Military Pay Calculator

Work out 2026 military pay by rank and years of service. Adds BAH, BAS, and the tax advantage on both to show total compensation, take-home pay, and Reserve drill pay.

Service status
Dependents
$

BAH depends on your duty ZIP code, pay grade, and dependent status. Copy the figure from your LES or the official DoD BAH calculator.

BAS is a flat food allowance: $476.95 a month for enlisted members, $328.48 for officers.

$

Flight pay, sea pay, hazardous duty pay, or a monthly bonus instalment. This part is taxable.

Tax settings

%
%
Common starting points

Total monthly compensation

$6,586.95

$79,043 a year

Taxable 62%Tax free 38%

Where the money comes from

Basic paytaxable
$4,110.00
BAH (housing)tax free
$2,000.00
BAS (food)tax free
$476.95
Gross monthly pay
$6,586.95

Regular Military Compensation

RMC is the figure the Defense Department uses to compare military pay against civilian salaries. It adds basic pay, BAH, BAS, and the money you save by not paying federal tax on those two allowances.

Federal tax advantage
$297.23
Regular Military Compensation
$6,884.18

Civilian salary you would need

$82,610

A civilian job would have to pay roughly this much before tax to leave you with the same money in hand.

What comes out

Federal income tax
− $493.20
Social Security and Medicare
− $314.42
TSP contribution
− $205.50
Estimated take-home
$5,573.84

Gross pay less federal tax, state tax, Social Security, Medicare, and your TSP contribution. Allowances are not taxed, so they pass through in full.

Basic pay follows the 2026 DFAS pay tables, which include the 3.8% raise effective 1 January 2026. These figures are an estimate. Your actual LES also reflects your exact BAH ZIP code, withholding allowances, SGLI, and any special pay or debt owed.

The number that actually lands in your account

Basic pay is only part of the story. Two service members at the same grade can take home very different amounts once housing, food, and the tax treatment of both are counted. This calculator puts all of it in one place so you can compare a duty station, weigh up a civilian job offer, or work out what a promotion is really worth.

2026 rates · Active · Reserve

What the calculator covers

Current 2026 pay tables

Every grade from E-1 to O-10, including the O-1E, O-2E, and O-3E rows for officers with prior enlisted service, with the 3.8% raise built in.

The tax advantage, spelled out

BAH and BAS are not taxed. The calculator shows what that is worth in cash terms and rolls it into Regular Military Compensation.

Drill pay for Reserve and Guard

Per drill period, per weekend, and per year, plus annual training days, all worked from the same basic pay table.

A civilian comparison figure

See roughly what a civilian salary would need to be, before tax, to leave you with the same money each month.

The abbreviations on your LES

Military pay comes with its own vocabulary. These are the terms this calculator uses.

Basic pay
The taxable core of your salary, set by pay grade and years of service.
BAH
Basic Allowance for Housing. Tax free, and set by the ZIP code of your duty station.
BAS
Basic Allowance for Subsistence. A flat, tax-free food allowance.
RMC
Regular Military Compensation. Basic pay plus allowances plus the tax you avoid on them.
LES
Leave and Earnings Statement, the monthly payslip that shows every line in detail.
TSP
Thrift Savings Plan, the federal retirement account you contribute to from basic pay.
Drill period
A four-hour Reserve or Guard training block worth one thirtieth of monthly basic pay.

How this Military Pay Calculator works

Pick a pay grade and the calculator reads your monthly basic pay straight from the 2026 DFAS table, matching your years of service to the right column. That is the same table your finance office works from, and it already carries the 3.8% raise that took effect on 1 January 2026.

BAS is filled in for you because it is a flat rate: $476.95 a month if you are enlisted, $328.48 if you are an officer. BAH is the one figure you supply yourself. There is no single national rate for it. BAH is set by the ZIP code of your duty station, then split by grade and dependents, so copy the number from your LES rather than guessing at an average.

From there the calculator sorts your pay into two piles. Basic pay and special pays are taxable. BAH and BAS are not. That split is why military pay is awkward to compare against a civilian salary, so the calculator works out the federal tax you are not paying on your allowances and adds it back as a tax advantage. Basic pay, allowances, and that advantage together make Regular Military Compensation, the figure the Defense Department itself uses for civilian comparisons.

Take-home comes last: gross pay less federal tax, state tax, Social Security, Medicare, and your TSP contribution.

