Army Paycheck Calculator
Use this calculator to estimate your monthly Army paycheck based on your rank, years of service, allowances, and deductions. Please note that this is an estimate, and actual pay may vary due to specific circumstances, tax withholdings, and other factors.
Understanding Your Army Paycheck
An Army paycheck is more than just a salary; it's a comprehensive compensation package designed to support service members and their families. It consists of various components, including base pay, allowances, and special pays, from which deductions are then made.
Key Components of Army Pay:
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Base Pay: This is the fundamental component of military pay, determined by your rank (e.g., E-1, O-3, W-2) and your cumulative years of service. As you advance in rank and gain more experience, your base pay increases. It's the largest portion of most service members' pay.
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Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH): BAH is a non-taxable allowance provided to service members who do not live in government-provided housing. The amount varies significantly based on your duty station's zip code, your rank, and whether you have dependents. It's intended to offset the cost of housing in your local area.
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Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS): BAS is a non-taxable allowance intended to offset the cost of a service member's meals. Unlike BAH, BAS is a flat rate across the board for enlisted members and officers, though the amounts differ between the two groups. It's paid to all service members, regardless of whether they live in the barracks or off-post.
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Special and Incentive Pays: The Army offers various special and incentive pays for specific skills, duties, or hazardous conditions. Examples include Hostile Fire Pay/Imminent Danger Pay, Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay (e.g., for flying or diving), Sea Pay, Assignment Incentive Pay, and various re-enlistment bonuses. These are often taxable.
Common Deductions:
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Federal Income Tax: This is withheld from your taxable income based on your W-4 elections. Allowances like BAH and BAS are generally not subject to federal income tax.
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State Income Tax: Depending on your legal residence and duty station, you may also have state income tax withheld. Many states offer exemptions for military members.
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Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI): This is a low-cost term life insurance program available to service members. The premium depends on the amount of coverage you elect.
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Thrift Savings Plan (TSP): The TSP is a retirement savings and investment plan for federal employees, including service members. Contributions are typically made as a percentage of your base pay and can be pre-tax (Traditional TSP) or post-tax (Roth TSP).
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Other Deductions: This can include dental and vision insurance premiums, allotments for dependents, charitable contributions, or repayments for advances.
How the Calculator Works:
This calculator estimates your monthly gross pay by summing your estimated base pay, BAH, BAS, and any other special pays you enter. It then calculates total deductions by adding SGLI premiums, your TSP contribution (based on your base pay), and estimated federal and state income taxes (based on your taxable gross pay). Finally, it subtracts total deductions from gross pay to give you an estimated net pay.
Example Calculation:
Let's consider an E-5 with 6 years of service, a BAH of $1,800, and no other special pay. They elect $500,000 SGLI coverage, contribute 10% to TSP, and have estimated federal and state tax withholdings of 12% and 3% respectively, with $50 in other deductions.
- Estimated Base Pay (E-5, 6 years): $3,200
- BAS (Enlisted): $406.98
- Gross Pay: $3,200 (Base) + $1,800 (BAH) + $406.98 (BAS) = $5,406.98
- SGLI: $31
- TSP Contribution: 10% of $3,200 (Base Pay) = $320
- Taxable Income (for Federal): $3,200 (Base Pay) + $0 (Special Pay) = $3,200
- Estimated Federal Tax: 12% of $3,200 = $384
- Estimated State Tax: 3% of $3,200 = $96
- Other Deductions: $50
- Total Deductions: $31 + $320 + $384 + $96 + $50 = $881
- Estimated Net Pay: $5,406.98 – $881 = $4,525.98
This example illustrates how different components contribute to the final paycheck. Remember to adjust the inputs to reflect your personal situation for the most accurate estimate.
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function calculatePaycheck() {
// Base Pay Data (Monthly, illustrative and simplified for calculator)
// This data is NOT official and should be updated with current rates for accuracy.
