United States military pay United States Military Pay is money paid to members in the United States Armed Forces . The amount of pay may vary by the member ' s rank , time in the military , location duty assignment , and by some special skills the member may have . Pay versus Allowance . This article deals with most types of military pay , but there are two broad categories : " Pay " and " Allowance " . Typically , pay is money which is based upon remuneration for employment , while allowance is money necessary for the efficient performance of duty . Generally speaking , pay is income , while allowances are reimbursements . In the landmark case " Jones v . The United States " , the Court of Claims decided that military allowances are not “ … of a compensatory character … ” and “ … not income as well ” . Since it was determined that allowances are not income they cannot be taxed , divided , or garnished for any reason , while pay can be ( 42 USC 659 , et seq . ) . Method of pay . Typically members are paid on the 1st and 15th day of each month . If the 1st or 15th of the month falls on a Saturday , Sunday , or federal holiday , the member will be paid the weekday before , usually a Friday . The monthly pay statement is known as a Leave and Earnings Statement or LES , which is usually available near the end of each month . The money is directly deposited into a member ' s personal banking account . The payment on the 15th is known as mid month pay , and the pay on the 1st is end of month pay . ( End of the month pay used to fall on the last day of the month , but in 1990 was moved one day to the 1st to save money in a fiscal year . ) Major components . There are a few components which most military members receive . Basic Pay . Also known as Base Pay , this is given to members of the active duty military on a monthly basis and is determined by their rank ( or more appropriately their pay grade ) and their length of time in military service . Basic Pay is the same for all the services . Title 37 U . S . C . 1009 provides a permanent formula for an automatic annual military pay raise that indexes the raise to the annual increase in the Employment Cost Index ( ECI ) . The Fiscal Year 2010 President ’ s Budget request for a 2 . 9 % military pay raise was consistent with this formula . However , Congress , in financial years 2004 , 2005 , 2006 , 2008 , and 2009 approved the pay raise as the ECI increase plus 0 . 5 % . The 2007 pay raise was equal to the ECI . ( FY2010 National Defense Authorization Act : Selected Military Personnel Policy Issues , Congressional Research Service ) A military pay raise larger than the permanent formula is not uncommon . In addition to across - the - board pay raises for all military personnel , mid - year , targeted pay raises ( targeted at specific grades and longevity ) have also been authorized over the past several years . Reserve / National Guard " Drill " Pay . For members of the Army Reserve and National Guard performing duties with their units on Battle Assembly weekends , pay is usually based on four drill sessions of four hours per session , equal in pay to four days of active duty pay . Common Allowances . Beginning on January 1 , 2002 , all enlisted members received full BAS , but paid for their meals ( including those provided by the government ) . It was the culmination of the BAS Reform transition period . Because BAS is intended to provide meals for the service member , its level is linked to the price of food . Therefore , each year it is adjusted based upon the increase of the price of food as measured by the USDA food cost index . This is why the increase to BAS will not necessarily be the same percentage as that applied to the increase in the pay table , as annual pay raises are linked to the increase of private sector wages . As of 2010 , enlisted members receive $ 323 . 87 ; warrant officers and commissioned officers receive $ 223 . 04 per month . Pay raises . U . S . Code dictates a rather complex equation for military pay raises , based on the Employment Cost Index , a measure compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to track the costs of labor for businesses . Military pay increases by " the percentage ( rounded to the nearest one - tenth of one percent ) by which the ECI for the base quarter of the year before the preceding year exceeds the ECI for the base quarter of the second year before the preceding calendar year ( if at all ) . " Specifically , the code states , that ’ s the ECI for wages and salaries of private industry workers . Essentially , when the ECI goes up , so does military pay , so that military salaries don ’ t fall behind civilian ones . For example , because the ECI increased 1 . 4 percent in 2009 , that ’ s the proposed military pay raise in 2010 . The raise is unusually low — the smallest percent change since the series began in 1975 , according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics . The President is empowered to suggest a lower or higher pay raise , which must be ratified by Congress , in extenuating circumstances like an economic crisis . Congress can also vote to change the president ' s proposed decrease or increase . For the 2011 budget , the House Armed Services Committee suggested boosting the 1 . 4 percent raise . But defense personnel officials resisted , saying they would rather that money be used for other programs that benefit military families . After an 11 - year string of increases that slightly exceeded average private sector annual raises , Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel Lt . Gen . Thomas Bostick said that , " We actually think we have a surplus in terms of pay . " The Department of Defense has announced increases in military housing allowances , family support programs , and child care and tuition assistance for military families in the 2011 budget request , many of which outpace the base pay increase . Special Pay . A member may be eligible for some of the following pays depending on rating ( MOS ) and assignment ( location and duty ) . References . FactCheck http : / / www . factcheck . org / 2010 / 03 / misleading - on - military - pay / Ballenstedt , Brittany R . " Obama backs 2 percent civilian pay raise , 2 . 9 percent for military . " Government Executive . 26 Feb . 2009 . " 2010 Military Pay Charts . " Military . com . Accessed 22 Mar . 2010 . Berry , John . " January 2010 Pay Adjustments . " Press release . United States Office of Personnel Management . Bureau of Labor Statistics . " Employment Cost Index – December 2009 . " 29 Jan . 2010 . " Adjustments of monthly basic pay . " 37 USC 1009 . Miles , Donna . " Pay , Medical , Family Issues Highlight Budget Request . " Press release . American Forces Press Service . 26 Jan . 2010 . Maze , Rick . " Officials : Fund programs , not bigger raise . " Army Times . 19 Mar . 2010 .