Pay and allowance questions (flight, hazard duty, family separation)

[Guest SnakeT38]

Wait till you go over 20 AND WATCH HOW FAST it falls.

I came in under the "old" nums which I think had been around since late 60's early 70's.

[Guest Rainman A-10]

Originally posted by Clearedhot:

At 20 it will fall to zero for me...and my name will change to Mister.

Amen. $0.00 flight pay is just a matter of months for me.

Sold my house and bought a new one in Mn, HHG get shipped in three weeks, wife and kids moving home to start school and get a job (with benefits, I hope), I class B it with the LPA, kids already signed up for football and hockey, I step down from my current job to become CINC SNACKO (my career gone full circle) for a few months until I can go permissive TDY/Terminal Leave and bingo...call me Mr. Rainman.

Man, those 21 years went by quickly.

[LJ Driver]

So back to the original question, why hasn't flight pay gone up in such a long time? I suppose right now the AF isn't really worrying about losing pilots, but it didn't go up in the late 1990's either and pilots were bailing out in droves then. It just strikes me as odd that every other pay that I can think of (except HFP/IDP) is linked to a percent increase every year. Oh well, next June I get the fatty 6 year flight pay increase!

[Guest SnakeT38]

Originally posted by LJ Driver:

So back to the original question, why hasn't flight pay gone up in such a long time? I suppose right now the AF isn't really worrying about losing pilots, but it didn't go up in the late 1990's either and pilots were bailing out in droves then. It just strikes me as odd that every other pay that I can think of (except HFP/IDP) is linked to a percent increase every year. Oh well, next June I get the fatty 6 year flight pay increase!

My question.............if they are still paying pilot retention bonuses...........why?

I hear no one gets out now.........almost no jobs.

[Guest Rainman A-10]

The bonus has changed. It is not as good a deal as it was but it isn't gone either. I think they may have finally learned that giving guys something is better than giving them nothing. If the bonus makes them a little happier it can be used as more than a retention tool.

Just a guess.

[Guest pavesooner]

If you believe that all you can do is fly then there may not be jobs out there for you as the airlines are hiring like they used to...

With all the leadership experience, degrees youve obtained, and other perks over the course of a 20 yr career...why stay? You are very marketable outside...especially if you have a TS or higher security clearance....

Heck, guys could get out as mid level Majors, forfeit the retirement pay and still make more money as a civilian....

Put it in perspective....if you were ROTC and got a pilot slot you were most likely top of your graduation class....take that group of guys you graduated with and tell me you arent more marketable than them...you are, youve competeed against them once and beat them out and you can do it again in the civilian market. We have type A personalities and it wil be hard to keep us down....

The AF survey that went around this year aimed at the 96 yr group was crap...they basically said the airlines are broke and dont need you and you cant do anything else but fly....

I hope they listened to us when we said bullsh*t....

More than ever they need to try to keep us...if the bonus goes away...watch people head for the door...

For me, I plan to stay to at least 20 then walk...but I'm a third generation USAF pilot and its in my blood, but I know I could stand on my own two feet at anytime and reagardless of what the airlines may or may not do in the future it doesnt matter...there is a lot of maney to be made outside of the Air Force...and if the money trigger is what is keeping guys in....cutting the bonus will hurt retention.

[ 11. July 2005, 11:30: Message edited by: pavesooner ]

[Spartacus]

When do 2nd Lt's start getting their pay? I looked for an answer to this but couldn't find it. Do they start to get it on their date of commissioning, their RNLT date, or half way in between?

Thanks for your help!!!

[BFM this]

How was said 2LT commissioned?

USAFA, OTS, ROTC, decree from God?

[Guest kottlows]

I recieved my first paycheck about 18 days after inprocessing with finance. It's pretty quick.

-WARHAWK-

[Guest Critical Mass]

I believe his question is when do you start accruing pay as opposed to how long it will take you to receive your first paycheck.

When you commission you will become "inactive reserve" until your EAD date. You aren't paid for that time...or at least I wasn't. I wouldn't be suprised if finance just screwed me over though.

[LockheedFix]

It depends on how good your finance office is. I came on active duty on June 6th, a Friday, did all my inprocessing that day, and had my first paycheck on the very next payday, the 15th.

[Guest Apollo]

If you go the OTS route, you start getting "paid"

from Day 1. Everyone gets paid as an E-5 unless

their previous rank was higher. When you

graduate, you start getting O-1 (or O-1E) right

away.

[ 15. July 2005, 23:44: Message edited by: Apollo ]

[Guest pavesooner]

You can get an advance from the Base closest to your rotc unit.....

