So, I'm sitting here doing some research online about it and I learn about BAS and BAH and that military pay is pretty much standardized across all services. I learn about weird things like enlisted get more BAS then officers ( 
It is food, you'd think it would be the same across the board )
Then I find this thing called "Tax Advantage"... Ok... WTF is this? The site I was reading about it on ( Department of Defense ) made absolutely no sense. The calculator I found on the site had it on there are well. It also had BAS and BAH for different areas of the US, which is cool. But... WTF is this tax thingy. I noticed the amount went up when I put in bogus spousal income amounts, so obviously that plays into it some how. Are they basically giving you money to pay taxes with? Like.. an attempt to make military base pay tax-exempt? It said that allowances were already tax-exempt on the site so that is what I am guess it does.
BAS should be the same in all service and in all places. BAH does vary for place to place since housing costs are different depending on where you live.
I never understood why enlisted folks got more money to eat than officers did, I was just glad it something where we got more money than them.
quote:
Callalron wrote this stupid crap:
...
I never understood why enlisted folks got more money to eat than officers did, I was just glad it something where we got more money than them.
My Guess would be cause officer make more money, so I guess they figure they need less of an allowance because they have more to spend. I would also guess there might be a diffrence in demographics that would lean on an enlisted man needing more money for food.
quote:
Quoth Pesco:
I'm sitting here in my spare time trying to figure out what it is going to take job wise from me for me and Tamara to live a solid, middle class lifestyle with her being in the Navy and being low ranking enlisted for the next few years.So, I'm sitting here doing some research online about it and I learn about BAS and BAH and that military pay is pretty much standardized across all services. I learn about weird things like enlisted get more BAS then officers (
It is food, you'd think it would be the same across the board )
Then I find this thing called "Tax Advantage"... Ok... WTF is this? The site I was reading about it on ( Department of Defense ) made absolutely no sense. The calculator I found on the site had it on there are well. It also had BAS and BAH for different areas of the US, which is cool. But... WTF is this tax thingy. I noticed the amount went up when I put in bogus spousal income amounts, so obviously that plays into it some how. Are they basically giving you money to pay taxes with? Like.. an attempt to make military base pay tax-exempt? It said that allowances were already tax-exempt on the site so that is what I am guess it does.
What Callalron said.
Anything called an "allowance" isn't taxed. The tax advantage is that a big chunk of your paycheck is tax free. Also, since Tamara is a Texas resident (right? right? hint!) she won't havet to pay state income tax on her military pay, which is also a big tax advantage.
Now. . .the military will send you a letter periodically "explaining" that all these tax advantages, along with commissary priveleges and the like equate to a much higher salary than you actually make. You can even use the letter to apply for loans. Don't do that. There are about a gazillion shady places just dying to loan young enlisted folks money they can't afford to repay. Unfortunately, most of the laws are on their side, so you need to be very careful.
As for you working, it'll be almost a requirement, since junior enlisted pay is based on the idea that the member will live in the dorms and eat at the chow hall, without living/eating expenses. This is key: find a highly mobile line of work. You'll be moving a lot, and you need something easy to start up at a new location every couple of years.
Further, resign yourself to playing second-fiddle in terms of job satisfaction until she gets out or retires. You simply won't be able to stay in any one place long enough for you to advance much. You'll probably make more money than she will at first, but she's the one who'll have the satisfaction of advancement and increasing responsibilities.
Finally, if you haven't already, have a heart-to-heart and decide which career is going to take precedence. One of them will have to. Re-visit the issue every now and again to make sure no one is getting bitter about always playing the supporting role. Regardless what y'all's plans are now, she might decide she really likes the Navy as a career. . .or you might get that "offer you can't refuse," and it's much easier if you've thought this through in advance.
If either of you have any questions at all, PM me--I'm happy to help.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
quote:
Callalron startled the peaceful upland Gorillas by blurting:
When I was in, granted this was five years ago, the BAS rate was set amount per day and was the same everywhere you went. Granted housing allowances changed from base to base.
AFAIK, BAS doesn't change by location. I think they've even changed the rules on taking it away while guys are deployed, but I'm not sure.
--Satan, quoted by John Milton
