2019 Military Pay Charts - Military Benefits (2023)

FAQs

How much are military allowances? ›

Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS): The Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) is used to pay for food for Enlisted Soldiers and Officers. The following are the BAS rates for 2021: Officers: $280.29. Enlisted: $406.98.

The Entitlements section of your LES contains everything that the military is paying you, both pays and allowances. I'll do Deductions and Allotments within the net few days.

Years of service and rank determine military pay. Basic pay is calculated on a monthly basis and divided into two paychecks, which you'll receive twice a month. Some branches allow service members to be paid monthly instead.

2022/23 pay

Full details of the pay increases, including changes to allowances and recruitment and retention payments, can be found in the AFPRB's 2022 report. The separate Senior Salaries Review Body recommended an increase of 3.5% to base pay for senior officers (2 starts and above).

Service members have access to two different retirement vehicles: A pension, which is only available to those who retire after at least 20 years of service.

General benefits

Food and housing: Free dining services and housing on base, or allowances that are tax-free. Moving benefits: The military pays for much of your travel and expenses for required moves. Health care: Health care and dental care are covered, including prescriptions.

What is the retirement pay for an E7 with 20 years? As of 2022 the pay calculation projection an E7 retiring with exactly 20 years of service would receive $27,827 per year. It's important to note the present value of almost $800,000 for a 40 year old receiving this pension indefinitely.

The Army offers the highest base pay, while the Air Force offers more opportunities for special pay. So, it really depends on what you're looking for in a military career. If you want to make the most money possible, then the Army is probably the best branch for you.

While all pays are taxable, most allowances are tax-exempt. The primary allowances for most individuals are BAS and BAH, which are tax-exempt. Conus COLA is one allowance that is taxable.

Social Security deductions are 6.2% of your taxable military pays. Medicare taxes are 1.45% of your taxable military pays.

How much does a 2 star general make? ›

Army Major General Pay

Including the most common pay allowances, the average total compensation for a Major General may range from $142,989.48 to $204,653.88 per year as of 2022.

Taxes, taxes, taxes

The biggest deduction from your civilian paycheck will likely be taxes. In the military, the federal government generally only taxes base pay, and many states waive income taxes. Other military pay—things like housing allowances, combat pay or cost-of-living adjustments—may not be taxed.

All service members get at least one raise each year that is approved by Congress. Service members also get automatic raises when they are promoted to a higher rank, as well as longevity raises for time in service within one rank. Longevity raises generally are given every two years.

The pay awards will be paid in August 2022 salaries and backdated to 1 April 2022. Where specified, the other recommended changes will be backdated to 1 April 2022.

If passed, military pay increases will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023. You'll get your first increased paycheck on Jan. 13, 2023. Each year, the government reviews military compensation and proposes an annual cost-of-living adjustment. The 4.6% pay raise comes on the heels of a 2.7% increase in 2022.

Since 1957, if you had military service earnings for active duty (including active duty for training), you may have extra Social Security wage credits added to your earnings record.

Can You Live Off Military Retirement Pay? The short answer is, yes, absolutely. But it takes a lot of planning to make this work. A good friend of mine, Doug Nordman, wrote the book, The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Early Retirement, and founded the website, The Military Guide.

The minimum eligibility period for receipt of pension is 10 years. A Central Government servant retiring in accordance with the Pension Rules is entitled to receive pension on completion of at least 10 years of qualifying service.

You get 36 months of full-time GI Bill benefits and have no time limit on when you need to use them by. If you left the military before Jan. 1, 2013, your benefits expire 15 years from your discharge (if using the Post-9/11 GI Bill). If you are using the Montgomery GI Bill you have 10 years to use your benefits.

This depends on when you were discharged from active duty. If your service ended before January 1, 2013, your Post-9/11 GI Bill (Chapter 33) benefits will expire 15 years after your last separation date from active service. You must use all of your benefits by that time or you'll lose whatever's left.

Do all Veterans get benefits? ›

All Veterans receive coverage for most care and services, but only some will qualify for added benefits like dental care.

