Military Pay Chart

2012 Military Pay Chart

I promise you, I had a kid tell me a recruiter told him he would be making $19,000 a month. I politely told the kid that he might have been mistaken and the recruiter said $19,000 a YEAR, which is a lot more accurate… He was shocked!

These kinds of mix-ups can make it seem like the recruiter lied to you if you find out about them later. Get yourself the facts before you even talk to a recruiter and you have to worry about being misled or mistaken.

Now About The Enlisted Pay Chart

I have omitted the pay rates for people with over 2 years of service because recruits don’t have over 2 years of service, they’re new. I didn’t list Officer pay because Officers don’t go to basic training. I also didn’t list the pay chart for anyone over E-4 because you are probably not going to be above an E-4 when you join (unless your in the band or something like that).

Military Pay Details

Everyone in the military gets paid by direct deposit. You are encouraged to set up a bank account before you get to training and bring the routing number and account number with you to turn into the finance clerk (a voided blank check is best). If you do not have a bank account set up by the time you arrive one will be set up for you while at training.

Banks with branches on bases and around the world are popular with military personnel. Some of these banks and credit unions include: USAA ,The Armed Forces Bank , Navy Federal Credit Union and Pacific Marine

Paying State Income Tax

You will pay state income taxes on your base pay while at boot camp and through training. The amount you will pay is based on the state tax level of the specific state you enlist from. So if you enlist from California, you will pay the state taxes for California for the rest of your career, even if you never set foot in California for your entire 20 year career. If you are from a state such as Texas with no state income tax, you will pay nothing. Some states have special provisions for military members, please contact a tax representative in your state if you have questions.

Basic Allowance For Housing

If you are married or have a dependent (child, parents, ect) you may be entitled to additional pay. For more information on that issue, please visit our BAH page

So without more reading… here is your 2012 Recruit Pay Chart