What the calculator adds up
Basic pay comes from the 2026 pay tables, which rose 3.8% on January 1, 2026. Your rate depends on pay grade and years of service. The full tables are on the enlisted pay chart, the warrant officer pay chart and the officer pay chart.
BAH comes from the 2026 Department of Defense rates for your duty station. Search by ZIP code, city or base. If you live in the barracks or in government housing, clear the duty station and BAH is left out.
BAS is the same for everyone in each group: $476.95 a month for enlisted members and $328.48 a month for warrant and commissioned officers.
How taxes are estimated
Federal income tax is figured on basic pay, less any traditional TSP contributions, using the 2026 brackets and the standard deduction for your filing status: $16,100 single, $32,200 married filing jointly, $24,150 head of household. Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) are charged on basic pay. BAH and BAS are left out of all three.
State income tax is whatever rate you enter. The calculator does not guess, because the answer turns on your state of legal residence and that state’s rule for military pay.
How the civilian salary is worked out
The calculator looks for the salary that leaves a civilian with your take-home. It taxes the whole salary, including the part that would have been BAH and BAS, at the civilian state rate you enter. It takes out the same retirement contributions you make to TSP and the health premium you enter. Whatever salary lands on your military take-home is the answer.
It does not put a value on the pension, commissary, tuition assistance or the GI Bill. Those are real, and they are hard to price for one person.
Questions
How is military pay calculated?
Regular pay has three parts. Basic pay is set by pay grade and years of service. Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) is set by pay grade, duty station and whether you have dependents. Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) is a flat monthly amount: $476.95 for enlisted members and $328.48 for officers in 2026. Special and incentive pays are on top of that and are not in this calculator.
Is military pay taxed?
Basic pay is taxed like any wage: federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare. BAH and BAS are not taxed. That is why a service member’s take-home is higher than a civilian’s on the same gross amount.
What civilian salary equals my military pay?
It is the salary that leaves the same take-home after federal tax, payroll tax, state tax, the same retirement saving and a health insurance premium. Because BAH and BAS are untaxed and TRICARE has no premium for active duty families, the matching salary is usually well above your military total.
Does my state tax military pay?
It depends on your state of legal residence, not where you are stationed. Some states have no income tax, some exempt military pay, and some tax it in full. Check your state’s revenue department, then enter the rate that applies to you. The calculator uses 0% until you change it.
Why is the result different from my LES?
Your LES includes things this estimate leaves out: special and incentive pays, SGLI, allotments, meal deductions, and the withholding you chose on your W-4. This calculator works out the tax owed for the year, not the amount withheld each month.