Service listed in 10 USC 12732 that was performed prior to 1 July, 1949 is qualifying service. Years of service after 1 July, 1949 are considered qualifying only if credited with a minimum of 50 retirement points during a full anniversary year.

Members of the Marine Corps Reserve who are on the Active Status List (ASL) may earn retirement points in any one or a combination of the following methods:

Active Service:
One point is credited for each day of active duty or Annual Training (AT) including travel time. Retirement points for paid AT are governed by the Disbursing Officer’s endorsement. For AT without pay, retirement points are determined from the reporting and detaching endorsements plus travel time, if applicable. In the Continental United States, no more than one day constructive travel time may be credited for AT.

Inactive Duty Service:
     –One point is credited for each authorized drill attended in either pay or non-pay status. Drill credit is not granted on a day credited for AT.

     –Points are credited upon satisfactory completion of authorized correspondence courses. The points vary with the course completed. Credit is granted for the satisfactory completion of each unit of a course. Credit applies as of the date the last satisfactory assignment of each unit is processed.

     –Up to fifteen (15) membership retirement points are awarded for each anniversary year during which the Marine is not on the Inactive Status List (ISL), retired, or on active duty for the full anniversary year.

     –For Inactive Duty Service a maximum of 130 retirement points may be credited each anniversary year. Points for active service and AT are credited day-for-day.

Effective 15 October, 1999, DOD INST. 1517.8, the date used to determine the anniversary year is established as the date the Marine entered into active service or into active status in a Reserve Component. The beginning date (“From” date) of an anniversary year will be the first day a Marine joins a component whether it is Regular or Reserve. The ending date (“To” date) of an anniversary year will be 365 days from the beginning date. There is no change in the anniversary year upon Marine’s transfer from a Regular component to a Reserve component if after 1 July, 1965.

The start date for each anniversary year will not be adjusted unless the Marine has a break in service. A “break in service” occurs only when a Marine transfers to an Inactive Status List, the Temporary Disability Retired List, the Retired Reserve, or is discharged for a period greater than 24 hours. There is no break in service if the Marine transfers directly to another Regular or Reserve component.

–Officers: The start date for officers with cadet or midshipmen service will be established as the date of commission.

–Enlisted: For enlisted Marines who have service as a cadet or midshipman but did not later receive or who do not hold a commission as an officer, service as a cadet or midshipman at a service academy shall be included and counted as active duty, only if they return to enlisted status and complete their period of obligation. The anniversary date will be the date of initial entry into military service.

–Anniversary “year” is any consecutive 365 days, or 366 days during leap year, beginning with the anniversary date.

An “eligible status” is frequently referred to as “active status” meaning not on ISL or Retired. For the purpose intended here, reference to “eligible status” or “ineligible status” will mean a status during which the reservist may or may not participate for retirement point credit.

Eligible Status:
–Members of the Marine Corps Reserve are in an eligible status and may earn retirement point credit if they are: (1) in the Ready Reserve, (2) on active duty, or (3) on inactive duty but have a service obligation.

–Participation by Marines of the Standby Reserve is restricted to those Marines who still have a service obligation, those who have at least 18 years but less than 20 years qualifying service, and those Marines screened from the Ready Reserve as key federal employees or for other reasons as determined by the Secretary of the Navy.

–A Marine who has met the service and age requirements for retired pay under 10 USC 12731 may not accrue additional service credits after the date of initial eligibility (usually age 60) unless retained in an active status by the Secretary of the Navy under authority contained in 10 USC 12308.

Ineligible Status:
–Members of the Marine Corps Reserve in an ineligible status may not participate for retirement point credit if they are (1) on ISL, (2) on the Retired List or in the Retired Reserve not on active duty, or (3) on the Temporary Disability Retired List

Members of the Marine Corps Reserve in an eligible status who have 20 or more years of qualifying service and are not yet 60 years old must earn a minimum of 50 points, including the 15 membership points, in their most recent anniversary year. Annually, those Marines who have failed to maintain the 50 point minimum will be notified and after notification, offered the following:

–Transfer to the Retired Reserve, if qualified and application is made therefore; or,

–If not qualified for transfer to the Retired Reserve or does not apply for transfer to the Retired Reserve, be transferred to the ISL if qualified therefore; or,

–Officers in an eligible status who have less than 20 years of qualifying service must earn a minimum of 27 points, including 15 membership points, in their most recent anniversary year to remain in an eligible status. Annually, CMC (MMSR-5) identifies the officers who have failed to maintain the 27 point minimum (known as 27 point fails). After notification, those officers may be:

In summary, the following items are emphasized:
–The Marines must be in an eligible status to earn points. A Marine Corps reservist maintains an eligible status by earning at least minimum point requirement (27 or 50,as applicable).

–A Marine must earn at least 50 retirement points during the anniversary year to earn a year of qualifying service after 1 July, 1949.

