How Much Do The Army Reserves Pay
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Army Reservists augment the ranks of active-duty soldiers and prepare to potentially serve as active duty in the case of a national emergency. Normally, members of the Army Reserves serve as part-time soldiers by training for one weekend a month and two consecutive weeks per year. During the remainder of the time, they go about regular daily life, whether it’s attending college, caring for a family or working a civilian job. For that one weekend a month, Army Reservists earn what’s known as “drill pay.”
What Is The Mypay System
The Defense Finance and Accounting Services MyPay system is an automated system that allows service members to access pay and tax statements, and travel advice updates. Discretionary pay data can also be updated without using paper forms. Updates that can be made include:
- View, print, and save Leave and Earnings Statements
- View and print tax statements e.g. W2 Wage, SLRP wage statements
- Manage the delivery method for all your statements
- Change federal and state tax withholdings
- Update bank account and electronic fund/deposit transfer information
- Make address changes
- Stop or start hard copies of your LES or W2
- View and print travel vouchers
- Control Thrift Savings Plan enrollment
- Change or cancel contribution percentage for TSP
DFAS Phone Number: 888-332-7411, option 5 for MyPay
DFAS MyPay Login Page:
Strong encryption and secure sockets layer technologies combined with user-unique access make MyPay safe to use and protect personal information from unauthorized access.
Is National Guard Or Army Reserve Better
While both the Army Reserves and the Army National Guard can serve in deployment, the job responsibilities remain different. The Army Reserves offers more career choices for the individual soldier. … Also, the National Guard has more combat and support positions, while the Reserves has mostly support positions.
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Duty And Compensation In The Reserve Component: One Weekend A Month Two Weeks A Year And A Bunch Of Unpaid Work
The US militarys reserve components have about thirty-nine days per year, a fraction of the time available to the active component, to train their units. In effect, this requires reservists and National Guard members to make sacrifices in the periods between regularly scheduled active and inactive duty training to execute a countless number of tasks necessary to improve military readiness, which takes time away from family and civilian work commitments. Moreover, these nonduty tasks are often completed without any compensation, and despite the many admirable motivations of those who serve, no one joined the military to work for free. It is time for the military to address this issue and work to establish a clear policy to properly and effectively compensate reserve-component servicemembers for their sacrifices outside of regularly scheduled training. Failure to do so results in illegalities, evasion of discipline, and undercompensation, all of which erodes the readiness of the reserve components.
The Legal Issue
Its illegal for leadership and staff to direct reserve-component servicemembers to conduct tasks without compensation. The federal government, including military leadership and staff, is barred from accepting voluntary services by 31 US Code § 1342 . Absent specific statutory authority, the acceptance of voluntary services is a per se ADA violation.
Undermining Discipline
Benefits, Too
How to Fix it
Image credit: Stephanie Ramirez, US Army Reserve
How Does Army Reserve Pay Work

For anyone that choose to serve in a reserve capacity, you only receive pay on the weekends that you drill. You do earn a full paycheck like an active duty member when you serve your two weeks during the summer. … While on active duty you will be treated as a full-time member of the armed services.
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Military Pay Dates For Active
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One of the first steps in creating a budget is anticipating how much money youll make, and when you will have it.
In general, military pay dates are easy to remember: You usually get paid on the first and 15th of each month.
There are exceptions when those dates fall on a weekend or holiday. In those cases, you would get paid on the weekday preceding that weekend or holiday. So if your pay date would be on Sunday the 15th, you would actually receive your pay on Friday the 13th. .
Reserve Military Pay Dates
by Joe Wallace
Here is the DFAS 2021 Reserve payday calendar, including days for mid-month and end-of-month Leave and Earning Statements .
Reserve pay is two times a month. The 15th is the mid-month pay and includes pay due from the 1st through the 15th of the month. The 1st of the following month is the end of month pay and includes pay due from the 16th through the last day of the previous month.
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The Best Of Both Worlds
The Army will always respect that for a Reservist, their family life, and civilian jobs should always come first. This means that you’ll never be put under pressure to spend all of your spare time with the Army. You can be as flexible as you like, knowing that you’ll be rewarded for the time that you give.
Does Army Reserves Pay For College
The Army Reserve Officer Training Corps will pay all of the costs associated with attending college, including tuition, fees, and room and board. Upon acceptance into the program, cadets receive an enlistment bonus, monthly salary, and additional allowances for books and supplies. Cadets are also eligible for scholarships through their school, the Army, the state, and the federal government..
