Counselors at Fleet and Family Support Centers report that one of the principal reasons for divorces among military couples involves finances. Conflicts can often arise over how a couple manages their income.
You can make a Selective Re-enlistment Bonus last long after the money has been deposited into your account, according to NC1 Nakesha Clark, a Navy career counselor on board the USS Nimitz.
Learn how to organize travel documents and receipts to ensure maximum reimbursement of travel expenses. Links to Per Diem Committee and the DFAS Travel Pay section.
How to calculate what your current salary would be worth in a different location by using online resources. Links to the Per Diem Committee, DataMasters, Monster.com's cost-of-living tool, and LIFELines' Relocation and Housing section.
Various allowances in Navy and Marine Corps pay, including the cost-of-living allowance (COLA), career sea pay (CSP), hostile fire and imminent danger pay (HF/IDP), family separation allowance (FSA), basic allowance for subsistence (BAS or COMRATS), and overseas housing allowance (OHA).
This article is about how to improve your chances with the selection board. It recommends that one regularly order copies of your record for a selection board package; it details how to review and correct the record and what it should contain (education, evaluations, qualifications, awards). It also covers enlisted advancement and officer and promotion programs.
Military pay can seem complicated, full of entitlements and allotments. Learn about the items on the Leave and Earning Statement (LES), including tax deductions, entitlements, and allowances for housing (BAH) and subsistence (BAS); pay grades, reserve pay (modified by time in service), sea duty and career sea pay (CSP), extra pay for hazardous duty, hostile fire, and imminent danger; leave and vacation, and commissary and exchange savings.
How to view, make changes on, and print out your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) using online resources. The different items that Sailors and Marines can change. Links to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) and Employee/Member Self Service (E/MSS, EMSS), and gives E/MSS toll-free number.
A Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) is more than a pay stub. Learn about what items it contains, including the ID line, allotments, entitlements, deductions, leave, taxes, pay data, and remarks.
A great way of ensuring your bills get paid, no matter where you are on the globe is an allotment. Learn how to set up allotments to pay bills and other payments while you are at sea, including making electronic payments, having checks issued, and setting them up for definite or indefinite periods, even after retirement.
What if I am not sure what all the blocks on my Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) mean? Where can I find out what all of the abbreviations in the LES blocks mean?
Your pay is your ultimate responsibility. Each LES you receive contains information on your entitlements, deductions and allotments. The Defense Finance Assistance Center has provided a guide that will assist you in understanding your LES.
If you have any questions regarding your LES or your pay varies significantly, contact your local disbursing office.
LIFELines is sponsored by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs and funded by the Center for Personal and Professional Development.
Military Life
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