Our military is vital in the protection of the country, and military salaries are designed to reflect the hard work and dedication given by our servicemen and women. As the demands of the military changes, so does military pay. Most branches of the military have recently adjusted the standard military salary calculator to account for tours served in combat.

It's important to stay infomed about trends involving salary tools for military employment. Members of the armed services need to be aware of federal budget news and changes to the standards for Army salary. As a member of one of these branches, make sure you know about salary tools for military employment news and trends by:

1. Being informed about military pay news from DFAS and the federal government.

2. Learning about trends in military salaries.

3. Following trends and changes in salary tools for military employment.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Stay informed about changes to military salaries

The federal government provides salary tools for military employment so that armed services employees can calculate their pay and bonus figures. A military pay scale can be a valuable tool, but it's important to stay informed about news and trends affecting these salary tools. Register with federal news sites to learn more.

I recommend: Army Retired Services provides an Army salary estimator for retired members of the military and Department of Defense, along with daily news and trends updates about military and Army salary changes. Sign up for Military.com newsletters to get daily news updates about military salaries and allowances.

Register with military salaries news services

Military and Department of Defense employees have a variety of salary tools for military employment available to calculate and manage salaries. It's important to stay informed about changes and trends to these salary tools and news relating to military pay. Register with military news sources to get updates and news about trends in military salaries and pay scales.

I recommend: Subscribe to Military Money's mailing, an online resource that teaches you to use a military salary calculator and military pay chart to budget your salary and bonuses, plus keep you informed with news about military salaries. The Army Integrated Family Support Network offers regularly updated military news for armed service members and their families.

Learn about news and trends related to military pay

Military and army salaries are changing to reflect current military events and demands on enlisted members. It's important for enlisted members to stay informed about news and trends affecting military salaries and pay scales. There are many online subscription and registration services available to keep track of military salary news and trends.

I recommend: Register with Army Times, a daily news resource for Army members and families that will keep you informed about Army pay. The Department of Defense provides this resource with news about salary trends, along with downloadable information pages and salary calculator tools.

Military salaries are determined by the U.S. Secretary of Defense and broken down into a few basic types: Basic Pay, Basic Allowance for Subsistence and Basic Allowance for Housing. Tax advantages come into play when determining military pay, and some military personnel also receive special compensation for hardship or dangerous duties.

If you are considering a career in the military, just what should you expect for an Army salary or other branch of military pay? Obviously, the military salary for a newly enlisted guard will be significantly less than a seasoned officer. Various salary tools for military employment exist to help you determine military compensation, including:

1. A military salary calculator breaks down military pay into monthly and annual payments.

2. Salary tools compare military salaries to compensation for similar civilian positions.

3. Comparisons of military benefits, including retirement plans, healthcare options and more allow military to know where they rank in terms of military pay.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use salary tools for military employment to breakdown pay

Because military salaries are determined and developed differently than career compensation scales for civilians, they can be difficult to understand. Use salary tools for military employment to help you determine your monthly and annual bottom line.

I recommend: The Office of the Secretary of Defense has a military salary calculator to help you decipher 2008 military pay (or the current year) as it equates to a civilian salary (monthly and yearly). PayScale shows several military pay scale charts based on job title, years of experience and location.

Compare military pay to that of similar civilian positions

Military pay has always slightly lagged behind civilian salaries for similar positions, but the government typically approves annual pay increases for all to attempt to close that gap. While it would be impossible to find a civilian equivalent to all military positions, there are resources online that can provide a general comparative overview.

I recommend: Take a look at the military pay chart on Today’s Military to compare the military salary versus civilian salary for a variety of positions. You can also get a free Custom Salary Comparison for more detailed military pay information.

Factor in benefits when evaluating military salaries

A military salary is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a compensation package. You should also consider benefits such as medical and dental insurance, vacation time, retirement plans and more. Keep all benefits in mind when evaluating a military salary.

I recommend: Check out the handy chart at the Office of the Secretary of Defense for a breakdown of benefits for military service members. Military.com breaks down the three main coverage options for healthcare.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Annual military pay raises are determined by the Employment Cost Index, or ECI, which measures salaries of jobs in the private sector. The National Defense Authorization Act determined that annual raises for the military would be equal to the ECI from 2006 on. This helps military salaries stay competitive.

Learning how to determine military employee base salaries, compensation and benefit rates can be a stressful thing to do. Thankfully, working with military salary tools such as salary ratings, reports and software programs will help take the stress out of this task. There are also key terms used for each of these programs that describe each of these functions, so users can easily learn how to use them. Learn the key terms for military salary tools to find the tool that meets the needs of your business so you can get the job done efficiently and correctly.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Salary comparison calculator

A salary calculator helps military personnel to determine compensation rates based on nationwide military pay scales. These types of calculators provide military pay charts and annual salary reports to assist users in learning about base and relocation salary rates.

I recommend: Read the information about the benefits of using a salary calculator at Military Connection and then use the salary calculator on its website to determine pay scale rates for military positions from accountants to zoologists.

Salary reports

Most employers don't have the time to create salary reports for all of their staff, but thankfully there are websites that will generate these reports for you. Salary reports generate analysis about military positions including job descriptions, total annual direct compensations and demographic estimates. Military employees can also use salary reports to determine and compare base salaries.

I recommend: Read the information about how to use the military employment salary reports featured at PayScale.

Compensation calculator

A military compensation calculator helps employees designate salaries for military personnel using information such as years of service, location and rank. Since military salaries use different criteria than non-military personnel, this is an essential salary tool.

I recommend: Use the regular military compensation calculator featured at the Office of the Secretary of Defense Military Compensation website.

Occupational Outlook Handbook

The Occupational Outlook Handbook, created by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, includes statistical information about earnings of military employees. Employers and employees can take this information and apply it when determining or researching military employment salary ranges.

I recommend: Read the Occupational Outlook Handbook at the Bureau of Labor Statistics to find salary information for active duty air force personnel.

Salary wizard

A salary wizard is an online tool that generates analysis about bonuses, base salary, benefits and pay checks for military personnel and their families. Users simply need to enter information, such as the name of military positions and years of employment, to receive a complete statistical report.

I recommend: Use the salary wizard created specifically for military personnel at Military Advantage.

Civilian and military compensation and retirement comparison tools

Civilian and military compensation and retirement comparison tools help military personnel learn about equivalency ranges between civilian and military salaries. These salary tools also help users compare the buying power and retirement rates of civilian and military employees.

I recommend: Review the information provided by the civilian/Army compensation comparison chart featured at the United States Army website. Use the civilian pay equivalent of military pay upon retirement calculator at Silvers007 to research the ranges of military retirement pay.