Calculate Your Deployment Pay
Understand your total compensation during military deployment including special pays and tax benefits.
Calculate Deployment Pay →100% Free • Instant Results • All Pay Components
Understanding Military Deployment Pay
Military deployment significantly changes your compensation structure. The deployment pay calculator helps service members understand their total earnings during deployment, including base pay, allowances, special pays, and crucial tax benefits. Combat zone deployments can make your entire income tax-free, dramatically increasing your effective take-home pay.
Deployment compensation goes far beyond base pay. Hazardous duty pay, imminent danger pay, family separation allowance, and hardship duty pay all add to your monthly earnings. The deployment pay calculator accounts for these components to show your true deployment income.
Components of Deployment Pay
- Base Pay - Your standard military pay based on rank and years of service
- Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) - Continues during deployment based on your dependent location
- Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) - Food allowance, though may be reduced if meals are provided
- Hazardous Duty Pay - Up to $250/month for dangerous assignments
- Imminent Danger Pay - $225/month in designated combat zones
- Hardship Duty Pay - $50-$150/month based on location difficulty
- Family Separation Allowance - $250/month when separated from dependents over 30 days
Combat Zone Tax Exclusion
The biggest financial benefit of deployment: Combat Zone Tax Exclusion (CZTE). All military pay earned in designated combat zones is federal tax-free. For enlisted members, this applies to all pay. For officers, it's capped at the highest enlisted pay rate plus imminent danger pay. This tax benefit can save thousands of dollars during a deployment.
Example Deployment Pay Calculation
Consider an E-5 with 6 years of service deploying to a combat zone:
- Base Pay: $3,511/month
- BAH (with dependents): $1,800/month (varies by location)
- BAS: $452/month
- Imminent Danger Pay: $225/month
- Family Separation Allowance: $250/month
- Total Monthly: $6,238
- Tax Savings: ~$500-700/month (all income tax-free)
Planning for Deployment Finances
The deployment pay calculator helps you plan financially before, during, and after deployment:
- Before deployment - Set up allotments, adjust withholding, maximize TSP contributions
- During deployment - Track your tax-free earnings, save aggressively with reduced expenses
- After deployment - Understand how returning to taxable status affects your paycheck
Maximizing Deployment Benefits
Smart service members use deployment to accelerate financial goals. With tax-free income and reduced living expenses, deployment offers unique savings opportunities. Consider maximizing TSP contributions (which remain tax-advantaged), paying down debt, or building emergency funds. The deployment pay calculator shows your increased effective income, helping you plan these financial moves.
Calculate Your Military Pay Now
See your complete deployment compensation breakdown.
Use Deployment Pay Calculator →