Commissioned Corps Management Information System

Financial Services

Active Duty Pay Uniformed Service Members - The Basics

Current pay rates and tables: https://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/payentitlements/Pay-Tables.html

Basic Pay, Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), and Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) are the fundamental components of military pay. Officers who are married or have legitimate dependents are paid at a higher rate.

The Department of Defense Military Compensation website addresses military pay and benefits for current members, retirees, and survivors of retirees. Provided by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness the site defines the compensation available to uniformed members.

Special and Incentive Pay
Officers are also compensated financially for circumstances such as separation from family, hazardous duty, and assignment to specific duty locations. In addition to basic pay elements, a special, incentive, or critical skills pay is given to qualified officers who possess specific or unique skills, or ones at a critical shortage. PHS utilizes Health Professions Special Pay (HPSP) to compensate officers possessing unique skills to retain them for specified periods of time. Additional HPSP information can be found on the CCHQ website https://dcp.psc.gov/ccmis/HPSP/HPSP.aspx

Clothing Allowance
Officers new to Active Duty are eligible to receive a one-time uniform allowance to offset the initial expense of purchasing a new wardrobe of uniforms.

Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)
BAH is an allowance to offset the cost of housing when officers do not receive government-provided housing. BAH depends upon duty location, pay grade and whether the officer has dependents. BAH rates are set by surveying the cost of rental properties in each geographic location. Therefore, BAH rates in high-cost areas will be much greater than those in low-cost areas. BAH rates are published on the https://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/bah.cfm

Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA)
The Overseas Housing Allowance, or OHA, is paid to officers who live in private housing at overseas duty station. OHA helps offset housing costs, which are made up of rent, utility and recurring maintenance expenses, and move-in housing allowance (MIHA). Get current housing allowances for members stationed overseas at the Defense Travel Management Office OHA website.

Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS)
BAS is meant to offset costs for a member's meals. This allowance is based in the historic origins of the military in which the military provided room and board (or rations) as part of a member's pay. This allowance is not intended to offset the costs of meals for family members.

Servicemembers Group Life Insurance (SGLI)
Officers automatically have the maximum $500,000 of SGLI coverage. Officers can decline or elect lesser amounts of coverage in writing in increments of $50,000. SGLI coverage stays in effect for 120 days after discharge. Members who have SGLI automatically have Traumatic SGLI (TSGLI).

Family Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (FSGLI)
Provides group term life insurance coverage to the spouses and dependent children of Officers insured under SGLI. The Officer pays the premium for spousal coverage. Dependent children are insured at no cost.

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a Federal Government-sponsored retirement savings and investment plan. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 extended participation in the TSP, which was originally only for Federal civilian employees, to members of the uniformed services, and members began enrolling on October 9, 2001. The TSP offers the same type of savings and tax benefits that many private corporations offer their employees under so-called "401(k)" plans. The retirement income that you receive from your TSP account will depend on how much you have contributed to your account during your working years and the earnings on those contributions. For more information on the TSP, visit the official TSP website at www.tsp.gov

Blended Retirement System (BRS)
Officers called to active duty after Dec. 31, 2017 - are enrolled in the BRS. The BRS includes automatic government contributions of 1 percent of basic pay and government matching contributions of up to an additional 4 percent of basic pay to an officer’s TSP account. Officers nearing ten years of active duty service, can elect to receive Continuation pay. Continuation pay is a direct cash payout (like a bonus), in return for additional obligated active duty service. Changes to the Uniform Services’ retirement system went into effect January 1, 2018. Visit the BRS Resource website at http://militarypay.defense.gov/BlendedRetirement for the latest information.

Last Updated: 7/19/23

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Active Duty Pay Uniformed Service Members - The Basics

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