// Structure: { 'Rank': { 'YearsOfServiceCategory': BasePayAmount } }
var basePayData = {
'E-1': { '0': 1800, '2': 1900, '3': 1950, '4': 0, '6': 0, '8': 0, '10': 0, '12': 0, '14': 0, '16': 0, '18': 0, '20': 0 },
'E-2': { '0': 2000, '2': 2100, '3': 2150, '4': 0, '6': 0, '8': 0, '10': 0, '12': 0, '14': 0, '16': 0, '18': 0, '20': 0 },
'E-3': { '0': 2150, '2': 2250, '3': 2300, '4': 2400, '6': 0, '8': 0, '10': 0, '12': 0, '14': 0, '16': 0, '18': 0, '20': 0 },
'E-4': { '0': 2300, '2': 2400, '3': 2500, '4': 2600, '6': 2700, '8': 2800, '10': 0, '12': 0, '14': 0, '16': 0, '18': 0, '20': 0 },
'E-5': { '0': 2600, '2': 2750, '3': 2900, '4': 3050, '6': 3200, '8': 3350, '10': 3500, '12': 3650, '14': 0, '16': 0, '18': 0, '20': 0 },
'E-6': { '0': 2900, '2': 3050, '3': 3200, '4': 3350, '6': 3500, '8': 3650, '10': 3800, '12': 3950, '14': 4100, '16': 4250, '18': 0, '20': 0 },
'E-7': { '0': 3300, '2': 3450, '3': 3600, '4': 3750, '6': 3900, '8': 4050, '10': 4200, '12': 4350, '14': 4500, '16': 4650, '18': 4800, '20': 4950 },
'E-8': { '0': 4700, '2': 4850, '3': 5000, '4': 5150, '6': 5300, '8': 5450, '10': 5600, '12': 5750, '14': 5900, '16': 6050, '18': 6200, '20': 6350 },
'E-9': { '0': 5700, '2': 5850, '3': 6000, '4': 6150, '6': 6300, '8': 6450, '10': 6600, '12': 6750, '14': 6900, '16': 7050, '18': 7200, '20': 7350 },
'O-1': { '0': 3500, '2': 3700, '3': 3900, '4': 0, '6': 0, '8': 0, '10': 0, '12': 0, '14': 0, '16': 0, '18': 0, '20': 0 },
'O-2': { '0': 4000, '2': 4200, '3': 4400, '4': 4600, '6': 0, '8': 0, '10': 0, '12': 0, '14': 0, '16': 0, '18': 0, '20': 0 },
'O-3': { '0': 4500, '2': 4800, '3': 5100, '4': 5400, '6': 5700, '8': 6000, '10': 6300, '12': 6600, '14': 0, '16': 0, '18': 0, '20': 0 },
'O-4': { '0': 5500, '2': 5800, '3': 6100, '4': 6400, '6': 6700, '8': 7000, '10': 7300, '12': 7600, '14': 7900, '16': 8200, '18': 8500, '20': 8800 },
'O-5': { '0': 6500, '2': 6800, '3': 7100, '4': 7400, '6': 7700, '8': 8000, '10': 8300, '12': 8600, '14': 8900, '16': 9200, '18': 9500, '20': 9800 },
'O-6': { '0': 7500, '2': 7800, '3': 8100, '4': 8400, '6': 8700, '8': 9000, '10': 9300, '12': 9600, '14': 9900, '16': 10200, '18': 10500, '20': 10800 },
'W-1': { '0': 3800, '2': 4000, '3': 4200, '4': 4400, '6': 4600, '8': 4800, '10': 5000, '12': 5200, '14': 0, '16': 0, '18': 0, '20': 0 },
'W-2': { '0': 4500, '2': 4700, '3': 4900, '4': 5100, '6': 5300, '8': 5500, '10': 5700, '12': 5900, '14': 6100, '16': 0, '18': 0, '20': 0 },
'W-3': { '0': 5200, '2': 5400, '3': 5600, '4': 5800, '6': 6000, '8': 6200, '10': 6400, '12': 6600, '14': 6800, '16': 7000, '18': 0, '20': 0 },
'W-4': { '0': 5900, '2': 6100, '3': 6300, '4': 6500, '6': 6700, '8': 6900, '10': 7100, '12': 7300, '14': 7500, '16': 7700, '18': 7900, '20': 8100 },
'W-5': { '0': 6800, '2': 7000, '3': 7200, '4': 7400, '6': 7600, '8': 7800, '10': 8000, '12': 8200, '14': 8400, '16': 8600, '18': 8800, '20': 9000 }
};
// BAS Rates (2024, illustrative)
var basEnlisted = 406.98;
var basOfficer = 316.98;
// Get input values
var rank = document.getElementById("rank").value;
