Pay, pay raises, pay allowances, pay charts - Air Force Times

Clothing

Initial Issue

Officers get a one-time payment of $400 after commissioning to buy uniforms and insignia.

Enlisted members get an initial-issue allowance for uniforms, shoes, boots and insignia when they come on active duty. Because uniform requirements are different for each service as well as for men and women, payments vary by service and gender. Current rates range from $1,131.63 for a male Coast Guardsman to $1,609.30 for a female soldier.

Replacement

Following the initial issue of uniforms, enlisted members get an annual allowance to replace worn-out uniform items and insignia.

• Basic allowance. This is paid for the first three years of service and varies by branch and gender. The Air Force’s basic clothing replacement allowance is $259.20 for men and $295.20 for women. The Army pays $370.80 to men and $432 to women; the Marine Corps pays $273.60 to men and $392.40 to women; the Navy pays $273.60 to men and $280.80 to women; and the Coast Guard pays $288.60 to men and $315.54 to women.

At the end of their first year of active duty, enlisted personnel receive half the yearly allowance because it is assumed they do not need to replace any clothing in their first six months of service.

• Standard allowance. After enlisted members finish three years of active duty, they begin receiving the standard clothing allowance, which is higher than the basic allowance. Again, rates vary by service and gender. The Air Force pays $370.80 to men and $421.20 to women; the Army pays $529.20 to men and $619.20 to women; the Marine Corps pays $378 to men and $421.20 to women; the Navy pays $392.40 to men and $403.20 to women; and the Coast Guard pays $412.29 to men and $450.77 to women.

• Navy special allowances. Navy chief petty officers in paygrades E-7 through E-9 have different uniform requirements than sailors in paygrades E-6 and below, so they get a different initial clothing allowance, $1,091.80 for men and $951.80 for women. Their annual replacement allowance also is higher: $644.40 for men and $669.60 for women.

These same higher allowance rates also are paid to all enlisted members, regardless of paygrade, in the Navy Band and Naval Academy Band, as well as to sailors temporarily appointed as limited-duty officers.

Those selected for Navy Officer Candidate School or other programs through which enlisted members join the officer ranks also receive a special initial clothing allowance, currently $1,382.89 for men and $1,512.10 for women.

• Reservists. The services replace enlisted National Guard and reserve members’ worn-out uniforms with new clothing items rather than paying an allowance. Guard and Reserve officers receive an initial $400 allowance and can get an additional allowance if called to active duty for at least 90 days.

Civilian

For jobs requiring civilian clothes, such as intelligence work or assignments in areas where local sensitivities bar U.S. personnel from wearing uniforms, the military provides a separate clothing allowance.

The amount is based on the duration of the assignment. In 2007, for a permanent assignment in which a member wears civilian clothes more than half the time on official duty, the initial allowance is $881.34, after which there is a $293.78 per year clothing replacement allowance.

Service members on temporary duty requiring civilian clothes get a slightly different allowance. Those required to spend 15 days in a 30-day period in civilian clothes receive a one-time temporary allowance of $293.78. Those required to spend 30 days in a 36-month period wearing civilian clothes receive a one-time temporary allowance of $587.56.

Enlisted service members can get the allowance for assignments anywhere in the world. Officers get it only when their permanent duty station is outside the U.S.