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Whats My Obligation If I Join The National Guard Or Military Reserves
Joining the military reserves or National Guard is a significant time commitment. This is true, especially at the beginning. You will get settled in your permanent unit. Then, you can expect to attend unit assembly, known as drill, one weekend per month. You will also participate in a two-week annual training each year.
- Initial training: As a new military member, you will attend your branchs basic military training. That may last from eight to 12 weeks. Depending on your job, you may also attend an advanced training course.
- Monthly drill: Youll need to drill for 48 periods or units per year. Most units drill one weekend per month. A typical weekend drill has four periods. Some military units have additional drilling requirements, which may include the weekday.
- Annual training: Youll also need to participate in annual training for two weeks per year.
- Activations: You may be activated to full-time service in a voluntary or involuntary status. This can be with your unit or individually. These activations may vary in length and location. They may include 30 days in a unit near your hometown. Or up to a year supporting a mission outside of the United States. Generally, you cannot opt out of involuntary action. This is because the military has ordered you to active service.
- Length of commitment: Your total contract may range from three to eight years. This depends on the branch of service and your specific occupation/job.
Time In Grade Time In Service Counts
There is also an overall TIS or Time In Service which also affects your pay and certain allowances the longer you spend in uniform as an active duty service member or Reservist, the higher your pay can go.
In both cases there are federal limits on the amount of the pay raise you get upon certain career milestones such as passing the two-year mark on your initial enlistment depending on the rank and time spent serving. Stay in the military for six years and you may be entitled to a pay raise at years two and four, but depending on your Time-In-Grade you may stop getting pay raises at year six until you get promoted.
Promotions are dependent on both time in grade AND time in serviceyou cant get promoted to another rank without having spent a minimum amount of time on duty in your current military rank and youll find it important to seek guidance on how long you must serve at your current rank before being eligible for a promotion.
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How Much Do Army Reserves Get Paid
The basic pay, which is also called active duty pay, for a recruit in training is $1,558.80 per month. This amount includes a basic allowance for housing, but not a basic allowance for subsistence. This pay is for recruits whose training location is at least 50 miles from their homes. The basic pay for basic trainees whose training location is less than 50 miles from their homes is $1,535.75 per month. The starting pay for a recruit in basic training is $1,435.20 per month. This amount includes a basic allowance for housing but not a basic allowance for subsistence. This pay is for basic trainees whose training location is at least 50 miles from their homes. The basic pay for basic trainees whose training location is less than 50 miles from their homes is $1,424.05 per month..
Do Army Reserves Get Paid

To be exact, all army reservists are entitled to some form of compensation. The benefits that they are entitled to depends on their rank, status , and the type of army they are training in. Any member of the military reserves who has been formally activated for active duty is entitled to full name, rank, and pay while on active duty, according to the Stewards of the Reserves Act of 2009..
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Do You Get Paid For Basic Training
Basic training is the initial training given to the new employees. Its like an orientation session to familiarize the employees with company policies and the work environment. This training is usually provided to the new employees by the HR department. Its not necessary that you get paid for this basic training. __% of the companies do not provide monetary compensation for this training. Actually, its part of the companys policy to provide free training to all the new employees..
How Much Do You Earn In The Army Reserve
The Indeed Editorial Team comprises a diverse and talented team of writers, researchers and subject matter experts equipped with Indeed’s data and insights to deliver useful tips to help guide your career journey.
Enlisting in the U.S. Army Reserve is one of many ways you can serve in the military. Becoming a reservist can also help you build a career path and establish career goals. One consideration of enlistment is what you might earn if you join a branch of service, such as the Army Reserve.
In this article, we take a look at what it means to become part of the U.S. Army Reserve, specifically the times of jobs you might pursue and the pay you can expect to earn as a reservist.
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Can A Reservist Refuse Deployment
A Marine Corps Reserve member who has not yet attended IADT, who refuses to ship out to Basic, or who state a desire to be discharged, are administratively discharged as an uncharacterized Entry Level Separation . Members who go AWOL while in IADT are treated the same as active duty personnel who go AWOL.
