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Plan your final days of service. Compare the financial impact of taking terminal leave versus selling back your unused leave days.
Use your accrued leave at the end of your service. You remain on active duty status, collecting full pay, BAH, and TRICARE benefits while free to start your civilian life.
Receive a lump-sum payment for unused leave days (up to 60 days career max). You'll separate on your ETS date without the extended active duty period.
See your exact terminal leave start date and final separation date
Compare total income from terminal leave vs sell-back by rank
Factor in your housing allowance to see the true value of terminal leave
Estimate the value of continued healthcare coverage during terminal leave
Model starting a civilian job while still collecting military pay
Pre-loaded base pay for common ranks from E-4 through O-6
In most cases, taking terminal leave is financially better than selling it back. When you take leave, you receive full base pay plus BAH and continue TRICARE coverage. Sell-back only pays base pay divided by 30 per day, with no allowances. If you can start a civilian job during terminal leave, you effectively earn double income. The calculator helps you see the exact dollar difference for your situation.
Free, no sign-up required. Compare take-leave vs sell-back values, model BAH and TRICARE, and email yourself a copy.
Terminal leave is the accrued (unused) leave you take at the very end of your military service, right before your separation or retirement date. You stay on active duty during it — drawing full base pay, BAH, BAS, and TRICARE — while you are effectively done working, so you can move, job hunt, or even start a civilian job before your DD-214 date.
You request to use your remaining leave balance so it runs right up to your separation date, and your command approves it like any other leave. Throughout terminal leave you are still on active duty and paid normally — your official end-of-service (DD-214) date does not change. The alternative is selling unused leave back for a lump sum, which pays base pay only and is capped at 60 days over your career.
Yes. You remain on active duty for the entire terminal-leave period, which is why full pay, BAH, BAS, and TRICARE all continue. Your benefits and status do not change until your DD-214 effective date. That active-duty status is exactly why taking leave is usually worth more than selling it back.
For most service members, yes. Taking terminal leave preserves base pay, BAH, BAS, and TRICARE coverage during the leave period — typically worth 25-40% more than the lump-sum sell-back, which only pays base pay (taxed at ~22%). The exception: single members with civilian healthcare and no relocation needs, or anyone needing immediate cash.
Yes. Per 5 USC § 5534a, you can hold a civilian office or position (federal or private) during terminal leave under honorable conditions and receive that pay in addition to your military pay. There is no general restriction. Note: post-government-employment ethics rules under 18 USC § 207 may apply for some covered DoD officials.
Pay during terminal leave taxes the same as regular military pay — withheld monthly. Sell-back is paid as a lump sum and taxed at the supplemental wage rate (~22% federal plus state). The taxes shown in the calculator default to a 22% lump-sum federal rate. Your actual rate depends on filing status and total annual income.
Yes. You're still on active duty during terminal leave, so TRICARE Prime/Select coverage continues at no cost. Family members keep coverage too. After your DD-214 effective date, you transition to TRICARE for the appropriate post-separation status.
You can sell back up to 60 days of accrued leave across your career (career sell-back cap). You can take any amount of accrued leave as terminal leave, subject to your command's approval. Most transitioners sell some and take some — the calculator helps you find the breakpoint.
Most people running terminal-leave numbers are also figuring out final pay, BAH, and benefits. These pick up where the calculator leaves off.
When your final paycheck, leave sell-back, retired pay, and first VA check actually land.
The full playbook behind this calculator — counting days, timing, take vs. sell.
How long final pay and leave sell-back actually take to land after separation.
Exactly when your housing allowance stops — and the few exceptions.
Keep full pay, BAH, and BAS while you intern with a civilian employer.
The VA does not add ratings — see your real combined percentage in 30 seconds.
What separating early means for your TSP and how to skip the 10% hit.