Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) & Pay Information
In most cases, it takes up to 15-45 days for that first check. It can come sooner, but generally not. Typically, the trainee is paid on the 1st and the 15th following the first initial check and they will need to have submitted their LES no less than 7 days prior to the 1st or 15th day of the month they have entered.
For those of you who may have an issue, concern or problems with pay. Your Trainee/Airman must be the one to make the phone call unless you can provide proof of Power of Attorney http://www.dfas.mil/customerservice.html
When your AB arrives at BMT, they will be issued a "Eagle Cash Card" (store value card). The amount on the card is $400.00 and is used to purchase supplies they may need while they are in training. This advance will be taken out of the first paycheck. Your Trainee's LES will show they were paid the $400, and then the same amount will be deducted. It looks like your Trainee was charged twice, but they weren't.
Does my Airman have to pay
for their own uniforms?
NO
Due to military accounting
practices, it only looks
like airman pay for
uniforms. However, the LES,
(Leave and Earnings
Statement on the my pay site
they can pull and print),
will show both a credit and
debit for uniforms above and
beyond their base pay. This
is for DOD required
financial accounting of
their issued items only. If
they are discharged from the
military before their first
year is complete every issue
item must be returned.
***Clothing allowance:
2016 rates as currently
published
Initial issue in BMT:
AF only Males - $ 1499.40.
Females - $1713.91 (this is
the allotted above and
beyond the base pay)
Your Trainee's Uniforms are
being furnished by the AF.
This is an approximate list:
They receive 2 sets of Dress
Blues, 3 sets of Camo
Fatigues, Military Marching
Boots, Steel Toe Boots,
Dress Shoes, Trench Coat,
Light-weight Jacket,
t-shirts, socks, underwear,
etc.
Enlisted Basic Allowance:
Males $280.32. Females:
$282.96 (this is the annual
allowance for airman less
than 3 years in service and
paid on the anniversary
month
Enlisted Standard
Allowance:
Males $400.44 Females -
$404.28 (this is the annual
allowance for 3 years or
more in service and paid on
the anniversary month
Remember base pay is
prorated based on date of
arrival and that the $400
advance will be repaid. So
that first checks are going
to be tiny the later in a
month they arrive. First
paychecks take about 4-6
weeks to catch up to the
airman depending when they
start BMT. Payday is the 1st
and 15th of the month unless
they fall on weekend or
Holiday... Then they usually
post checks a work day or 2
before.
Here is a great official
link with understanding pay
and allowances and current
pay charts you may want to
review...
https://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/payentitlements/Pay-Tables.html
Here is the Department of Defense Financial Management Regulation. Volume 7A: "Military Pay Policy - Active Duty and Reserve Pay" http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/documents/fmr/Volume_07a.pdf
They will earn 30 days of
paid vacation a year which
is 2.5 days per month. If
they take
RAP leave
after Tech School, those days will not
be deducted from their
overall leave.
LEAVE: Here is Official
Information shared by Diane
Dickey: AFI 36-3003 which is
the LEAVE Program...
6.3. Advance Leave. Advance
leave is leave granted based
on a reasonable expectation
that a member will accrue
leave during the remaining
period of active military
service.
6.3.1. Purpose of Advance
Leave. The purpose of
advance leave is to enable
members to resolve
emergencies or urgent
personal situations when
they have limited or no
accrued leave. Members may
not depart on leave before
the unit commander approves
the advance leave. Unit
commanders may approve
requests for members:
6.3.1.1. Requesting up to 30
days of advance leave and
includes leave requests
which, if approved, result
in a negative leave balance
of 30 or less days.
6.3.1.2. Requesting up to 30
days of advance leave in
connection with travel,
either PCS or TDY, including
a consecutive overseas tour
(COT). This includes leave
requests which, if approved,
result in a negative leave
balance of 30 or less days.
6.3.1.3. Completing
technical training and
requesting up to 10 days
advance leave if the first
duty station is in CONUS or
up to 14 days if outside
CONUS. Note: Unit commanders
normally approve the lesser
of 30 days or the amount of
leave the member will earn
during the remaining period
of active military service.
6.3.2. Delegating Approval.
Unit commander can delegate
approval to a level no lower
than squadron section
commander, deputies, or
equivalents. For emergency
leave situations, first
sergeants can approve
advance leave when delegated
authority to approve
emergency leave for enlisted
members.
6.3.2.1. At headquarters‟
staff, commander can
delegate approval to no
lower than assistant
functional deputy directors
or equivalents.
6.3.2.2. AETC training
commanders delegate approval
authority to no lower than
first sergeants for enlisted
members.
So the truth is airman
graduating Tech School going
on CONUS assignments can get
10 advanced days and going
OCONUS 14... This approval
is delegated to the first
sergeant for AETC (Air
Education Training Command)
an the max in the hole they
can go is 30 days... Feel
free to ask questions.
Note: From Diane Dickey
For the linguistics fields
and all the very long
schools they won't get RAP
until they graduate all
schools some could be at 2
years in service before they
head to the first base and
get rap so they will have to
request close to the
graduation from the last
school. Which could be Intel
school at Goodfellow if they
are ground linguistics or
SERE training if they are
airborne...