Can I Join The Army At 30
There are two ways for joining the military at 30. You may enlist in a qualifying branch A) with or without a degree as an enlisted soldier or B) as an officer. However, you can earn a higher salary by considering joining the military at 30 as an officer. The opportunity is only available to college graduates.
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Do Reserves Get Deployed
The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that they get deployed but not in any sort of large-scale fashion. Let me explain. The maximum authorized strength of the U.S. Military is 1,429,000 personnel. However, according to the FY2015 Posture Statement of the Military Service Chiefs to the U.S. Congress, the number of active duty military personnel is actually 1,281,900. This means that the active component of the U.S. Military is currently undermanned by 47,000 personnel..
Some Fundamentals About Military Pay
In general, active duty military pay andReserve pay have some things in common including the fact that this income is taxable by the federal government.
Both Reserve and active duty pay is also similar in the sense that any allowances you get including housing, separate rates or the Basic Allowance for Subsistence, and the military clothing allowance are NOT federally taxable.
Both active duty troops and Reservists will see their pay increase the longer they serve. TIG or Time-In-Grade refers to the amount of time you have spent serving at your current rank. The longer you serve in your current rank the higher your pay will go up to certain limits established by the DoD and the branch of service youre in.
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Active duty troops are paid at a rate and amount appropriate for their service commitmentthey are paid to be on duty or subject to recall to duty 24/7. Active duty pay includes basic pay, allowances, special pay such as hazardous duty pay or language proficiency pay, and clothing allowances.
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Do Reserve Soldiers Get Paid
Asked by: Mr. Karl Armstrong
Fundamentals About Reserve Pay. Like the active duty troops, Reservists also get basic pay, allowances where appropriate, and special pay where appropriate. But this pay is offered only for the periods of service the Reservists show up for including training, drill weekends, and active duty service when activated.
Am I Eligible To Join The National Guard Or Military Reserves

You must meet these minimum requirements to join the National Guard or military reserves:
- Be a U.S. citizen or resident alien.
- Be between the ages of 17 and 42 .
- Pass an armed forces physical exam.
- Pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test.
- Meet the minimum ASVAB eligibility standard. You must receive a sufficient score on the ASVAB composite called the Armed Forces Qualification Test.
Each branch or specific job may have other requirements in addition to those listed above.
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How Do I Join The National Guard Or Military Reserves
The first step is to contact a recruiter. Your recruiter will explain the process and available opportunities. Speaking with recruiters from different branches can help you get an idea of which branch you would like to join. You can also find out more information at the recruiting websites for each branch:
The process could go quickly or slowly, depending on different factors. Sometimes you can get through the requirements very quickly. It can also take weeks or months from when you first contact a recruiter to when you leave for your military training.
What Is The Shortest Contract In The Army Reserves
The Short Answer: Two Years With a Catch
Two years is the shortest amount of time a new enlistee can sign up for active duty, however, there is a catch. You actually have an eight-year commitment but you can perform this commitment as an active duty member, a Reservist, or Individual Ready Reservist .
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What Happens If An Army Reservist Goes On Active Duty
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Being called into active duty is a real possibility for U.S. Army Reservists. Receiving a call to active duty means that your life is put on hold for however long deployment lasts. The Army calls up Reservists, who are part-time, trained Army soldiers, into active duty only when needed. Soldiers in the Army Reserve may never see active duty during their Army Reserve contract length. However, when Reservists are called to duty, they must report to their assigned base ready to serve their country. Although difficult, Army Reserve deployment opportunities can help soldiers learn new skills and advance in their careers.
Do The Army Reserve Get Deployed
The Army Reserve is the largest branch of the U.S. Army. Unlike the National Guard, members of the U.S. Army Reserve are full-time soldiers who are often called to active duty. This means that the Reserve can be deployed to conflicts around the world at any time. The only way the Reserve are not deployed are for medical reasons or if they are still attending training..
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Army Active Duty Vs Army Reserves
There is not one option that is better than the other. It merely comes down to what your needs and goals are.
If you are looking to pursue your education on a full-time basis and want to stay close to family, then the reserves may be the best option for you.
If you are looking to travel overseas and looking for a full-time career, then enlisting active-duty Army would be the best option for you.
As always, it is best to do as much research as possible when looking through which opportunities in the Army and the other military branches. Talk to as many service members and veterans as possible. Dont forget, your recruiter is an excellent resource for you. Theyll be able to see which lifestyle will help you achieve what you are looking for in your service.