You can get both Social Security benefits and military retirement benefits. Generally, there is no reduction of Social Security benefits because of your military retirement benefits. You'll get your Social Security benefit based on your earnings and the age you choose to start receiving benefits.

For example, the retirement of an E-8 with 20 years is roughly $22,000 a year for just waking up in the morning. However, if you spread that out for another 40 years of living, retirement pay has reached a $1 million retirement package.

The E-9 grade begins at 10 years of experience with a basic pay rate of $5,789.10 per month and a drill pay rate of $192.97 per drill.

To recap: The hardest military branch to get into in terms of education requirements is the Air Force. The military branch with the toughest basic training is the Marine Corps. The hardest military branch for non-males because of exclusivity and male dominance is the Marine Corps.

Now that you have briefed through the missions of the branches and have looked at the stats of accidents and casualties, it's easier to pinpoint the least dangerous military branch. So the safest military branch in terms of man-to-man combat and machine-to-machine accidents is the Space Force.

When determining income for military personnel you must include all regular pay, special pay and allowances (except as provided in Income Exclusions). Therefore, the food and housing allowances (BAS and BAH) would be included in income.

A Payments you receive as a member of a military service generally are taxed as wages except for retirement pay, which is taxed as a pension. If your retirement pay is based on age or length of service, it is taxable and must be included in your income as a pension on lines 5a and 5b of Form 1040 or Form 1040-SR.

Military retirement pay based on age or length of service is considered taxable income for Federal income taxes, and most state income taxes. However, military disability retirement pay and veterans' benefits, including service-connected disability pension payments, are almost always fully excluded from taxable income.

Most retirees at 20 years will receive 50% of their base pay, which would equal the following amounts: E-7 Monthly: $1,997.20. E-7 Annually: $23,972.40. O-5 Monthly: $3,848.70.

Are deployments tax free? ›

If a member of the armed services is deployed to a combat zone for six months, half of their annual base pay is excluded from federal income tax. In practical terms, this could mean excluding $14,000 to $16,000 of pay from tax.

After all the deductions have been taken, the amount left is your take-home pay. The majority of taxes and other deductions are calculated as a percentage of your gross pay. For example, the 2022 tax rate for Medicare tax is 1.45% for the employee—so if you earn $1,000, you'll pay $14.50 in Medicare tax.

Salary Ranges for Navy Seals

The salaries of Navy Seals in the US range from $15,929 to $424,998 , with a median salary of $76,394 . The middle 57% of Navy Seals makes between $76,394 and $192,310, with the top 86% making $424,998.

This means that a four-star general or admiral with 40 years of service will receive about $237,144 a year during retirement. That's $50,000 more than he or she would have received while on active duty. (Previously, generals and admirals' pensions were capped at 75 percent of their pay).

A three-star officer with 35 years' experience would get about $169,200 a year, up about $39,000, or 30%.

Service members and their families can use Space-A flights to travel around the country and world at little to no cost. Though sometimes unpredictable, military flights are perfect for families with flexible plans and limited travel budgets.

BAS is meant to offset costs for a member's meals. This allowance is based in the historic origins of the military in which the military provided room and board (or rations) as part of a member's pay. This allowance is not intended to offset the costs of meals for family members.

A Sergeant First Class is a noncommissioned officer in the United States Army at DoD paygrade E-7. A Sergeant First Class receives a monthly basic pay salary starting at $3,294 per month, with raises up to $5,921 per month once they have served for over 26 years.

If you are demoted, your BAH will change to the current rate for your lower pay grade, which may be lower than the BAH at your previous pay grade. Promotions won't lower your BAH, even if the higher pay grade has a lower BAH rate than your old pay grade. You will receive whichever rate is higher.

Will military pay go up in 2023? ›

Military retirees and disabled veterans will see their monthly checks increase by 8.7% for 2023, thanks to an annual adjustment to the federal Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) due to inflation.

