TSP for Military Members: BRS Match, Roth vs Traditional (2026)

Not financial advice. Educational only. Nothing here predicts returns or tells you which fund to pick.

The TSP is the retirement account for federal employees and the uniformed services. Under the Blended Retirement System (BRS), the government puts money in too. Leaving that on the table is the easiest mistake to avoid.

What matters for military TSP

Free money: the automatic 1% and the match.
Vesting: the 1% is only yours after 2 years.
Limits: 2026 limits are higher than last year.
Pay type: you can't contribute from BAH or BAS.

How the BRS money works

Per TSP and Military OneSource:

Automatic 1%: after 60 days of service, your service contributes 1% of basic pay whether you contribute or not.
Matching: dollar-for-dollar on the first 3% you put in, then 50 cents per dollar on the next 2%. Put in 5% and you get 4% matched, plus the 1%, for 5% from the government.
When matching starts: after 2 years and 1 day of service (members who opted into BRS got it right away).
Ends: at 26 years of service.
Auto-enrollment: new BRS members are enrolled at 3%, and those not contributing are re-enrolled every January.
Default fund: an age-appropriate L Fund.

Downside: the default 3% leaves match money behind. Matching tops out at 5%.

Vesting

Your own contributions are always vested. The automatic 1% (and its earnings) vests after 2 years of service. Leave before that and TSP removes it.

2026 limits

Elective deferral limit: $24,500.
Catch-up (age 50+): $8,000, or $11,250 for ages 60 to 63.
Catch-up must be Roth if your prior-year wages were over $150,000.

Roth vs traditional

Traditional: contributions go in before tax; you pay tax when you withdraw.
Roth: contributions go in after tax; your Roth contributions come out tax-free, and earnings are tax-free if they're "qualified": 5 years have passed since January 1 of the year of your first Roth TSP contribution, AND you're 59½, permanently disabled, or deceased.

Per TSP, agency/service contributions (the 1% and match) always go into your traditional balance, even if your own contributions are Roth. Your Roth contributions still get matched.

Combat-zone contributions

Contributions from tax-exempt combat-zone pay stay tax-exempt. Per TSP: in a traditional balance, the combat-zone contributions themselves aren't taxed when withdrawn, but their earnings are. In a Roth balance, they're never taxed, and qualified earnings are tax-free too.

One trap: tax-exempt contributions to Roth count against the IRS elective deferral limit; those to traditional don't. Hit the limit early and you stop contributing, which means you lose the match for the rest of the year.

Coast Guard section

TSP Bulletin 17-U-3 lists the Coast Guard among the uniformed services covered by BRS. Coast Guard members make TSP elections through Direct Access self-service; PPC publishes a "Self Service - Thrift Savings Plan" guide for it. Pay questions go to PPC Customer Service at (866) 772-8724, not DFAS.

The funds

Per TSP:

G Fund: specially issued Treasury securities with a guaranteed rate of interest, reset monthly.
F Fund: government and corporate bonds.
C Fund: 500 of the largest U.S. companies.
S Fund: over 3,000 small- and medium-sized U.S. companies.
I Fund: over 5,000 companies in 44 foreign countries.
L Funds: a mix of all five that mostly gets more conservative as the target date nears, then rolls into L Income.

No performance numbers here, on purpose.

First 30 days checklist

Confirm you're contributing at least 5% to get the full match.
Choose Roth, traditional, or a mix.
Name your beneficiaries by logging in to My Account. TSP can't honor a will; only a designation on file counts.
Pick your funds or accept the L Fund default on purpose.
Know the 90-day refund window for auto-enrollment contributions.

How I'd choose

If you're new under BRS, aim to contribute at least 5% so you don't leave match money behind.
If you expect a higher tax bracket later, many members look at Roth.
If you're deployed to a combat zone, look into the combat-zone tax rules before choosing Roth or traditional.
If you're getting out before 2 years, know the 1% won't follow you.

TSP calculator: check that you get the full BRS match, with hypothetical growth
Leaving the military financial checklist, including TSP after separation
More in the TSP & Retirement hub