See your monthly and yearly US military pay: basic pay from the built-in 2026 or 2025 pay table for your grade and years of service, plus BAH, BAS and other allowances. The tool splits taxable from tax-free pay and estimates what that tax break is worth.
Last updated:
Rank & service
years
Total creditable service (Pay Entry Base Date). Decimals OK.
$
Leave blank to use the built-in table.
Allowances (tax-free)
$
Your rate depends on duty-station ZIP, grade and dependents. Use the official DoD BAH calculator. 0 if you live in barracks.
$
$
e.g. OHA or CONUS COLA (monthly).
Taxable extras & tax estimate
$
e.g. jump, dive, sea or flight pay (monthly, taxable).
Used only to estimate the value of tax-free allowances.
Enter your values to see the result.
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How to use the Military Pay Calculator
Choose your pay grade (for example E-5 or O-3) and enter your total years of service.
Pick the pay table year: 2026 or 2025.
Enter your monthly BAH from the DoD BAH calculator for your duty ZIP and dependency status, or 0 if you live in the barracks.
Keep the standard BAS or enter a custom amount, and add any special pays or other allowances.
Press Calculate pay to see your monthly and annual total, the tax-free share and the basic pay for every year of service in your grade.
How military pay is calculated
Most service members' regular pay has three parts:
Basic pay: set by the annual pay table for your grade and years of service. It is taxable and is the base for retirement pay, TSP matching and FICA.
BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing): depends on duty-station ZIP code, grade and dependency status. Tax-free.
BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence): a flat monthly food allowance, one rate for enlisted members and one for officers. Tax-free.
Total monthly pay = basic pay + BAH + BAS + other allowances + special pays. Because allowances are not taxed, the calculator also estimates the equivalent civilian salary = taxable pay + tax-free pay ÷ (1 − your marginal tax rate). For example, with $2,000 of monthly allowances in the 12% bracket, a civilian would need about $2,273 of taxable salary to match them.
When your basic pay goes up
Event
What changes
January 1 each year
The annual pay raise applies to every cell of the table (3.8% in 2026, 4.5% in 2025)
Over 2, 3 and 4 years of service
Early longevity steps for most grades
Every 2 years after that
Higher column (6, 8, 10 … 40 years) if your grade has a raise at that step
Promotion
You move to the new grade's row at your current years of service
4 months of service (E-1 only)
New E-1s are paid a lower rate for their first four months
Senior grades stop getting longevity raises earlier than others: for example, an E-5 tops out at over 12 years, while E-9, W-5 and general or flag officers continue to step up to 40 years. Pay for O-7 to O-10 is limited by the Executive Schedule Level II cap, so several of their cells show the same capped amount.
Tips for reading your LES
Your Pay Entry Base Date (PEBD) on the LES is what decides your years-of-service column, not the date you joined your current unit.
Deductions such as SGLI, TSP contributions, federal and state tax withholding and meal deductions are taken from your gross pay; this calculator shows gross pay and allowances.
Combat zone service can make basic pay tax-free too (up to a cap for officers). In that case set your tax bracket to 0% for a rough picture.
The built-in rates are the 2025 and 2026 tables as programmed here; always confirm against the official DFAS military pay tables.
Frequently asked questions
How is military basic pay determined?
Basic pay depends on only two things: your pay grade and your years of creditable service, counted from your Pay Entry Base Date. The Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) publishes a table each year, and you move into a higher column at 2, 3, 4, 6 years of service and then every two years, as long as your grade has a higher rate there.
How much was the 2026 military pay raise?
The 2026 basic pay raise was 3.8% for all grades. In 2025 service members got a 4.5% raise in January, and junior enlisted members in grades E-1 to E-4 got an extra 10% raise from April 1, 2025. This calculator's 2026 table applies the 3.8% raise to the April 2025 rates.
Are BAH and BAS taxable?
No. Basic Allowance for Housing and Basic Allowance for Subsistence are not subject to federal income tax, state income tax or FICA. Basic pay and most special and incentive pays are taxable. Because allowances can be a third or more of total pay, a civilian salary must be higher than your military total to leave you with the same take-home pay.
How much is BAS?
For 2025 BAS was $465.77 per month for enlisted members and $320.78 for officers. For 2026 the calculator uses $476.95 for enlisted members and $328.48 for officers and warrant officers. Members who are provided government meals may have BAS reduced or receive a meal card instead.
How do I find my BAH rate?
BAH depends on your duty station ZIP code, your pay grade and whether you have dependents, so it cannot be computed from a single table. Look up your rate with the official DoD BAH calculator, then enter the monthly amount here. Members living in government quarters usually receive no BAH or only a partial rate.
What are the O-1E, O-2E and O-3E grades?
These columns are for commissioned officers in grades O-1 to O-3 who have more than four years of active enlisted or warrant officer service. They are paid at higher rates than officers without that prior service once they pass four years of total service.
Why might my LES show a slightly different number?
The built-in tables can differ from DFAS by a few cents to a few dollars because of rounding, and your LES may include deductions, partial months or special pays. Type the base pay from your LES into the override field for an exact result.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.