2022/23 pay

Full details of the pay increases, including changes to allowances and recruitment and retention payments, can be found in the AFPRB's 2022 report. The separate Senior Salaries Review Body recommended an increase of 3.5% to base pay for senior officers (2 starts and above).

Armed Forces personnel are set to receive increases to their salaries (Picture: Alamy). Essentially, the headline figures are that the most senior officers in the Armed Forces, one-star level and above, are getting a pay rise of 3.5%, whereas everybody else is getting 3.75%, backdated to April 2022.

Military pay increased 2.7% for 2022, compared to 2021 levels. The military pay charts linked below apply to active members of the Navy, Marines, Army, Air Force, Coast Guard and Space Force.

As of 2022 the pay calculation projection an E7 retiring with exactly 20 years of service would receive $27,827 per year. It's important to note the present value of almost $800,000 for a 40 year old receiving this pension indefinitely.

Your retirement benefit is determined by your years of service. It's calculated at 2.5% times your highest 36 months of basic pay.

Note that the COLA for retired pay is calculated differently than the increase to active duty pay. Thus, retirement pay COLAs and annual active duty pay raises will differ as active duty pay raises will differ.

Soldier pay

Private: £21,424 a year. Lance Corporal: £28,351 a year. Corporal: £33,065 a year. Sergeant: £37,198 a year.

When a service member uses their privately owned vehicles (POV) for local, permanent change of station (PCS) or temporary duty station (TDY) travel, they may receive a mileage allowance. The allowance is calculated as a rate per mile rather than covering actual operating expenses.

Social Security deductions are 6.2% of your taxable military pays. Medicare taxes are 1.45% of your taxable military pays.

How much is military overseas pay? ›

How Much Is Overseas COLA? The average supplement is $300 per month. The basic measurement is a comparison of the difference in average costs related to purchasing essentials in CONUS and at the OCONUS location. It impacts 320,000 members at approximately 600 locations overseas, including Alaska and Hawaii.

Taxes, taxes, taxes

The biggest deduction from your civilian paycheck will likely be taxes. In the military, the federal government generally only taxes base pay, and many states waive income taxes. Other military pay—things like housing allowances, combat pay or cost-of-living adjustments—may not be taxed.

The highest rank in the U.S. Army is a four-star general. As of June 2020, there were 14 Army four-stars, the most at any time since World War II, according to Military.com. The 2020 four-star general pay is $16,441.80 per month, which does not include amounts for a housing allowance and other benefits.

Average SANDF Soldier monthly pay in South Africa is approximately R 11 714, which is 27% above the national average.

Based on the weight of household goods you're transporting, the government will reimburse 95% of the estimated cost of your move. So if it ends up costing you less, you get to keep that money.

The mileage reimbursement rates for official travel via Privately Owned Vehicle (POV) will increase for the second half of 2022. For PCS travel the Mileage Allowance In Lieu of Transportation (MALT) rate becomes $0.22 per mile, up from $0.18 per mile.

It's important to remember that an accompanied tour is something many military families want but are not granted. To make things a little easier on your pocketbook for stateside visits, the Defense Department does pay for flights home -- but they are through Space-A.

What is the retirement pay for an E7 with 20 years? As of 2022 the pay calculation projection an E7 retiring with exactly 20 years of service would receive $27,827 per year. It's important to note the present value of almost $800,000 for a 40 year old receiving this pension indefinitely.

While all pays are taxable, most allowances are tax-exempt. The primary allowances for most individuals are BAS and BAH, which are tax-exempt. Conus COLA is one allowance that is taxable.

What extra pay do I get when deployed? ›

Personnel can receive from $200 to $3,000 extra per month, depending on the circumstances. Per diem, including payments for incidental expenses, is paid to service members on some deployments.

The Army offers the highest base pay, while the Air Force offers more opportunities for special pay. So, it really depends on what you're looking for in a military career. If you want to make the most money possible, then the Army is probably the best branch for you.

Links: 2022 Pay Tables

Currently, COLA is set at 9.75 % for Honolulu, Kauai and Maui counties, and at 3.94 % for Hawaii County.