback@gmail.com

Page 1 of 8

Start with the basic facts.

These determine your age at retirement, filing status and the retirement path the calculator tests.

Date of birth

Planned retirement date

Filing status

Dependents expected in retirementCount anyone you could claim on your federal tax return — typically your children under 19 (under 24 if full-time students) and relatives you support financially. Don't count yourself or your spouse.

Estimated spendable monthly income

—

all figures in today's dollars

Retirement date

Retirement statecompare all states

High-3 method

Current salary

Estimated annual COLALast 25 years (2002–2026) averaged 2.6% (SSA) — but FERS pays a “diet COLA” averaging 2.1%: capped at 2% when inflation runs 2–3%, and 1 point less above 3%. ATC retirees collect it immediately; the FERS supplement never gets one.

Monthly military retirement

Military pension ageReserve retirement pay normally starts at 60. It drops below 60 only with qualifying active-duty time (Title 10 orders, such as a deployment or mobilization after Jan 28, 2008): 3 months earlier per 90 days served, never below age 50 (10 U.S.C. § 12731).

Monthly VA disability Tax-free

Career path after age 56

Working after retirement?

Monthly TSP withdrawal

TSP balance Estimate

Expected TSP return Estimate

No 10% early-withdrawal penalty for you: as a controller you’re a qualified public safety employee, so separating in or after the year you turn 50 (or with 25+ years of service) makes TSP withdrawals penalty-free (IRC §72(t)(10)(B)). Roll the money to an IRA and that exception is lost until 59½ — keep retirement withdrawals inside the TSP.

Projected TSP balance after retirement

Fixed monthly withdrawal in today's dollars at your estimated return — use a real (after-inflation) return to stay in today's dollars.

Fund	What it holds	10-yr avg	25-yr avg
G	Treasuries	2.8%	3.2%
F	Bonds	2.1%	3.9%
C	S&P 500	14.8%	8.8%
S	Small/mid-cap	11.0%	9.2%
I	International	8.7%	5.9%

Compound average annual returns, net of fees (tsp.gov fund performance history). The 10-year window is a hot streak; the 25-year window includes the dot-com bust and 2008 — plan on the right-hand number, hope for the left. S and I funds launched May 2001, so their first year is a partial. Use these to sanity-check your “Expected TSP return” entry above.

The more you know… Traditional vs. Roth TSP

Every dollar you contribute is either traditional (no tax now, taxed when you withdraw) or Roth (taxed now, tax-free when you withdraw). Your agency’s 1% automatic and matching contributions are always traditional — so you’ll retire with both balances no matter what you elect.
The 2026 limit is $24,500 across both types combined, plus an $8,000 catch-up at 50+ ($11,250 at ages 60–63). New for 2026: if you earned over $150,000 last year, your catch-up contributions must be Roth.
The rule of thumb: traditional wins if your tax rate is higher now than in retirement; Roth wins the other way. Controllers often sit in a lower bracket in their 50s, then a higher one once Social Security and RMDs stack on — splitting contributions keeps both levers available.
Withdrawals are your choice each time: traditional only, Roth only, or a proportional mix. Roth money comes out as a mix of contributions and earnings, and the earnings are only tax-free once you’re 59½ and five years past your first Roth contribution.
This site treats all TSP withdrawals as taxable (traditional) money — a conservative assumption. A large Roth balance means your real spendable income will be a bit higher than shown.

Live result

Monthly retirement paycheck

Service calculation

Where the numbers come from

Sources & validation references

Every rule this calculator applies traces back to one of the authorities below, grouped by topic so you can verify any figure yourself. Statutes are at law.cornell.edu or govinfo.gov; agency material is on each agency's site.

Federal retirement law (FERS & ATC)

5 U.S.C. § 8412(e) — ATC immediate retirement (age 50 / 20 yrs ATC, or any age / 25 yrs)
5 U.S.C. § 8415 — FERS annuity formula; special 1.7% rate on first 20 years of ATC service
5 U.S.C. § 8415(f) — exempt-position path: retiring under regular FERS rules (MRA+30) pays 1.7% on every ATC year, not just the first 20, with COLAs delayed to age 62
5 U.S.C. § 8425(a) — mandatory ATC separation at 56; agency waivers capped at 61
5 U.S.C. §§ 8441–8445 / OPM survivor elections — full benefit = 50% of the unreduced annuity for a 10% reduction; partial = 25% for 5%; survivor annuity receives COLAs and preserves the spouse’s FEHB eligibility
OPM CSRS & FERS Handbook (opm.gov) — service computation dates, 30-day-month arithmetic
OPM sick leave credit rules — 2,087 hours = one year of annuity credit

Military service credit

5 U.S.C. § 8411 — crediting military service toward FERS
OPM military deposit guidance — buy-back deposit of roughly 3% of military basic pay, plus interest
10 U.S.C. § 12731 — reserve retired-pay age: 60 standard, reduced 3 months per 90 days of qualifying active duty, never below 50

