Deployment Pay Calculator
Estimate your monthly and total pay during a deployment: basic pay from the 2026 table, BAS, the BAH you enter, hostile fire or imminent danger pay, family separation allowance, hardship duty pay, the effect of the combat zone tax exclusion on your federal income tax withholding and the interest on a Savings Deposit Program deposit. See the BAS rates and the 2026 military pay chart.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Rules checked against 37 U.S.C., DFAS and IRS Publication 3 October 25, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Deployment pay calculator
Enter your monthly BAH to see your pay (type 0 if you do not receive BAH). Look it up with the DTMO BAH calculator if you do not have your LES.
Whole months at the 2026 pay table. Partial months, a pay raise that takes effect mid-deployment, state taxes, and special pays other than those listed are not modeled. Your finance office applies any limits when pays are combined. Your LES is the record of what you are paid.
Example: E-5 over 4 years, 6 months deployed
An E-5 with 5 years of service, a $1,800 BAH, 30 days of imminent danger pay a month, family separation allowance and $100 a month of hardship duty pay (an amount taken from the orders) is paid $3,946.80 basic pay, $476.95 BAS, $1,800.00 BAH, $274.80 imminent danger pay, $300.00 family separation allowance and $100.00 hardship duty pay: $6,898.55 a month, or $41,391.30 over six months, before taxes and deductions.
In a combat zone all $4,321.60 of the basic pay, imminent danger pay and hardship pay is excluded from federal income tax. If this member normally has $300 withheld each month, the estimated saving is $300.00 a month, $1,800.00 over six months. Social Security and Medicare still apply; on basic pay that is about $301.93 a month.
A single $5,000 Savings Deposit Program deposit made in month 3 of this six-month deployment would earn $126.04 by the end of the six months and $255.26 if it stays through the 90 days after return.
What the calculator includes
| Item | Amount | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Basic pay | 2026 DFAS table | Same as at home; see the 2026 pay chart. |
| BAS | Officer $328.48, enlisted $476.95 | Warrant officers are on the officer rate. See BAS rates. |
| BAH | You enter it | Use the amount on your LES or the DTMO BAH calculator. |
| Hostile fire pay (HFP) | $450 a month | Full rate for any month with a hostile fire event; effective October 1, 2026 (37 U.S.C. 351). |
| Imminent danger pay (IDP) | $9.16 a day, up to $275 a month | By days present in a designated imminent danger area. Not paid together with HFP for the same period. Was $225 a month from October 2002 to September 2026. |
| Family separation allowance | $300 a month | Members with dependents who meet one of the cases in 37 U.S.C. 427(a)(1). Raised from $250 by Pub. L. 119-60 section 622. |
| Hardship duty pay-location | You enter it | Take the monthly amount from your orders or LES. The law caps hardship duty pay at $1,500 a month (37 U.S.C. 305). The calculator does not look up locations, and your finance office applies any limits when pays are combined. |
Combat zone tax exclusion and your withholding
Under 26 U.S.C. 112, enlisted members and warrant officers do not include in gross income pay received for a month of service in a combat zone (or a qualified hazardous duty area treated as one, or months of hospitalization from combat zone wounds). Commissioned officers exclude pay up to the highest enlisted basic pay for the month plus the hostile fire or imminent danger pay they receive that month, so the limit moves with your choice above. IRS Publication 3 puts the 2025 figure at $10,983. With the senior enlisted advisor rate in the 2026 pay table the same rule gives $11,166.90 with neither pay, $11,441.70 with 30 days of imminent danger pay and $11,616.90 with hostile fire pay. These are computed here, not IRS figures.
The calculator counts basic pay, hostile fire or imminent danger pay and hardship duty pay as the taxable pay that is excluded. BAH, BAS and family separation allowance are already outside gross income (IRS Publication 3). For the saving it estimates, you enter what is normally withheld each month; the calculator scales that by the share of your taxable pay that is excluded. Your actual withholding follows your W-4 and DFAS, and your return settles the real tax, so treat the figure as an estimate. State taxes are not modeled.
Social Security and Medicare taxes still apply to combat zone pay (IRS). The calculator shows 7.65% of basic pay as an estimate and ignores the Social Security wage base.
