Military Pay Explained
The military offers over 70 different types of pay. trying to understand all of these can be difficult. This section was designed to acquaint you with some of the more common pay types you will encounter.
Basic Pays and Allowances for housing and cost of living
Base Pay
Your base pay is just that. The basic amount you will receive each month
dependent on your rank, and years of service. This is a set rate which you
will receive each pay period, which changes as your years in service increase,
your rank changes and of course fiscal year pay increases. You can view the
fiscal year 2004 pay charts here.
BAH (Basic Allowance For Housing)
If you are not living in government housing, you will qualify to receive monies
to help to pay your rent and utilities. The BAH rates vary by zip code as
well if you have dependents or not. The Defense Finance website has a
information on the BAH rates. You can visit there site here- Basic
Allowance for Housing (BAH) Rates One thing to keep in mind.
The government bases their BAH rates by asking military members to fill out a
survey based on what they pay for average rent. it is VERY important that
you take part in this survey as they take the average submitted amount, and
calculate the rate with the provided information. You may find that in
some areas, the average rent is higher than the amount of BAH you receive.
In order to help the government provide a rate that will compensate the cost of
living in your area, please submit your information!
OHA (Overseas Housing Allowance)
OHA is the housing allowance you receive if you are not living in government
quarters while residing overseas. It includes rent, utilities
and recurring maintenance costs, as well as MIHA- or your Move-in Housing
Allowance. The Per Diem Committee has the OHA rates online here- Overseas
Housing Allowance Query.
BAS (Basic Allowance For Subsistence)
Active duty service members have two options available to them based on their
rank. They are either authorized to eat in the mess halls, or they are
given money to eat on their own. BAS is given to those service members who
are NOT authorized to eat in the mess halls. This money is for the
soldier, not the family, so it is important to know that it can be taken away,
so keep this in mind when you are budgeting your monthly expenses. Why
would it be removed? If the the service member takes part in a long term
training exercise, where they army takes care of feeding them, it is likely they
will take the BAS away for that month, seeing as how it would be like
paying them twice by providing government meals and BAS. For more
information on BAS pay, visit the following site. BAS
pay information page.
Clothing Allowance
Once a year, enlisted service members receive a clothing allowance to replace
military uniform items such as BDUs, boots, and PT uniforms. Those service
members who are required to dress in civilian clothing are also given this
allowance to offset their clothing costs. This allowance is not given at
the first of the year. It will be given the same month every year based on
when the soldier was first issued their military uniforms.
COLA (CONUS Cost of Living Allowance)
There are some areas in the US that have a very high cost of living. The
government recognized this, and provides extra pay to help compensate for the
higher cost of living expenses for those specific areas. Not all
installations offer this pay. The Per
Diem Committee website offers a list of those areas which qualify for
COLA. You may find that this rate changes from paycheck to paycheck as the
economy in that area fluctuates.
OCOLA (Overseas Cost of Living Allowance)
OCOLA is the same as COLA, but only applies to overseas installations. The
Per Diem Committies OCOLA
page can help you determine your area, and your rates. This amount
changes dependent on the economy you are living in, and the dollar conversion
rate based on the country you are in. The weaker the dollar is to your
host nations currency, the higher your OCOLA will be.
Allowances related to PCS,
and special travel
DLA (Dislocation Allowance)
You will qualify for DLA whenever you have a PCS. It is offered to help
offset your moving expenses. We have been informed that this pay is not
automatic- when PCSing, be sure to ask for it! This is pay that you do not
have to pay back, and normally is equal to approximately two months BAH.
You qualify for DLA on your first move, IF you have dependents traveling with
you. Your last move with the military will not qualify for DLA. The Per
Diem Committee's DLA FAQ offers more information on DLA. This is a great
place to review during PCS time.
TLA (Temporary Lodging Allowance)
When moving overseas, you will encounter extra expenses for lodging and meals.
TLA is offered as a partial reimbursement for those costs. For more
information, visit TLA
FAQ at the Per Diem website.
TLE (Temporary Lodging Expense)
Like TLA, this allowance is offered to partially reimburse your lodging and meal
costs when moving between stateside installations. Remember, there is a 10
day limitationTLE is designed to partially reimburse some of the costs for
lodging and meals incurred by service members and/or their dependents during a
CONUS move not to exceed 10 days. The Per Diem Committee offers a TLE
FAQ that is informative.
Per Diem
When an active duty member is assigned TDY, (Temporary Duty), or other official
government business, they are offered an allowance to cover the cost of food and
lodging while they are away from their assigned duty station. The following
pages from the Per Diem website will show you what the Per Diem rates are.
OCONUS and Overseas Per Diem Rates
Allowances related to separation, and special duty pays
Family Separation Allowance
This allowance is paid anytime members are separated from their dependents
for more than 30 days. the amount is usually 100.00 a month, but has been
seen around 250.00 in some situations. You will find that when service
members are away for a long training exercise, 30 days or more, they are allowed
to keep their BAS instead of receiving FSA for that pay period. To
receive the FSA you must meet the following criteria:
Hardship Duty Pay
Hardship duty pay is extra compensation paid to service members located where
living conditions are substantially below those conditions in the continental
U.S.
Hazardous Duty Pay Incentive
Service members that are required to handle parachute jumping, demolition of
explosives, handle toxic fuels, or engage in flight deck duty or experimental
stress duty can earn $150 per month.
Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger Pay
Imminent Danger Pay is offered to service members who are in or near
hostile fire areas. Active duty and Reserve/Guard members can
qualify for $225 for any month in which they are exposed to hostile fire or
imminent danger. Visit the DTIC
website to view the areas that are authorized this pay. (you must have
adobe acrobat reader for this file) DTIC
Imminent Danger Pay
Special Duty Pay
As an enlisted member, you may qualify for $600 a month in extra pay if you are
performing duties classified as extremely difficult. (examples are Recruiting
duty, or being a Drill Instructor)
Miscellaneous Pays
FSSA (Family Subsistence Supplemental Allowance)
The FSSA program was initiated in order to help soldiers and their families get
off food stamps. This allowance is an increase in the soldiers BAS rate.
Eligibility is based on the income for the entire household, as well as how many
people are living in the household. To find out of you qualify, visit the FSSA
website. Have your sponsors personal information ready in order to log
in.
Pet Quarantine Fee Reimbursement
This is a reimbursement for actual mandatory quarantine fees for household pets
not to exceed $275.00 per PCS move. Contact your finance office for more
information.