FERS Special Retirement Supplement

OPM supplement rules — estimate = your projected age-62 Social Security benefit × FERS years ÷ 40
5 U.S.C. § 8421 — the supplement statute: years of FERS service ÷ 40 × your projected age-62 Social Security benefit
SSA earnings test (ssa.gov) — post-retirement wages above the 2026 exempt amount of $24,480 cut the supplement $1 for every $2, ages MRA–61
5 U.S.C. § 8421a(c) — pay from FAA-contract ATC instruction/supervision or contract-tower work (49 U.S.C. § 47124) is exempt from the supplement earnings test at any age
SSA COLA history (ssa.gov) — annual cost-of-living adjustments averaged 2.6% over the last 25 years (2002–2026)
5 U.S.C. § 8462 — FERS “diet COLA”: full CPI up to 2%, a flat 2% when inflation runs 2–3%, and CPI minus 1 point above 3% (averaging 2.1% over the same 25 years); ATC / special-provision retirees collect it immediately rather than waiting to 62, and the FERS supplement never receives one

Federal income tax (irs.gov)

IRS 2026 tax brackets & standard deduction — $32,200 joint / $24,150 head of household / $16,100 single, plus senior deduction
IRS Publication 915 — taxable portion of Social Security benefits
IRS Publication 721 / IRC § 72 — Simplified Method for the tax-free slice of your annuity
IRC § 24 — child tax credit, $2,200 per qualifying child; phases out above $200,000 income ($400,000 joint)

State income tax

Tax Foundation 2026 state bracket tables (taxfoundation.org)
Individual state revenue department publications and enacted 2026 session laws — all 50 states + DC

Social Security

SSA.gov "my Social Security" — the early / full / delayed benefit figures you enter come straight from your own estimate
SSA 2026 payroll-tax figures (ssa.gov) — 6.2% Social Security tax on the first $184,500 of wages, 1.45% Medicare on all wages, +0.9% above $200,000 ($250,000 joint); used for the working-years pay on the MRA+30 chart

Health & life insurance (opm.gov)

OPM FEHB program — premiums entered from your Leave & Earnings Statement
OPM FEGLI rate tables — how Basic and optional coverage costs change in retirement

Thrift Savings Plan

tsp.gov — withdrawal rules and required minimum distribution ages
TSP fund performance history (tsp.gov) — 10- and 25-year compound average annual returns for the G, F, C, S and I funds
TSP Bulletin 25-3 / IRS — 2026 contribution limits: $24,500 elective deferral, $8,000 catch-up (50+), $11,250 at ages 60–63
SECURE 2.0 § 603 — from 2026, catch-up contributions must be Roth for workers with prior-year wages over $150,000
IRC § 72(t)(10)(B) — qualified public safety employees: no 10% early-withdrawal penalty when separating at 50+ or with 25 years of service

Pay, leave & union contract

OPM 2,087-hour work year — converts salary to the hourly rate used for leave payouts
OPM annual leave lump-sum payment rules — payout at retirement, taxable when received
FAA/NATCA collective bargaining agreement, Article 25 Section 17 — 40% sick-leave buy-back option

Before You Begin

FAA Earnings & Leave Statement

SSA.gov access

Military DD-214s

FAA or OPM retirement estimate

TSP balance

Start with the basic facts.

Build your service history.

FAA Service

Military Buyback

Prior Federal Civilian Service

Choose how to supply your High-3.

Enter the values shown on your LES.

Enter your official Social Security estimates.

Add other income only when it applies.

Set planning assumptions.

Review before viewing your estimate.

The more you know… Traditional vs. Roth TSP

Annual leave lump sum

Sick leave — two ways to take it

Monthly retirement paycheck

Service calculation

Sources & validation references

Federal retirement law (FERS & ATC)

Military service credit

FERS Special Retirement Supplement

Federal income tax (irs.gov)

State income tax

Social Security

Health & life insurance (opm.gov)

Thrift Savings Plan

Pay, leave & union contract

Before You Begin

FAA Earnings & Leave Statement

SSA.gov access

Military DD-214s

FAA or OPM retirement estimate

TSP balance

Start with the basic facts.

Build your service history.

FAA Service

Military Buyback

Prior Federal Civilian Service

Choose how to supply your High-3.

Enter the values shown on your LES.

Enter your official Social Security estimates.

Add other income only when it applies.

Set planning assumptions.

Review before viewing your estimate.

The more you know… Traditional vs. Roth TSP

Annual leave lump sum

Sick leave — two ways to take it

Monthly retirement paycheck

Service calculation

Sources & validation references

Federal retirement law (FERS & ATC)

Military service credit

FERS Special Retirement Supplement

Federal income tax (irs.gov)

State income tax

Social Security

Health & life insurance (opm.gov)

Thrift Savings Plan

Pay, leave & union contract

Compare estimated spendable income by state