Changing how much you put into the Thrift Savings Plan is quick, but where you do it depends on whether you're in uniform or a federal civilian. Importantly, you do not change your contribution amount on tsp.gov — you change it through your pay system. Here's how.
Civilian employees change contributions through their agency's HR/payroll portal — commonly Employee Express, EBIS, GRB Platform, EPP, or myPay, depending on your agency. Look for the TSP or retirement section, then set your contribution as a dollar amount or percentage and choose your Roth/Traditional split. If you're not sure which system your agency uses, ask your HR or benefits office.
Service members contribute by percentage of pay, which is handy because your contribution automatically rises with pay raises and promotions. Civilians can often choose a dollar amount per pay period. Either way, the goal is the same: contribute enough to capture the full match.
Two different things are easy to confuse:
Thinking about bumping up your rate? See how even a 1–2% increase compounds over a career in the TSP calculator.
Civilian employees change contributions through their agency's payroll/HR system — for example EBIS, the GRB Platform, Employee Express, or myPay for DoD civilians — rather than on tsp.gov. You can usually elect a dollar amount per pay period or a percentage, split between Traditional and Roth.
Most changes take effect the next pay period, though occasionally it takes one to two cycles depending on timing. Check your next Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) to confirm the new amount is being withheld.
Raising your contribution just 1–2% is nearly painless month to month but powerful over a career. On $48,000 of basic pay, 2% is about $80 a month — invested for 20 years at a hypothetical 7% return, that alone grows to roughly $41,000. A good habit: bump your rate by 1% every time you get a raise or promotion, so you never feel the pinch.
Open the TSP calculator →No. You change how much you contribute in your pay system (myPay for military, your agency portal for civilians). You use tsp.gov to change how your money is invested among the funds and to move existing balances.
Only if you drop below 5% of basic pay, which reduces the match. Staying at 5% or above each pay period keeps the full match.
Yes. myPay lets you set separate contribution percentages for basic pay and for special, incentive, and bonus pay. Note that only basic-pay contributions earn the match.
As often as you like — there's no limit on how frequently you can adjust your TSP contribution election.