# Military Pay Calculator

Calculate military base pay by rank and years of service. Includes BAH and BAS allowances for enlisted and officer pay grades. Free military pay calculator.

## What this calculates

Look up your military base pay by rank and years of service, then add BAH and BAS allowances to see your total compensation. Covers all enlisted (E1-E9) and officer (O1-O10) pay grades with approximate 2025 rates.

## Inputs

- **Pay Grade** — options: E-1 (Private / Seaman Recruit), E-2 (Private / Seaman Apprentice), E-3 (PFC / Seaman), E-4 (Specialist/Corporal / PO3), E-5 (Sergeant / PO2), E-6 (Staff Sergeant / PO1), E-7 (SFC / Chief PO), E-8 (MSG / Senior Chief PO), E-9 (SGM / Master Chief PO), O-1 (2nd Lieutenant / Ensign), O-2 (1st Lieutenant / LTJG), O-3 (Captain / Lieutenant), O-4 (Major / LCDR), O-5 (LTC / Commander), O-6 (Colonel / Captain), O-7 (Brigadier General / RDML), O-8 (Major General / RADM), O-9 (Lieutenant General / VADM), O-10 (General / Admiral) — Your military pay grade (rank).
- **Years of Service** — min 0, max 40 — Total years of active military service.
- **BAH (Monthly)** ($) — min 0 — Basic Allowance for Housing. Varies by location, rank, and dependents. Enter 0 if not applicable.
- **BAS (Monthly)** ($) — min 0 — Basic Allowance for Subsistence. 2025 rates: $460.25 enlisted, $334.68 officers.

## Outputs

- **Monthly Base Pay** — formatted as currency — Your monthly base pay before allowances.
- **Annual Base Pay** — formatted as currency — Your yearly base pay (12 months).
- **Monthly Total (Base + Allowances)** — formatted as currency — Base pay plus BAH and BAS.
- **Annual Total Compensation** — formatted as currency — Yearly total including all allowances.

## Details

Military compensation includes base pay (taxable), Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH, tax-free), and Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS, tax-free). Base pay is set by the Department of Defense and increases with rank and years of service. Congress typically approves an annual pay raise, which averaged about 4.5% in 2025.

An E-5 (Sergeant) with 6 years of service earns approximately $3,210 per month in base pay, or $38,520 annually. Add a typical BAH of $1,800 (varies by location) and BAS of $460, and monthly total compensation reaches $5,470, or $65,640 per year. Because BAH and BAS are tax-free, the effective income is higher than a comparable civilian salary.

BAH varies significantly by duty station and depends on rank, dependency status, and local housing costs. A service member in San Diego receives much more BAH than one at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. You can look up your specific BAH rate at the Defense Travel Management Office (DTMO) website. BAS rates for 2025 are $460.25 for enlisted and $334.68 for officers.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: How is military base pay determined?**

A: Base pay is set by Congress and depends on two factors: pay grade (rank) and years of service. Pay increases with both higher rank and more time in service, up to certain caps. The DoD publishes an annual pay chart, and Congress typically approves a yearly raise. The 2025 raise was approximately 4.5%.

**Q: Is BAH taxable?**

A: No. Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is a non-taxable allowance. This makes military compensation more valuable than the base pay number alone suggests. An E-5 receiving $1,800/month in BAH effectively earns the equivalent of $2,200-$2,400 in pre-tax civilian income, depending on their tax bracket.

**Q: How much BAH will I receive?**

A: BAH depends on your duty station zip code, pay grade, and whether you have dependents. Rates range from about $800/month in low-cost rural areas to over $4,000/month in high-cost cities like San Francisco or Honolulu. You can look up exact rates at the DTMO (Defense Travel Management Office) website.

**Q: What is BAS and who gets it?**

A: Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) is a monthly food allowance. All service members receive BAS, but enlisted members who eat in dining facilities may have meals deducted. The 2025 BAS rate is $460.25 for enlisted members and $334.68 for officers. Like BAH, BAS is non-taxable.

---

Source: https://vastcalc.com/calculators/finance/military-pay
Category: Finance
Last updated: 2026-04-08