var yearsOfService = parseInt(document.getElementById("yearsOfService").value);
var bahMonthly = parseFloat(document.getElementById("bahMonthly").value);
var otherSpecialPay = parseFloat(document.getElementById("otherSpecialPay").value);
var sgliCoverageCost = parseFloat(document.getElementById("sgliCoverage").value);
var tspContributionPercent = parseFloat(document.getElementById("tspContributionPercent").value);
var federalTaxPercent = parseFloat(document.getElementById("federalTaxPercent").value);
var stateTaxPercent = parseFloat(document.getElementById("stateTaxPercent").value);
var otherDeductions = parseFloat(document.getElementById("otherDeductions").value);
// Validate inputs
if (isNaN(bahMonthly) || bahMonthly < 0) bahMonthly = 0;
if (isNaN(otherSpecialPay) || otherSpecialPay < 0) otherSpecialPay = 0;
if (isNaN(sgliCoverageCost) || sgliCoverageCost < 0) sgliCoverageCost = 0;
if (isNaN(tspContributionPercent) || tspContributionPercent 100) tspContributionPercent = 0;
if (isNaN(federalTaxPercent) || federalTaxPercent 100) federalTaxPercent = 0;
if (isNaN(stateTaxPercent) || stateTaxPercent 100) stateTaxPercent = 0;
if (isNaN(otherDeductions) || otherDeductions = 0; i–) {
if (yearsOfService >= yearsCategories[i] && basePayData[rank][yearsCategories[i]] > 0) {
estimatedBasePay = basePayData[rank][yearsCategories[i]];
break;
}
}
}
// Determine BAS
var isOfficer = rank.startsWith('O-') || rank.startsWith('W-');
var estimatedBAS = isOfficer ? basOfficer : basEnlisted;
// Calculate Gross Pay
var estimatedGrossPay = estimatedBasePay + bahMonthly + estimatedBAS + otherSpecialPay;
// Calculate Deductions
var tspContribution = (estimatedBasePay * (tspContributionPercent / 100));
var taxableIncome = estimatedBasePay + otherSpecialPay; // BAH and BAS are generally non-taxable
var federalTax = taxableIncome * (federalTaxPercent / 100);
var stateTax = taxableIncome * (stateTaxPercent / 100);
var totalDeductions = sgliCoverageCost + tspContribution + federalTax + stateTax + otherDeductions;
// Calculate Net Pay
var estimatedNetPay = estimatedGrossPay – totalDeductions;
// Display Results
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
resultDiv.innerHTML =
"
Estimated Monthly Paycheck Summary
" +
"
Estimated Base Pay: $" + estimatedBasePay.toFixed(2) + "" +
"
Estimated BAH: $" + bahMonthly.toFixed(2) + "" +
"
Estimated BAS: $" + estimatedBAS.toFixed(2) + "" +
"
Other Special Pay: $" + otherSpecialPay.toFixed(2) + "" +
"
Estimated Monthly Gross Pay: $" + estimatedGrossPay.toFixed(2) + "" +
"
" +
"
SGLI Deduction: $" + sgliCoverageCost.toFixed(2) + "" +
"
TSP Contribution: $" + tspContribution.toFixed(2) + "" +
"
Estimated Federal Tax: $" + federalTax.toFixed(2) + "" +
"
Estimated State Tax: $" + stateTax.toFixed(2) + "" +
"
Other Deductions: $" + otherDeductions.toFixed(2) + "" +
"
Estimated Monthly Total Deductions: $" + totalDeductions.toFixed(2) + "" +
"
" +
"
Estimated Monthly Net Pay: $" + estimatedNetPay.toFixed(2) + "" +
"
Note: This is an estimate. Actual pay may vary. Tax calculations are simplified.";
}