Federal Sentence Credit Calculator

Bureau of Prisons convergence method for Good Conduct Time and First Step Act Earned Time Credits

18 U.S.C. §§ 3624(b), 3632(d)(4) · BOP Program Statement 5410.01

Sentence

Sentence imposedTotal months as imposed by the court

Sentence start dateDate of remand or voluntary surrender to designated facility

Prior custody creditJail time or holdover days credited toward sentence (enter 0 if none)

GED or higher educationRequired for maximum 54-day GCT rate under PLRA

Transit / holdover daysDays not counted toward 30-day programming periods — transit, holdover, furlough, or voluntary opt-out from assigned EBRR programs (enter 0 if none)

SHU daysDays in the Special Housing Unit — disciplinary or administrative (enter 0 if none)

Eligibility

FSA eligibleApproximately 70 offenses are disqualified—primarily violent, sex, terrorism, espionage

PATTERN risk scoreDetermines earning rate: 10 or 15 days per 30-day programming period

RDAP eligible — 18 U.S.C. § 3621(e)Residential Drug Abuse Program: 6, 9, or 12 months off sentence based on term imposed

Projected Computation

Full-term release date—

Good conduct time (days)—

GCT release date—

3621(e) release date (RDAP)—

Total earned time credits (days)—

ETCs toward early supervised release (max 365)—

ETCs toward community placement—

FSA conditional release date
Early supervised release begins—

FSA conditional placement date
Transfer to halfway house or home confinement—

Approximate time in secure custody—

Important

This calculator produces estimates using the Bureau of Prisons convergence method as described in the BOP's published calculation model. The BOP has final authority over all credit calculations. Actual computation dates are determined by the BOP Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC) and may differ by one to two days due to calendar-day counting conventions.

Transit, holdover, SHU, and opt-out days can be entered as non-earning time. These days reduce the number of 30-day programming periods available to generate credits but still count as time served. This calculator does not account for disciplinary forfeiture of previously earned credits, retroactive rescission of credits from declined waitlisted programs, Second Chance Act reviews, or changes in PATTERN risk score during incarceration. When non-earning time fields are left at zero, the calculator assumes continuous successful participation from the date of arrival at the designated facility.

Projected release and placement dates are adjusted backward to the prior federal business day. The BOP releases individuals before weekends and federal holidays, not after. Eleven federal holidays are encoded, including observation rules when a holiday falls on a weekend. Statutory computation dates (full-term and GCT release) are not adjusted. When an adjustment occurs, the computed date appears below the adjusted date.

The RDAP sentence reduction under 18 U.S.C. § 3621(e) follows the tiered structure in BOP Program Statement 5331.02: sentences of 24 to 30 months receive a 6-month (180-day) reduction, 31 to 36 months receive 9 months (270 days), and 37 months or longer receive 12 months (365 days). The reduction is applied to the GCT-adjusted release date before earned time credits are calculated.

Individuals must serve the time to earn the credits and cannot earn additional credits while in the community on time credits.

This calculator is not legal advice. It is an informational tool only. No attorney-client relationship is created by its use. Sentencing, credit application, and release determinations involve case-specific factors that this calculator cannot account for. If you have questions about your sentence computation or FSA eligibility, consult a licensed attorney.

Sources: 18 U.S.C. §§ 3621(e), 3624(b), 3624(c), 3624(g), 3632(d)(4) · BOP Program Statement 5410.01 CN-2 · BOP Program Statement 5331.02 · BOP Program Statement 5400.01 · Bureau of Prisons FSA Time Credit Calculation Model (2025)