MILITARY COMPENSATION: ARMY BENEFITS
IT’S MORE THAN JUST A SALARY
If you look at the basic military pay tables for a soldier you might be shocked at the low numbers but don't let that fool you. The basic pay for a soldier is only one part of the Army total compensation package that includes things like allowances for housing, total health care and more. See the tables below for comparisons to civilian jobs and then use the resources listed to figure it out for yourself.
Enlisted Soldier Army Pay vs. Civilian Pay
| Civilian Job Police Patrol Officer | Army Job Military Police Sergeant | Civilian Job Police Patrol Officer | Army Job Military Police Sergeant |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family | Single | Single | Family of four | Family of four |
| Rank/Years of service | N/A | E5 4 yrs | N/A | E5 4 yrs |
| Salary | $55,173 | $34,697 | $55,173 | $34,697 |
| Housing | $0 | $15,804 | $0 | $18,576 |
| Food Allowance | $0 | $4,472 | $0 | $4,472 |
| Tax Advantages | $0 | $2,765 | $0 | $2,561 |
| Health Care | $5,517 | Included | $8,276 | Included |
| NET INCOME | $49,656 | $57,738 | $46,897 | $60,306 |
Officer Army Pay vs. Civilian Pay
| Civilian Job Telecommunications Engineer II | Army Job Signal Corps Officer | Civilian Job Telecommunications Engineer II | Army Job Signal Corps Officer |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family | Single | Single | Family of four | Family of four |
| Rank/Years of service | N/A | O2 4 yrs | N/A | O2 4 yrs |
| Salary | $81,730 | $61,628 | $81,730 | $61,628 |
| Housing | $0 | $18,360 | $0 | $18,792 |
| Food Allowance | $0 | $3,080 | $0 | $3,080 |
| Tax Advantages | $0 | $6,047 | $0 | $2,982 |
| Health Care | $8,173 | Included | $12,260 | Included |
| NET INCOME | $73,557 | $89,115 | $69,470 | $86,483 |
Note: Above information is formulated for a single location of Kansas City, MO 64101 using the following sources. Please feel free to use these tools to calculate for other areas based on Zip Codes.
Military Compensation - http://militarypay.defense.gov/Calculators/RMC-Calculator/
Civilian Salary - http://swz.salary.com
Health Care costs - https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/household-health-spending-calculator/
