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1 1 (December 17, 2018)

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Defense Primer: Military Pay Raise


The phrase military pay raise, frequently used in
discussions of military compensation, almost always refers
to the annual increase in basic pay for members of the
uniformed services. By law, basic pay is automatically
increased at the start of each calendar year by an amount
linked to the change in the Employment Cost Index (ECI),
although the President or Congress may override this
statutory adjustment.

Pay   Raise  for  2019

  Basic pay for all servicemembers will increase by 2.6%
  on January 1, 2019.


Whats        as c  Pay?
Basic pay is one component of the military compensation
package, which also includes housing, subsistence, health
care, and retirement benefits. For most servicemembers, it
is the largest element of the compensation they receive in
their paycheck and typically accounts for about two-thirds
of an individual's regular military compensation (RMC).
RMC   is the total of the following elements that a member
of the uniformed services accrues or receives, directly or
indirectly, in cash or in kind every payday: basic pay, basic
allowance for housing, basic allowance for subsistence, and
Federal tax advantage accruing to the aforementioned
allowances because they are not subject to Federal income
tax. (37 U.S.C. § 101(25)).

The rate of basic pay an individual receives varies based on
his or her paygrade (rank) and years of military service. For
example, a newly enlisted recruit (paygrade E-1) with four
or more months of service and less than two years of
service receives $1,680.90 in basic pay per month in 2019,
while a more senior enlisted person (paygrade E-6) with
between 10 and 12 years of service receives $3,656.40 per
month. A newly joined officer (paygrade 0-1) with less
than two years of service receives $3,188.50 in basic pay
per month in 2019, while a more senior officer (paygrade
0-4) with between 10 and 12 years of service receives
$7,236.10 per month.

Pay tables are available at http://www.dfas.mil/
militarymembers/payentitlements/military-pay-charts.html.


Updated December  17, 2018


How     s the  Annual Increase in Basic Pay
Calculated?
Section 1009 (c) of Title 37 provides a permanent formula
for an automatic annual increase in basic pay that is indexed
to the annual increase in the ECI for wages and salaries,
private industry workers. The automatic adjustment is
equal to the increase in the ECI from the third quarter of the
third preceding year to the third quarter of the second
preceding year. For example, in the 12-month period
between the quarter that ended in September 2014 and the
quarter that ended in September 2015, the ECI increased by
2.1%. Hence the pay raise for calendar year 2017, as
calculated by the statutory formula, was 2.1%.

However, under subsection (e) of this statute, the President
can specify an alternative pay adjustment that supersedes
the automatic adjustment. Additionally, Congress may pass
a law to specify the annual pay raise, superseding the
automatic adjustment and/or any presidential adjustment.

Statutory Formu la for 2019
The adjustment in basic pay for calendar year 2019 under
the statutory formula was 2.6% (reflecting the increase in
the ECI between the third quarter of 2016 and the third
quarter of 2017).

Congressional and Presidential Action
for  2019
The FY2019  President's Budget requested a 2.6% increase
in basic pay, equivalent to the statutory formula. The John
S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for FY
2019 (P.L. 115-232) contained no provision relating to a
general increase in basic pay and thereby left the automatic
adjustment of 37 U.S.C. 1009 in place. According to the
conference report that accompanied the NDAA, The
conferees note that current law authorizes automatic
military pay raises consistent with the Economic Cost
Index, which for calendar year 2019 amounts to a 2.6
percent raise in basic pay for all members of the uniformed
services.

Statutory Formula for 2020
The adjustment in basic pay for calendar year 2020 under
the statutory formula is 3.1% (reflecting the increase in the
ECI between the third quarter of 2017 and the third quarter
of 2018). The actual increase in basic pay for 2020 may be
different, depending on presidential or congressional action.


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