2026 Total Compensation Calculator
Military Pay Calculator
See your full pay package — basic pay, housing allowance (BAH), food allowance (BAS), and special pays — computed from the official 2026 DFAS and DoD rate tables. Below is a default example; select your own rank, years of service, and duty station in the interactive calculator to get your exact numbers.
2026 Military Pay Example: E-5 with 6 Years of Service
A Sergeant (E-5) with 6 years of service and dependents. The BAH figure below is an example only — for El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss), with dependents — since BAH varies by duty station. Look up your own duty station's rate with the BAH calculator.
| Pay Component | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Basic Pay | $4,110.00 |
| BAS (Food Allowance) | $476.95 |
| BAH (Housing Allowance)Example — El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss) | $1,809.00 |
| Monthly Total | $6,395.95 |
| Annual Total | $76,751.40 |
Basic pay and BAS are official 2026 DFAS/DoD rates. BAH shown is an example for El Paso, TX (Fort Bliss) with dependents; your actual BAH depends on your duty station. This total excludes COLA and special pays, which apply only to specific locations and duties — the interactive calculator below adds those for your situation.
How Military Pay Is Calculated
Total military compensation is built from several pieces that stack on top of each other. Basic pay is taxable and set by your pay grade and years of service on the DFAS pay table. BAH and BAS are non-taxable allowances — BAH covers housing and varies by duty station and dependency status, while BAS is a flat food allowance that only varies between enlisted and officer rates. CONUS COLA (Cost of Living Allowance) adds an official DTMO-published amount in a small set of high-cost stateside areas — 18 areas in 2026 — and, unlike BAH and BAS, it is taxable. On top of that, special and incentive pays — hazard pay, sea pay, aviation pay, deployment pays, and others — apply only to members in qualifying duties or locations. The interactive calculator combines all of these for your specific rank, years of service, duty station, dependents, and selected special pays.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is military basic pay calculated in 2026?
Basic pay depends on two things: your pay grade (rank) and your years of service, per the official DFAS pay tables. The 2026 tables reflect a 3.8% across-the-board raise effective January 1, 2026. For example, an E-5 with 6 years of service earns $4,110.00 per month in basic pay — that comes directly from the current pay chart, not an estimate.
Is BAH taxable?
No. Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is a non-taxable allowance, not wages, so it is not subject to federal or state income tax. That makes it worth more than the same number of dollars in taxable basic pay, and it's usually the largest single piece of a service member's total compensation in higher-cost duty stations.
What is BAS in 2026?
Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) is a flat monthly food allowance that doesn't vary by rank within a category — it's $476.95 per month for enlisted members and $328.48 per month for officers in 2026. Like BAH, BAS is non-taxable.
Does the calculator include the 2027 projected raise?
The default result on this page uses official 2026 rates only. Where the full calculator shows a 2027 figure, it is explicitly labeled a projection, based on the 3.6% raise in the Senate FY2027 NDAA markup (July 2026), pending enactment — not an official DFAS number. Projected, not official. Congress has not enacted the FY2027 raise and DFAS has not published 2027 tables; the final figure may differ. Shown for planning only.