High Year Tenure (HYT) is a term used by the United States Armed Forces to describe the maximum number of years enlisted members may serve at a given rank without achieving promotion, after which they must separate or retire.
In the United States Army, soldiers will finish their enlistment contract if they exceed HYT or RCP (retention control point), unless they are reduced in rank.
[5] On 14 December 2017, the Navy announced that it will extend the HYT for seamen from its current five to six years on 1 February 2018.
On 3 October 2022, the Coast Guard suspended HYT for enlisted active duty members until 1 January 2025.
Extensions to the HYT date can be obtained for various reasons such as personal hardships or base closures.