–Total inactive duty points authorized as creditable.
          60: Service prior to 24 September, 1996
          75: Service from 24 September, 1996 – 29 October, 2000
          90: Service from 30 October, 2000 – 17 January, 2008
          130: Service from 18 January, 2008 – present.

–There is no limit on the number of Active Duty or AT points. However, a Marine may not receive credit for more than 365/366 retirement points in any combination of active or inactive points in any one anniversary year.

A minimum of 50 retirement points are required per anniversary year to earn a qualifying year for retirement purposes. However, there are possible pitfalls that may surround the minimum point achievement. Many reservists are denied a qualifying year because they geared their participation to the 50-point minimum, then discovered that the points they were counting on were not all creditable for retirement purposes. By the time this happens it is usually too late to do anything about it, since retirement points cannot be earned nor credited retroactively to an anniversary year already ended.

Examples:
Annual Training Credit – AT performed during a period crossing two fiscal years can be credited to either fiscal year for retention in a Selected Reserve unit. However, for the purpose of crediting qualifying service, retirement points are credited the days the Active duty is actually performed and entered to the anniversary year accordingly.

     –Correspondence Courses – Courses cannot be repeated for credit unless there has been a major revision in the course.
     –Correspondence Courses are recorded in the anniversary year based on the completion date assigned on the completion letter.

Besides providing a cushion against the situations described above, extra points can increase the amount of retired pay at age 60. The additional effort it takes to earn the extra points may well turn out to be the ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure.

Here are situations that may require a proration of retirement points.

   – Pro-rating an anniversary year when the reservist was on the Inactive Status List (ISL) or in a Retired status during a portion of that year. If the reservist was on the ISL, discharges or in a Retired Status for any portion of an anniversary year, that year will not be credited as a full year of qualifying service irrespective of the number of retirement points earned. However, the time during which the Marine was in an active status is considered qualifying service providing he/she earned the required points, on a pro rata basis, during that period. Two or more partial periods may be combined to make a satisfactory year of service.

   – Pro-rating a partial year for the purpose of completion of the 20th qualifying year and transfer to Retired status. Reserve component Marine must be credited with at least the minimum number of prorated points and they must request transfer from an active status which must be submitted before the end of the period being prorated.

Example: The Marine is not yet 60 years of age. His anniversary year extends from 1 July through 30 June and he has completed 19 years, 8 months, and 16 days qualifying service as of 30 June of his last completed anniversary year. He can complete his 20th qualifying year before another full anniversary year expires; however, to do so he/she must determine the period and the number of points required to credit that period as qualifying time. For example, he/she may transfer to the Retired Reserve without pay effective 1 November. Hence, the period to be prorated extends from 1 July to 31 October (a total of 123 days) which is sufficient to complete 20 years. If he/she earns at least 12 points (not counting membership points) during this 123 day period, he/she has completed the point requirement. However, this is only half of the story. A change of status is also required and, since transfer to the Retired Reserve cannot be effected retroactively, he/she must submit a request before 1 November (approximately 60 or 90 days in advance is advisable).

– Under the provisions of The National Defense Authorization Act for 2005, any service member who completes 20 years of qualifying service on or after 25 April 2005 is eligible for a Reserve Retirement. However, a Marine who earned 20 years or more years of qualifying service before 25 April 2005 should contact MMSR-5 concerning retirement eligibility.

– Under the provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2008, service members who perform an aggregate of 90 days of active service in a fiscal year, may reduce their eligibility age below age 60 by 3 months for each aggregate period served. The eligibility age may not be reduced below age 50.

– Have a minimum of 20 years of qualifying service.
– In order to receive pay, a Marine must be 60 years if age. (Note: NDAA 2008 allows for a reduction of 3 months for every aggregate of 90 days spent mobilized since 28 January, 2008.)
– Enlisted Marines must be under a valid contract or extension on the date of the transfer.
– A Marine who is discharged due to expiration of contract or any other reason, but meets all other requirements for retirement, is entitled to retire pay as a “former Marine” at age 60.
–Those reservists who earned 20 qualifying years before 25 April, 2005 must have earned the last 6 qualifying years while a member of the reserve component.

If you elected assignment to the Retired Reserve, MMSR-5 will automatically forward your pay application forms approximately four to six months prior to your 60th birthday.

If you elected discharge in lieu of transfer to the Retired Reserve, you must contact CMC (MMSR-5), via emal or by phone at (703) 784-9306/9307, for pay application forms.

To ensure you receive your retired pay in a timely manner, your pay forms should be returned to us at least 30 days prior to your 60th birthday. If you return your pay forms at least 30 days prior to the effective date of retirement, you will receive your first check (which will be a partial check from the effective date until the end of that month) by the 3rd day of the following month.

If you do not designate a financial institution in which you wish to have your retired pay deposited, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) will withhold your retired pay until such a time as the information is received.