Switch the toggle to Reserve or Guard and the maths changes. One drill period pays a thirtieth of monthly basic pay, a weekend is four periods, and annual training adds fifteen days.

How to use this Military Pay Calculator

1

Pick your grade and years of service

Basic pay comes straight from the 2026 DFAS table. Reserve and Guard members switch the status toggle to get drill pay instead.

2

Add your BAH and any special pay

BAH is set by your duty ZIP code, so copy it from your LES. BAS is filled in for you at the 2026 flat rate.

3

Read the full breakdown

You get gross pay, the tax advantage on your allowances, Regular Military Compensation, and an estimated take-home figure.

Example Usage

A staff sergeant with ten years of service:

Input
Grade: E-6 Years of service: 10 BAH: $2,200 BAS: $476.95 Federal bracket: 12%
Output
Basic pay $4,759.50 BAH $2,200.00 (tax free) BAS $476.95 (tax free) Gross monthly $7,436.45 Tax advantage $321.23 RMC $7,757.68 a month RMC $93,092.16 a year

Frequently Asked Questions

How much did military pay go up in 2026?
Basic pay rose 3.8% on 1 January 2026 under the annual defence authorisation act. BAS went up 2.4% at the same time, to $476.95 a month for enlisted members and $328.48 for officers. The rates in this calculator already include both increases.
Why do I have to type in my own BAH?
Because there is no single national BAH rate. It is set for each of roughly 300 military housing areas, then split by pay grade and by whether you have dependents, which works out to thousands of separate figures that change every January. Copying the number from your LES or the official DoD BAH calculator gives you an exact answer instead of an average.
Is BAH taxable?
No. BAH and BAS are both paid free of federal income tax, and states generally follow. That is why your gross pay looks smaller than a civilian salary that leaves you the same money at the end of the month, and it is the gap this calculator measures as the tax advantage.
What is Regular Military Compensation, and why is it higher than my gross pay?
RMC is the Defense Department’s own yardstick for comparing military and civilian pay. It adds basic pay, BAH, BAS, and the federal tax you would have paid if those allowances had been salary. It comes out higher than gross pay because the tax you avoid is real money, even though it never shows on your LES.
Does "years of service" mean time in grade or total time in uniform?
Total time in service, counted from your pay entry base date. Time in grade affects promotion eligibility, not the pay table. An E-6 who has served ten years is paid the ten-year rate even if they only pinned on E-6 last month.
How is drill pay worked out for Reserve and Guard members?
One drill period pays one thirtieth of the monthly basic pay for your grade and years of service. A standard drill weekend is four periods, so it pays four thirtieths. Twelve weekends a year comes to 48 periods, and annual training adds another fifteen days at the same daily rate. Set the status toggle to Reserve or Guard to see all of it.
What do the grades O-1E, O-2E, and O-3E mean?
They are officers who served at least four years as enlisted members or warrant officers before commissioning. Those grades sit on a separate, higher row of the pay table, which recognises the earlier service. If you commissioned straight from college or the academy, use the plain O-1, O-2, or O-3 rows.
Do all six branches use the same pay chart?
Yes. Basic pay is set across the Department of Defense, so an E-5 with six years earns the same in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard. What differs between branches is the special and incentive pay attached to particular jobs.
Does this include a reenlistment or sign-on bonus?
Not automatically, because bonuses are usually paid as a lump sum or in yearly instalments rather than monthly. If yours is paid monthly, put the amount in the special pay box. Lump-sum bonuses are taxable and are normally withheld at a flat federal rate.
Why does my LES show a different number?
The LES carries a few things a calculator cannot know: your exact BAH ZIP code, the withholding you claimed on your W-4, SGLI premiums, meal deductions if you eat in a dining facility, any advance pay you are repaying, and mid-month versus end-of-month splits. Treat this figure as a close estimate rather than a payslip.
What happens to my pay in a combat zone?
Basic pay becomes exempt from federal income tax for enlisted members and warrant officers, and officers get the exemption up to a monthly cap. Hostile fire or imminent danger pay is added on top. This calculator does not model the combat zone exclusion, so set the federal rate to zero to see a rough tax-free version.
Is BAS the same for every rank?
Within each category, yes. Every enlisted member gets the same BAS regardless of whether they are an E-1 or an E-9, and every officer gets the officer rate. The only common variation is BAS II, paid at double the enlisted rate to members in government quarters without cooking facilities, which needs separate authorisation.

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