Reference & AI

Military Pay Calculators

2026

Every 2026 entitlement calculator military families actually use — PCS allowances, base pay, retirement, VA benefits, transition tools — sourced verbatim from JTR, DFAS, and DTMO.

Reviewed by Guilherme Correia, active-duty U.S. Air Force

The complete 2026 military pay calculator toolkit

Military pay is built from a stack of allowances and special pays that don\'t live in any one place. Basic pay comes from DFAS pay tables. BAH and OHA come from DTMO\'s annual rate publication. Per diem, MALT, DLA, TLE, and TLA come from the Joint Travel Regulations. FSA, special pays, and combat zone exclusions come from DoD FMR Volume 7A. Tax treatment comes from 26 U.S.C. § 134 and IRS Publication 3. Verifying what your LES should look like — let alone projecting what a PCS will pay or cost — means cross-referencing five separate authoritative sources for every single line.

Military Toolkit consolidates all of those into a single set of free calculators, each one citing the exact paragraph it pulled the math from. The catalog below is grouped by use case — PCS planning, recurring pay verification, financial planning, and post-service VA / transition tools. Every link goes directly to the calculator; no signup, no paywall, no premium tier.

Which calculator should I use first?

If you just received PCS orders, start with the PPM Calculator 2026 to see whether a personally procured move beats a government-arranged move; then run the DLA Calculator, the MALT + Per Diem Calculator, and the TLE Calculator 2026 to budget the move itself. If you\'re trying to understand a paycheck, the LES Auditor reconciles your statement against official 2026 rate tables and surfaces discrepancies in seconds. If you\'re thinking about retirement, start with the TSP Calculator 2026. If you\'re separating, run the Final Pay Calculator and the Leave Planner. Veterans starting a disability claim can use the VA Disability Calculator with combined-rating VA math.

PCS Move Calculators

PCS Move Calculators

Run these whenever you receive PCS orders. Together they cover every dollar the government will or won't pay during your move.

Pay & Allowance Calculators

Pay & Allowance Calculators

Verify what should appear on your LES and project what your paycheck will be at any rank, station, or dependency status.

Financial Planning Tools

Financial Planning Tools

Project the long arc — TSP growth, terminal leave, separation pay, and physical fitness scoring.

Veteran & Transition Tools

Veteran & Transition Tools

For members preparing to separate or retire, and for veterans navigating VA benefits.

FAQ

Military pay calculators — frequently asked questions

What military pay calculators do I need for a 2026 PCS?
For a complete PCS budget, you need: (1) PPM Calculator for DITY profit, (2) DLA Calculator for the one-time dislocation allowance, (3) MALT + Per Diem Calculator for mileage and travel days, (4) TLE Calculator for temporary lodging at either end of the move, (5) Prorated BAH Calculator for mid-month BAH split, and (6) Weight Allowance Reference to stay under your JTR cap. All six are linked below.
Are these military pay calculators official?
They're not government-run, but every rate, formula, and threshold is sourced verbatim from official publications: JTR (Joint Travel Regulations), DoD FMR Volume 7A, DFAS pay tables, DTMO per-diem and BAH/OHA tables, and IRS Publication 3 for tax treatment. Each calculator cites the specific paragraph it pulled the math from.
How often are the rates updated?
Major DoD pay tables (BAH, basic pay, BAS, DLA) update January 1 each year. MALT, per diem, and DTOD distances may revise mid-year. We re-verify every calculator at each official rate cycle and post a "Last reviewed" date on each page. The 2026 rate cycle reflects the FY2026 NDAA and December 2025 DTMO publications.
What's the difference between BAH, OHA, BAS, and DLA?
BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) is monthly housing pay for CONUS duty stations. OHA (Overseas Housing Allowance) replaces BAH for OCONUS members. BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence) is monthly food allowance, $476.95 enlisted / $328.48 officer in 2026. DLA (Dislocation Allowance) is a one-time payment per PCS to offset move-in costs, ranging $1,870.00 to $6,385.00 in 2026. Different allowances, different triggers — but they often stack on the same PCS.
Are military allowances taxable?
No. Under 26 U.S.C. § 134, military allowances (BAH, BAS, DLA, MALT, per diem, FSA, TLE, etc.) are excluded from gross income — they don't appear in W-2 Box 1 and aren't subject to FICA. Basic pay and most special pays (HDIP, SDAP, FLPB) ARE taxable. The Combat Zone Tax Exclusion further excludes basic pay (capped for officers) when serving in a designated combat zone.