Calculator methodology
What does the military take-home pay calculator estimate?
It totals the selected monthly pays and allowances, estimates federal withholding and FICA, applies TSP, SGLI, insurance, allotments, debt collections, meal deductions, and other entered deductions, then reports monthly and yearly gross and net amounts. The mid-month and end-of-month figures split the estimated monthly net amount into two payments.
Sources: Defense Finance and Accounting Service: Military Pay Deductions
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Planning limitation
Is the result an official paycheck or tax calculation?
No. DFAS states that the LES is the best source for understanding actual pay, taxes, leave, and allotments. This calculator does not have access to a member's pay account, W-4 history, year-to-date wages, debts, retroactive adjustments, service-specific transactions, or state tax rules. Compare the estimate with the LES and contact the servicing finance office about discrepancies.
Sources: Defense Finance and Accounting Service: Your Leave and Earnings Statement; Defense Finance and Accounting Service: Military Tax Withholding
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Official policy
Which military pays and allowances are generally taxable for federal income tax?
IRS Publication 3 lists basic pay and many special pays as included in gross income unless a specific exclusion applies. It lists BAH, BAS, OHA, and housing and cost-of-living allowances abroad among living allowances excluded from gross income. DTMO identifies CONUS COLA as a taxable supplemental allowance. Individual facts and state treatment can differ.
Sources: Internal Revenue Service: Publication 3 (2025), Armed Forces' Tax Guide; Defense Travel Management Office: CONUS Cost-of-Living Allowance
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Calculator methodology
How is federal income tax withholding estimated?
The calculator annualizes federally taxable monthly pay, subtracts the selected traditional TSP contribution and the standard deduction associated with the selected filing status, applies the loaded tax brackets, divides the result by 12, and adds any additional withholding entered. DFAS bases actual withholding on the member's W-4 information, service data, and applicable IRS rules, so the estimate cannot reproduce every pay-account circumstance.
Sources: Defense Finance and Accounting Service: Military Tax Withholding
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Calculator methodology
How are Social Security and Medicare taxes estimated?
For 2026, the calculator applies the DFAS-listed 6.2% Social Security rate up to the annual wage base and the 1.45% Medicare rate to FICA-taxable pay. It uses monthly equivalents for planning. Actual year-to-date withholding can differ because the Social Security wage cap is annual and payroll corrections may occur.
Sources: Defense Finance and Accounting Service: FICA Percentages, Maximum Taxable Wages, and Maximum Tax
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Calculator methodology
How are Traditional and Roth TSP contributions handled?
The calculator treats traditional TSP contributions as pre-tax for estimated federal withholding and Roth TSP contributions as after-tax deductions. DFAS describes traditional contributions as pre-tax and Roth contributions as after-tax. The combined estimate is capped using the loaded annual elective-deferral and age-based catch-up limits; the IRS lists $24,500 for 2026, plus $8,000 for age 50 or older and a higher $11,250 catch-up for ages 60 through 63.
The Max annual TSP control divides the applicable annual limit into 12 equal monthly contributions and shows the percentage of the currently selected eligible pay needed for that full-year planning estimate. It does not use year-to-date contributions, remaining pay periods, midyear pay changes, bonuses outside the selected TSP-eligible pay, or agency/service matching. If current eligible pay cannot reach the limit, it uses 100% and shows the lower projected annual contribution. DFAS states that Roth elections must leave enough net pay for other deductions. IRS rules effective in 2026 may require catch-up contributions to be Roth for some participants based on prior-year wages; MyLES does not know those wages, so members age 50 or older must confirm how that rule applies to them.
Sources: Defense Finance and Accounting Service: Thrift Savings Plan for Reserve and Guard Members; Internal Revenue Service: Retirement Topics: 401(k) and Profit-Sharing Plan Contribution Limits; Internal Revenue Service: Retirement Topics: Catch-Up Contributions
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Calculator methodology
How is SGLI included?
The calculator applies the current VA basic SGLI rate to the selected coverage and includes the $1 monthly TSGLI premium when SGLI coverage is greater than zero. VA lists the current basic rate as 5 cents per $1,000 of coverage and a total monthly deduction of $26 for $500,000 of full-time coverage including TSGLI.
Sources: Department of Veterans Affairs: Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance
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Planning limitation
What does the combat-zone tax exclusion control do?
It removes estimated federal income-tax withholding from eligible pay for the planning month; it does not certify eligibility or remove FICA automatically. The IRS states that eligibility depends on qualifying service and that the military normally reflects the exclusion on Form W-2. Commissioned-officer exclusions are limited. Confirm status and corrections with the servicing finance office.
Sources: Internal Revenue Service: Tax Exclusion for Combat Service; Internal Revenue Service: Publication 3 (2025), Armed Forces' Tax Guide
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Calculator methodology
Why can selecting a location turn on combat-zone tax exclusion?
MyLES compares the selected OCONUS locality with effective-dated areas on the IRS combat-zones page. It can select CZTE automatically for a clearly designated country. It asks for confirmation in direct-support areas and for Egypt because IRS eligibility also depends on qualifying service, receipt of hostile-fire or imminent-danger pay, and, in some cases, a narrower geographic area such as the Sinai Peninsula or Turkey east of 33.51 degrees east longitude. The location match does not certify eligibility; verify the member's orders and pay record with the servicing finance office.
Sources: Internal Revenue Service: Combat Zones; Internal Revenue Service: Tax Exclusion for Combat Service
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Calculator methodology
How should I use the deductions section when comparing the estimate with my LES?
Enter recurring deductions in the closest matching MyLES field: insurance in FSGLI or other insurance, meal collections in meal deduction, voluntary transfers in allotments, debt repayments in debt collections, and any remaining recurring amount in other deduction. DFAS explains that the LES presents entitlements, deductions, allotments, and summary totals separately. MyLES groups entries for planning and does not reproduce every service-specific LES code.
Sources: Defense Finance and Accounting Service: Your Leave and Earnings Statement; Defense Finance and Accounting Service: Military Pay Deductions
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Calculator methodology
How are the estimated mid-month and end-of-month payments calculated?
MyLES divides estimated monthly net pay into two payments and assigns any odd cent to the mid-month amount. This is a display convention for planning, not a reconstruction of DFAS payroll transactions. Actual payments can differ because the LES can include one-time entitlements, collections, corrections, and allotments that are not evenly distributed.
Sources: Defense Finance and Accounting Service: Your Leave and Earnings Statement; Defense Finance and Accounting Service: Military Pay Deductions
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Calculator methodology
Why can Traditional TSP increase estimated take-home pay relative to the same Roth TSP contribution?
Both contributions reduce the cash paid to the member, but MyLES subtracts a Traditional TSP contribution before estimating federal income-tax withholding and treats Roth TSP as after-tax. For the same contribution amount, the Traditional election can therefore produce lower estimated federal withholding and a higher current net amount. DFAS identifies Traditional contributions as pre-tax and Roth contributions as after-tax; future tax treatment and individual suitability are outside the calculator.
Sources: Defense Finance and Accounting Service: Thrift Savings Plan for Reserve and Guard Members; Defense Finance and Accounting Service: Military Tax Withholding
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