While in training, your AB will be earning their base pay. Direct deposit and MyPay are some things your Trainee will not be able to see unless it's payday & they have smart phone internet access.
Here are some of the extras you may see on their LES
Allowances:
- BAS- Basic Allowance for Subsistence (about $250.00)
- BAH- Basic Housing Allowance
- FSA/FSH- Family Separation Allowance
Deductions:
Servicemember's Group Life Insurance, or SGLI, is a program of low cost group life insurance for service members on active duty, ready reservists, members of the National Guard, members of the Commissioned Corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Public Health Service, cadets and midshipmen of the four service academies, and members of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. SGLI coverage is available in increments of $50,000 to a maximum of $400,000.(information taken from http://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers/paydeductions/sgli.html )
- MGIB- Montgomery GI Bill ($100.00 for the first 12 months). After the first year is up, you start to see an extra $100.00 a pay period.
Explanation of the MGIB: The Montgomery GI Bill is designed to help you pay for your college education. Depending on how long you enlist with the military and the job you choose, you can get over $50,000 to help pay for college. All you have to do is give $100 a month during your first year of service. While most people think of the Montgomery GI Bill as a military benefit, it's not actually managed by the Department of Defense or any branch of the U.S. Military. The Montgomery GI Bill is actually a "veteran benefit" and is managed by the Veterans Administration, which administers the program based upon the laws enacted by Congress. To find out more about current amounts and eligibility requirements, contact your local AF recruiter or AF job counselor.
- SepRats- If your trainee does not eat at the mess hall, s/he will see this on their LES which is about $250.00 for a PFC. However, while at BMT this will not be an issue since they are eating at the DFAC.
If he is claiming any dependents, his first paycheck will contain his base pay as well as housing allowance. If he is not claiming any dependents, his paycheck will only contain his base pay.
- The military prorates his first paycheck. For example, if he receive his first paycheck 30 days after he arrives, he will receive the full-rate of the monthly basic pay in that paycheck. If, however, he receives his first paycheck two weeks after arrival, it will contain 1/2 of his monthly base pay, and 1/2 of his monthly housing allowance for those with dependents. Taxes and other deductions such as deductions for non-issue items will be taken out.
Here you will find the link for military pay. However, unless you have their pin, password, or POA you will not be able to get the information. Please check with your Trainee by either writing or in your next authorized call. In contacting your AB, please let him/her know what the concern is in detail, so that when they are meeting with finance they can give a detailed explanation of concerns. Remember, you'll only be getting calls WOT4 and WOT6. So this is something that is very important and the PIN number should be predetermined before s/he leaves.
https://mypay.dfas.mil/mypay.aspx
Here is updated tutorial videos for some of the more common functions DFAS Youtube Channel
- Setting up the account:
Your AB will be receiving a temporary password which is mailed to him/her on a post card while s/he is at BMT. Once s/he gets the temporary password s/he can then go onto the system and change the password to a determined password.
If you do not have your Trainees' POA, you can send blank docs to him/her to sign through legal, or write and ask that s/he make an appointment with either financial or legal. Once they are signed, they may be able to fax it to you so that you can use it right away. Good luck!
The following links will have information regarding pay
This next link is one to help you calculate your BAH.:
http://www.defensetravel.dod.mil/site/bahCalc.cfm
This link is to a Military Pay table
Enlisted - http://www.airforce.com/benefits/enlisted-pay/
Officers - http://www.airforce.com/benefits/officer-pay/
- Pay Days:
Paydays are on the 1st and 15th of the month. If it falls on a holiday or weekend, it will be paid the previous working day. (Ex. The 15th is on Sunday. You will get paid on the Friday before that. If Jan 1st is on Wed, you will get paid on Tuesday. )
If you are claiming any dependents, your first paycheck will contain your base pay as well as your housing allowance. If you are not claiming any dependents, your paycheck will only contain your base pay.
The military prorates your first paycheck. For example, if you receive your first paycheck 30 days after you arrive, you will receive the full-rate of the monthly basic pay in that paycheck. If, however, you receive your first paycheck two weeks after arrival, it will contain 1/2 of your monthly base pay, and 1/2 of your monthly housing allowance for those with dependents. Taxes and other deductions such as deductions for non-issue items will be taken out.
Carissa
Air Force Recruiting Service 9/11/2013
- "We had a few questions regarding payroll. ie no pay check." Always make sure that they have a direct deposit slip AND a copy of the direct deposit slip in two different areas (just in case one gets ate by their dog before they get on the bus to leave) Always keep in mind that military pay is 2 weeks behind. When they arrive to BMT 1-15 of the month they will get that pay on the 1st of the next month. Arrive 15-31 and they will get that pay on the 15th of the month. IF THEY DO NOT GET PAID WHEN THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO AND THEY TURNED IN THEIR DIRECT DEPOSIT WHEN THEY GOT TO BMT! Then all they have to do is let their MTI know they did NOT get paid and they need an appointment to go to finance to get it fixed. Finance does jack up pay a LOT! And then they will get it fixed. The longer they wait the worse it will be. "Sir" Resident, Ret. Master Sgt. MTI, Thomas Rogers Hollywood
- It is common that there may be some slight delay in payroll. Not often but it does happen. Only the trainee or Airman can take care of this since they will have to go through their First Shirt/MTI/Finance personnel.