A high-3 record check starts with the pay that counts for retirement and the dates each rate was effective. A final salary, a tax statement or a simple average of three calendar years may answer a different question.
OPM describes high-3 as the highest average basic pay over a consecutive three-year period. That period can occur earlier in a career. Ask the agency to verify the selected period and the pay components used in its estimate.
Build a dated pay trail
Gather the personnel actions and pay records that explain changes within the proposed high-3 period. Keep corrected actions with the records they replace. A document issued later can still concern an earlier effective date.
Use a private index rather than distributing a full personnel file for a preliminary conversation.
| Record item | What to check |
|---|---|
| Effective dates | When each pay rate actually applied |
| Basic-pay rate | The rate identified for retirement purposes |
| Pay components | Which amounts the agency included or excluded |
| Schedule changes | Any part-time or other computation issue |
| Corrections | Which version supersedes an earlier action |
A pay statement can contain several kinds of compensation. Have the agency identify the amounts covered by retirement rules instead of treating every payment as part of high-3. Premium or differential pay can require specific attention to the applicable position and authority.
Check the averaging period
Ask which consecutive period produced the agency's figure and how changes inside that period were weighted. A year with a midyear increase should not be treated as though the final rate applied throughout the year.
Compare the period used in different estimates. An estimate for a later retirement date may have a different high-3 period as well as additional credited service. Keep those explanations separate so the reason for a changed pension figure is clear.
If there was part-time service, a transfer, a coverage correction or another special circumstance, request the applicable agency calculation. Avoid repairing a complex estimate by changing a single salary number in a general calculator.
Questions for the benefits office
- Which pay rates and effective dates support this high-3?
- Which components were treated as retirement-covered basic pay?
- Was an earlier consecutive period considered?
- Do corrected personnel actions change the selected period?
- Does the estimate require a part-time, mixed-system or other special computation?
Keep the confirmed high-3 with the date and scope of the estimate. It is an input to a calculation, not confirmation of eligibility, credited service or a final award.
Continue with the CSRS formula records or the FERS formula worksheet, according to the coverage your agency confirms. The federal review overview helps keep the remaining questions organized.
Browse federal benefits, retirement and insurance topics or read how we prepare and check our guides.
Sources
- OPM: Computation (CSRS), checked November 4, 2026
- OPM: Computation (FERS), checked November 4, 2026
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