Military Pay Scenarios: Active Duty, Reserve & BRS
2026 Military Pay Scenarios: Active Duty, Reserve, TSP, and LES
Worked planning cases separate official 2026 pay-table values from user-entered BAH, deductions, and other assumptions so active-duty and Reserve pay are not confused.
Reviewed October 10, 2026
Scenario 1: active-duty E-5 over six years
The 2026 DFAS basic-pay table lists $4,110.00 per month for an E-5 over six years of service. The 2026 enlisted BAS rate is $476.95 per month. The sample adds $2,100.00 of BAH solely as an illustrative input; it is not a current locality rate or a claim that any member qualifies for that amount.
Those three example components total $6,686.95 before deductions. A 5% member TSP contribution on the $4,110.00 basic-pay figure is $205.50, leaving $6,481.45 before federal or state withholding, Social Security, Medicare, insurance, other deductions, allotments, or household bills. This is a cash-flow demonstration, not take-home pay or an entitlement estimate. Replace every sample input with the current LES and official records.
Scenario 2: a month with no BAH on the LES
If BAH is not being paid in the situation you are modeling, set BAH to zero and keep actual rent, utilities, and other housing expenses in the budget. Do not infer an allowance from a ZIP code, rent amount, or living arrangement. Quarters status, orders, dependency status, and other facts may control eligibility; verify any unexplained LES difference with the servicing office.
Qualifying BAH and BAS are generally excluded from federal gross income under the rules summarized in IRS Publication 3, while basic pay is generally taxable. This page does not decide tax treatment for a person or replace tax filing guidance.
Scenario 3: compare the member TSP contribution with BRS service contributions
For the sample $4,110.00 monthly basic-pay amount, a 5% member election is $205.50. Under BRS rules, an eligible member who contributes 5% of basic pay can receive the 1% automatic contribution and up to 4% matching contribution, subject to plan rules, service status, timing, and vesting. The potential service contribution is separate from cash deposited to a checking account and is not added to this monthly take-home example.
Review the TSP account and the LES after a contribution change. Contribution limits, eligibility, matching timing, traditional or Roth treatment, special-pay elections, and deductions can make an individual result differ from this illustration.
Scenario 4: Reserve drill pay is a different calculation
Reserve Component drill pay is selected from the DFAS drill-pay table for the member category, grade, and creditable service, using the one-drill or four-drill amount that matches authorized duty. Four periods are common in a two-day drill weekend, but the authorized and paid periods control. Do not put active-duty monthly basic pay into the active-duty calculator as a substitute for drill pay.
Active-duty orders, travel reimbursement, allowances, special pays, taxes, and deductions may follow separate rules. Use the appropriate DFAS statement, orders, and servicing office for each pay category.
A short LES reconciliation sequence
First compare pay grade, completed service, and basic-pay effective date. Next check each allowance against eligibility and the location or orders that apply. Then reconcile withholding, FICA, insurance, TSP, deductions, and allotments as separate lines. Finally, compare the calculator result with a normal LES and count each TSP deduction, allotment, and bill only once.
A promotion, mid-month arrival or departure, leave, retroactive adjustment, one-time bonus, deployment, or start or stop of an allowance can make one pay period unlike a normal month. Keep the effective date and supporting records with the question; MyMilPay cannot determine an individual entitlement or correct payroll.
Only basic pay and standard enlisted BAS are 2026 published figures in this example. BAH is an invented planning input; all calculations are shown before most deductions.