Careers & Benefits

Salary and Compensation

Compensation looks different in the Military. Active Duty service members earn basic pay and additional allowances for housing and subsistence. And, depending on your role, you may be eligible for additional types of pay. Read on to learn more and explore the Compensation Estimator.

Did you know?

Did you know that military salaries are quite competitive with most civilian careers?

Thanks to supplemental allowance for housing, food, insurance, and other expenses, you can retain more of what you earn.

Compensation Estimator

This tool will give you a rough estimate of how much your military salary will be. This estimate is based on a few factors, such as:

Basic Pay

This is your base salary as an active-duty service member. While you’re on active duty, you will receive your salary biweekly.

Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)

This is a monthly allowance given to a service member to help them cover the cost of housing. A service member’s BAH is based on an area’s cost of living, as well as a service member’s pay grade and the number of people who live in their household.

Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS)

This is a monthly allowance to help provide for meals. As a service member, you have options for dining on the military installation, as well as the opportunity to take advantage of discounted grocery prices at your duty station’s commissary and post exchange (PX).

Keep in mind this is just an estimate. Your actual salary will be determined by a multitude of factors, including your rate/rank, time in service and even the location of your duty station. 

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Year 10

*Compensation projections are rough estimates.
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Years of service

Move slider to adjust annual compensation by year

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In Year 10:
Captain Ashley McMillan
Captain | Ashley McMillan Marine Corps

Base Pay & Special Pays

Military salaries come from two sources: base pay and special pays. Base pay is the same across all Service branches, and increases are based on rank and time in Service.

Special pays are provided for some service members based on occupational specialty or specific tasks performed. For example, hazardous duty earns an extra $150 per month for Flying Duty, Non Crew Members, while aviation officers earn an additional $125–$840 per month. Service members may earn no more than two special pays simultaneously. 

Reserve & Guard Compensation

Unlike their active-duty counterparts, members of the Reserve and National Guard serve part time. Therefore, they are compensated differently. 

After you complete Basic Training, where you are paid as an active-duty service member, you will join your Reserve or National Guard unit. From this point on, you will receive drill pay. Drills are monthly training periods that typically last two to four days. The amount you’re paid during a drill will be determined by the length of the training period, your rank and your job. 

As a member of the Reserve or National Guard, you might also be placed on active duty for training or deployment. If you’re a Reserve or National Guard member serving on active duty, you will be compensated as such.

Reserve & Guard Pay Calculator

Some Guard and Reserve branches offer calculators that provide more detailed information about the type of pay you can expect.

Army National Guard: 

See a breakdown of your potential pay according to your pay grade and whether you plan to be enlisted or an officer.

Navy Reserve: 

Toggle the “Full-Time/Part-Time” tab to see a breakdown of your potential compensation range according to pay grade and years of service.

Air National Guard: 

Use the calculator to see your total potential pay according to pay grade and years of service.

Army National Guard Pay Calculator Right facing arrow Navy Reserve Pay Right facing arrow Air National Guard Pay Calculator Right facing arrow

Military Salary & Compensation Facts

  • Dental insurance in-kind benefit provides 100 percent coverage for Active Duty. There is no limit to the value of dental care service members may receive. Family members may be added at a small additional cost.
  • Medical insurance in-kind benefit provides 100 percent coverage and there is no limit to the value of medical care service members or their families may receive.
  • Medical professional pay is calculated based on several factors including variable special pay and incentive special pay, commonly awarded to medical officers. Talk to a recruiter about your specific case.
  • The Military contributes 6.2% of total compensation to the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax and matches contributions, like civilian employers.
  • Overseas housing allowances are paid in U.S. dollars and adjusted periodically to reflect changes in local exchange rates.
  • The compensation estimator does not include special pays, such as foreign language pay, that some service members may receive under certain circumstances.
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