First off you should get an advance on your travel from college to your first duty station...they cant expect you to pay for gas and per diem since you wont have a paycheck in your hands at that time and most likely dont have a GTC ...

I graduated from OU and got an advance on my travel to Hondo from Tinker....it was a couple hundred bucks but enough to get me on the road...My first day of travel, 6 June was considered the first day I started to earn a paycheck

Once I arrived at Hondo, Lackland gave me two weeks of TDY pay(cash) to live on and told me to come back when I needed more...

I got my first paycheck on 30 June///

Hope that helps

[duece123]

now that we are on the pay subject. After OTS and waiting for UPT what do you get paid then? Is AD the same as AFRC during this period?

[Guest pavesooner]

After OTS....you start to receive a regular paycheck....

[Scooter14]

Here's a question for those who have done the Died recently...

I just got a pay statement from finance, and they paid me $63.34 for HDP. I was there from 24 Aug-1 Oct.

Does this make sense? I thought it was paid out monthly, like Hostile Fire pay, but it looks like they prorated it like they do with Family Separation Pay. Thanks.

[Guest Hoser]

I don't think that sounds right. When I was deployed this summer, my HDP was $225per month (so approx $7.5 per day) so your payment sounds like about 8 days worth. They might have just paid you for the last days of Aug.

Hoser

[Guest gonads]

I love the link on the Base Ops homepage to the military pay calculator. It figures base pay, BAS, BAH, and taxes. Its a great "tool" for budget planning and showing my fiance that we won't be poor in the military and yes, we can afford nice things. But its been broken for quite a long time. Does anyone know any information on why its down and when it will be back up if ever? Thanks.

[PapaJu]

Try this:

http://www.dod.mil/militarypay/pay/calc/index.html

[Guest gonads]

almost. it doesn't take into account taxes and flight pay and all that goodness. thanks though.

[Guest KoolKat]

Does anyone know where I can look up the COLA, OHA, etc. (I'm not sure exactly what else there is) that one is entitled to for an OCONUS assignment.

I'm trying to do some planning, but I can't seem to find anything with actual numbers, only definitions.

A general explaination of some of the entitlements and allowances I can expect to recieve would also help me out.

Thanks.

BENDY

[ 07. April 2006, 17:57: Message edited by: Bender ]

[Baseops.Net]

check out:

baseops military pay section

[ASUPilot]

For all of you seasoned guys out there with numerous deployments under your belt, how does the tax free pay deal work? Does Finance have a handle on this or do they pork it?

I assume we get all of our Federal taxes back, but do we also get FICA and Medicare back? I think if I fly into the combat zone at least once a month (that won't be a problem) I'm also entitled to two additional pays...Imminent Danger Pay/Hostile Fire Pay ($225) and Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay ($175).

Sorry for the amateur questions...just curious as I approach my first combat deployment. Cheers.

[C17Driver]

You get Federal Taxes back (not Medicare or FICA). I've never received Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay...But you will receive HFP...

Depending on where you are deploying too, you will either set up the Combat Zone Tax Exclusion (CZTE) on-site, or you'll have to wait until you file a voucher.

When I file my voucher, I list in the remarks section:

HFP/CZTE for (list location and date)

The "returned taxes" will show up as a deduction, but then should be listed as an entitlement also.

Good luck, our finance shop is always forgetting to credit us with our HFP/CZTE...lots of phone calls and emails.

[ 25. June 2006, 11:48: Message edited by: C17Driver ]

[Guest 130 GAFO]

We aren't eligible for Hazardous Duty Pay. Maybe you fall in one of these categories, I don't know. When we (C-130 pilots) asked, they said we aren't eligible for it.

Hazardous Duty Pay

Service members who regularly do jobs that are dangerous, either by environment or materials handled, are entitled to hazardous duty incentive pay. The pay is the same for officers and for enlisted personnel - $150 a month. Members can collect up to two different types of hazardous duty pay, provided unit and position in which they work require the performance of both types of duty.

Currently the jobs that get this pay are:

* Parachute jumping (High Altitude, Lo opening or HALO parachutists get $225 a month)

* Frequent and regular participation in flight operation on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier or a ship in which aircraft are launched.

* Demolition of explosives as a primary duty or demolitions training

* Duty inside a high- or low-pressure chamber

* Human acceleration or deceleration experimental subject

* Human test subject in thermal stress experiments

* Servicing of aircraft or missiles with highly toxic fuels or propellant

* Fumigation tasks utilizing highly toxic pesticides

* Laboratory work utilizing live dangerous viruses or bacteria

* Handling of chemical munitions

[ 25. June 2006, 12:06: Message edited by: 130 GAFO ]