Savings Deposit Program interest
DFAS says SDP interest compounds monthly, is paid quarterly at 10% on balances of up to $10,000, and that any amount over $10,000 will not accrue interest. Members can start depositing after 30 consecutive days in a covered area (or at least 1 day in each of 3 consecutive months), and the initial deposit is limited to pay earned after those 30 days. In the DFAS example, a member who arrives April 1 can make the first deposit June 1, from pay earned beginning May 1, so this calculator starts deposits in month 3. A single deposit is $5 to $10,000 and is limited to pay earned in the 30 days before it. You can make more than one deposit, but only the first $10,000 of the balance earns interest. Only un-allotted current pay and allowances can be deposited; travel allowances, advance pays and money saved before deployment cannot. Interest accrues from the deposit date and deposits keep drawing interest for up to 90 days after you return. DFAS pays the account automatically 120 days after you leave the combat zone.
The calculator compounds 10% a year monthly and applies the $10,000 limit to the whole account balance, including interest, which is the cautious reading of the DFAS wording. It models one deposit of up to $10,000 in the month you choose and models the 90 days as three months. DFAS statements are the record of the interest paid.
Saving during a deployment can also go to retirement accounts; see the TSP contribution limits. Pay is released on the military pay dates, and your long-term numbers are in the military retirement pay calculator.
Deployment pay questions
How much do you get paid on deployment?
Basic pay for your grade and years of service stays the same, and BAS and BAH continue. On top of that you may receive hostile fire pay or imminent danger pay (not both for the same period), family separation allowance ($300 a month) and hardship duty pay-location. An E-5 over 4 years with a $1,800 BAH, 30 days a month of imminent danger pay, family separation allowance and $100 of hardship pay is paid $6,898.55 a month before taxes, using the 2026 pay table.
How much is hostile fire pay and imminent danger pay?
Effective October 1, 2026, DoD set hostile fire pay (HFP) at $450, paid in full for any month in which a service member is exposed to a hostile fire event, and imminent danger pay (IDP) at $9.16 a day up to $275 a month, based on days present in a designated imminent danger area. Service members may not receive both for the same period. Since October 2002 both had been a flat $225 a month. The authority is 37 U.S.C. 351.
Is deployment pay tax free?
Pay earned in a month served in a combat zone is excluded from federal income tax for enlisted members and warrant officers. For commissioned officers the exclusion is capped each month at the highest enlisted basic pay plus the hostile fire or imminent danger pay received that month (26 U.S.C. 112). BAH, BAS and family separation allowance are already excluded from income. Social Security and Medicare taxes still apply to combat zone pay, according to the IRS.
What is the combat zone tax exclusion limit for officers?
It is the highest enlisted basic pay for the month plus the HFP or IDP the officer actually received. IRS Publication 3 gives $10,983 for 2025 ($10,758 plus the $225 then paid). Using the senior enlisted advisor rate in the 2026 pay table, the same rule works out to $11,166.90 with no HFP or IDP, $11,441.70 with 30 days of IDP and $11,616.90 with HFP. Those 2026 figures are our calculation, not published IRS figures.
Does any part of a month in a combat zone count?
Yes. IRS Publication 3 says that serving any part of a day in a combat zone during a month entitles you to the exclusion for that entire month.
What is the Savings Deposit Program?
The Savings Deposit Program (SDP) pays 10% on balances of up to $10,000, compounded monthly and paid quarterly. Any amount over $10,000 does not earn interest. You can start depositing after 30 consecutive days in a covered area (or at least 1 day in each of 3 consecutive months), and the initial deposit is limited to pay earned after those first 30 days. A single deposit is $5 to $10,000 and is limited to pay earned in the 30 days before it; you can deposit more than once, but only the first $10,000 of the balance earns interest. Only un-allotted current pay and allowances can be deposited; money saved before deployment cannot. Deposits keep earning interest for up to 90 days after you return, and DFAS pays the account out automatically 120 days after you leave the combat zone.
Do I get family separation allowance on every deployment?
Only if you are a member with dependents and one of the cases in 37 U.S.C. 427(a)(1) applies: (a) your dependents are not authorized to move to your permanent station and do not live there or near it; (b) you are on duty aboard a ship away from its home port, or ordered to stay aboard at the home port, for a continuous period of more than 30 days; or (c) you are on temporary duty away from your permanent station for a continuous period of more than 30 days and your dependents do not live at or near the temporary duty station. The statute sets the allowance at not less than $300 and not more than $400 a month, and Pub. L. 119-60 section 622 raised it from $250 to $300.
Where do I find my BAH and hardship duty pay while deployed?
BAH continues at your home rate, so enter the amount on your LES, or look it up in the DTMO BAH calculator. Hardship duty pay-location depends on your location and orders, so enter the monthly amount shown on your orders or LES; the law (37 U.S.C. 305) caps hardship duty pay at $1,500 a month, and your finance office applies any limits when pays are combined.
Military pay tools
After you separate