Active vs Reserve/Guard Income Equivalent

Compensation

Compare two compensation scenarios and quantify the monthly and annual difference.

Best for side-by-side compensation scenario decisions.

Branch context used for reporting and branch-specific default assumptions.

Active, Reserve, or Guard context for this compensation scenario.

Current military paygrade.

Completed years in service used for the base-pay row.

Select whether this scenario is with dependents or without dependents.

Primary duty-station ZIP used for BAH.

Advanced assumptions (optional)
Special pay (monthly)

Optional monthly special/incentive pay to add to compensation.

Estimated deduction rate

Estimated share of gross pay withheld for taxes and deductions.

Cost-of-living factor

Local cost proxy where 1.00 is baseline; higher values mean higher costs.

Complete required fields, then select Calculate.

Estimate confidence: PENDING INPUT

Data as of 2026-01-01

Included in estimate

  • Base pay (paygrade + years of service)
  • Reserve workload assumptions (drill periods, annual training days, and active-order days)
  • Federal Reserve/Guard policy thresholds (BAS and BAH active-order eligibility)
  • Special pay entered in this scenario
  • Cost-of-living factor used by this tool
  • Deduction rate assumption shown in this tool

Not included

  • State active-duty/Title 32 compensation and state-funded allowances
  • Service-specific incentive pays not entered (for example sea pay or flight pay)
  • Future federal pay/allowance policy updates after the data date

This estimate uses simplified assumptions and scenario presets based on our methodology. Review official sources before financial decisions. If you spot an error or bug, please report it on the contact page.