See what your military pay is actually worth.

Base pay is your taxable monthly salary. It is set by Congress, determined by your pay grade and years of service, and increases every January 1st. This is the number that appears on your W-2. The 2026 Military Pay Raise Act increased base pay by 3.8%, effective January 1, 2026 — the largest raise since 2019.

Pay tables are organized by grade and years of service. Selected 2026 monthly rates:

• E-1 (under 2 years): $2,052
• E-4 (4 years): $2,810
• E-5 (6 years): $4,110
• E-7 (10 years): $4,739
• O-1 (under 2 years): $3,988
• O-3 (6 years): $6,156
• O-5 (14 years): $9,105

Most service members see automatic pay increases at the 2-, 3-, 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, 18-, 20-, and 22-year marks.

BAH is the most variable and most valuable component of military compensation for most service members. The Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) surveys local rental markets each year and sets rates to offset approximately 95% of median local housing costs for your pay grade, with a built-in 5% cost-sharing assumption. That's why a sergeant in San Diego and a sergeant in rural Georgia receive completely different rates.

2026 BAH range with dependents:

• E-5: $1,218/mo (low-cost) to $3,897/mo (San Francisco area)
• O-3: $1,590/mo to $4,437/mo
• O-5: $1,818/mo to $4,713/mo

The tax-free multiplier: BAH is excluded from taxable income under 26 U.S.C. § 134. An E-5 receiving $2,500/month in BAH would need $3,205/month in taxable civilian wages to have the same after-tax spending power at the 22% federal bracket. Over a career, this exclusion is worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Rate protection:If DTMO reduces BAH rates for your area, you keep your current rate as long as your grade, duty station, and dependent status don't change. This grandfathering resets when you PCS.

BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence) is a flat monthly rate that does not vary by location or number of dependents. 2026 rates: $477.75/month enlisted, $329.82/month officers. Like BAH, it is excluded from federal taxable income.

CONUS COLAis a supplemental allowance for duty stations in high-cost CONUS areas where BAH alone doesn't cover the full cost-of-living differential. It affects a relatively small number of duty stations — primarily high-cost metro areas — and varies by pay grade and dependent status.

Special and incentive pays include:

• Hazardous Duty Pay: $150–$275/month
• Special Duty Assignment Pay (SDAP): $75–$675/month
• Aviation Career Incentive Pay: up to $1,000/month
• Career Sea Pay: $70–$805/month by grade and cumulative sea duty

Your LES will show all pays you're currently receiving.

Your LES (Leave and Earnings Statement) is your pay stub — but it contains far more information than a civilian pay stub, and the format is confusing until you know what you're looking at.

Key sections:

• Entitlements: Everything you're owed — base pay, BAH, BAS, special pays. Your total gross military pay.
• Deductions: Federal and state taxes, SGLI premium, dental, TSP contributions, TRICARE.
• Allotments: Automatic transfers you've set up.
• Leave column: Accrued leave balance (30 days earned per year, up to 60 days carried forward).

One frequent source of confusion: your W-2 will show a lower number than your total LES entitlements because BAH and BAS are not included in taxable wages on your W-2. This is correct — it doesn't mean you're missing pay.

Guard and Reserve compensation follows a different structure than active duty. Instead of a monthly salary, drill pay is calculated on a daily rate basis: 1/30th of the monthly active duty base pay for your grade and years of service per drill period.

A standard inactive duty training (IDT) weekend consists of four drill periods (typically Friday evening + Saturday + Sunday). Example: Staff Sergeant (E-6) with 8 years service ($4,387/month active base pay):

• Per drill period: $4,387 ÷ 30 = $146.23
• Per drill weekend (4 periods): $584.92
• Per year (standard 48 IDT periods): $7,019
• Plus 15-day Annual Training: ~$2,193

Guard and Reserve members also have access to TRICARE Reserve Select health coverage. Under BRS, they are eligible for TSP matching during qualifying active service periods.

The honest answer to "how much does the military pay" requires combining all compensation layers. Here's a representative example:

E-5 with 6 years, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, with dependents:

• Base pay: $4,110/month
• BAH (with dependents): $2,991/month
• BAS: $477.75/month
• BRS TSP matching (~5% contribution): ~$206/month
• Total: $7,785/month — $93,420/year

At the 22% federal bracket, a civilian would need roughly $110,000–$120,000/year in gross wagesto match this — and that's before accounting for subsidized TRICARE health coverage.

Illustrative estimate. Actual equivalence depends on individual tax situation, state of residence, filing status, and benefits not captured in this simplified model.