Does Everyone Automatically Get 15% Off a Federal Sentence?
Why “15% off” is everyday shorthand rather than a rule, and what good-conduct time actually is.
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Short answer
No. No statute takes a fixed percentage off a federal sentence. The figure people repeat comes from good-conduct time, which is a different mechanism: qualifying federal prisoners serving eligible terms may receive up to 54 days of good-conduct time for each year of the sentence imposed, subject to statutory and Bureau of Prisons requirements. It is not automatic, it is not First Step Act programming credit, and the Bureau of Prisons performs the official computation. CaseSteps does not calculate it.
Attorney review pending. This is general education, not legal advice.
Plain-English overview
There is no rule that takes a fixed percentage off every federal sentence. The figure people repeat comes from good-conduct time, which is a different mechanism with its own requirements.
Under 18 U.S.C. § 3624, qualifying federal prisoners serving eligible terms may receive up to 54 days of good-conduct time for each year of the sentence imposed, subject to statutory and Bureau of Prisons requirements. The award is not guaranteed, and the Bureau of Prisons performs the official computation.
Good-conduct time is not First Step Act programming credit, and it is not the same as Second Chance Act prerelease placement or RDAP. Each of those has separate authority and separate requirements.
Why this matters
Families and people in custody frequently plan around a percentage that no statute states. Understanding that good-conduct time is a separate, conditional award—and that the Bureau of Prisons computes it—prevents planning around a date that does not exist.
Why this question causes confusion
People convert “up to 54 days per year” into a percentage and then repeat the percentage as though it were the rule. The percentage is arithmetic done by members of the public, not statutory language.
The confusion grows because several different mechanisms can affect how a sentence is served. Good-conduct time, First Step Act Time Credits, Second Chance Act prerelease placement and RDAP are commonly described with the same casual phrases, even though they come from different authorities and are decided differently.
Who calculates a federal sentence and the projected release information?
The Bureau of Prisons does. Sentence computation functions are carried out at the Designation and Sentence Computation Center at the Grand Prairie Office Complex in Grand Prairie, Texas, and the Bureau computes sentences in accordance with federal statute and its computation program statements.
The sentencing court imposes the sentence; it does not perform the computation. In United States v. Wilson, 503 U.S. 329 (1992), the Supreme Court held that the credit computation under 18 U.S.C. § 3585(b) is made after the defendant begins serving the sentence, by the Attorney General through the Bureau of Prisons.
General questions about the computation process can be answered by phone, and the Bureau states that court of jurisdiction, sentence imposed and projected release date are examples of information that may be released, while other information such as arrests or periods of prior custody is not public. Source checked September 6, 2026 against the Bureau of Prisons Sentence Computations page and the official United States Reports text of Wilson.
The governing distinctions
Good-conduct time
Administered by the Bureau of Prisons under 18 U.S.C. § 3624 for qualifying prisoners serving eligible terms: up to 54 days for each year of the sentence imposed, subject to statutory and BOP requirements.
First Step Act Time Credits
A separate credit earned through successful participation in assigned qualifying programs or productive activities. Earning and application have their own eligibility rules.
Prerelease placement and RDAP
Second Chance Act prerelease placement in community conditions and the separate RDAP early-release benefit under 18 U.S.C. § 3621(e) are separate authorities with their own limits and individualized decisions.
What can change the answer
- The statute and the terms that qualify for good-conduct time.
- Bureau of Prisons requirements and disciplinary findings.
- Whether the sentence includes any statutory limit affecting the award.
- Whether other mechanisms, such as First Step Act Time Credits, also apply.
- The Bureau of Prisons’ own computation, which controls.
Records to locate
- The judgment and commitment order.
- The BOP sentence computation document.
- Any disciplinary record affecting good-conduct time.
- Do not upload any of these records to CaseSteps. Nothing here accepts files.
Questions for the unit team
- What does my current sentence computation show?
- How is good-conduct time reflected in that computation?
- Has any disciplinary finding affected good-conduct time?
- What document explains the current calculation?
What CaseSteps cannot do
CaseSteps does not calculate credits, good-conduct time, a release date, a PATTERN score or a placement date.
CaseSteps does not decide whether anyone is eligible, and does not predict what the Bureau of Prisons will do.
The Bureau of Prisons controls official sentence computation, credit records and placement decisions. Individual questions belong with the unit team and with qualified counsel.
Questions to discuss with counsel
- Is my term the kind of sentence that can receive good-conduct time?
- Is anything in my judgment relevant to how the Bureau of Prisons computes the sentence?
- How do good-conduct time and First Step Act Time Credits interact in a situation like mine?
- Who should I ask if the computation appears inconsistent with the judgment?
- Is there any administrative process available if there is a disagreement?
Official sources
- 18 U.S.C. § 3624 — Release of a prisoner (readable version from the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School — a nonprofit legal-information publisher, not a government website)
- Bureau of Prisons — First Step Act information
- Bureau of Prisons — First Step Act FAQ
- U.S. Sentencing Commission — First Step Act earned time credits
This is general federal legal education, not legal advice. Procedures and outcomes depend on the facts, the controlling law, court orders and local practices. Confirm deadlines and decisions with qualified counsel.
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