A military pay stub, also known as a Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), is a detailed bi-monthly statement for army personnel.
It outlines their pay, entitlements, deductions, and leave balance. It’s an essential tool for managing military finances and ensuring that all your payments and deductions are accurate.
At Check Stub Maker, our pay stub creator can help you easily generate pay stubs which correctly reflect your army payroll records.
In this article, we’ll discuss what an LES is, how to get one, and key fields such as entitlements, tax deductions, and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) details which generally appear on military pay stubs.
What this article covers:
What Is a Leave and Earnings Statement (LES)?
A Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) is provided to military personnel twice a month, outlining their pay, entitlements, deductions, leave information, and tax withholdings.
Based on our first-hand experience at Check Stub Maker, an LES is the army equivalent of a civilian pay stub, offering a comprehensive breakdown of your income and financial adjustments.
What Does A Leave And Earnings Statement Look Like?
A typical LES features sections like:
- personal identification details
- income
- deductions
- leave balances
Here is an example of what a typical military LES looks like in practice:
Example: Military Leave And Earnings Statement
——————————- MILITARY LEAVE AND EARNINGS STATEMENT (LES) ———————————
Identification:
Name: John Doe
SSN: XXX-XX-1234
Rank: Sergeant (E-5)
Pay Grade: E-5
YTD Earnings: $35,000
Branch: Army
Date Of Enlistment: 01-Jan-2015
—————————————————————————–
Entitlements:
Basic Pay: $3,000
BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence): $400
BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing): $1,200
Special Pay: $150 (Hazardous Duty)
—————————————————————————–
Deductions:
Federal Tax: $450
FICA-Social Security: $186
FICA-Medicare: $43
State Tax: $50
SGLI (Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance): $25
—————————————————————————–
Leave Information:
Leave Balance: 30 days
Leave Taken: 5 days
Current Leave: 25 days
—————————————————————————–
Federal Tax Information:
Federal Taxable Wages: $2,900
Federal Tax Withheld YTD: $5,400
FICA Information
FICA Taxable Wages: $3,000
FICA Withheld YTD: $2,178
State Tax Information
State Taxable Wages: $2,900
State Tax Withheld YTD: $600
—————————————————————————–
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Information:
TSP Contributions: $300
TSP Loan Repayment: $50
—————————————————————————–
This sample LES provides a clear overview of a typical military pay stub, helping you understand the key sections and their significance.
How To Get Your LES
Similar to an online teacher paystub, service members can access their bi-monthly LES through the MyPay website, which is managed by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS).
If you want to know how to get pay stubs as a server in the military, all you need to do is log in with your MyPay credentials. Next, you’ll navigate to the “Leave and Earnings Statement” section to view and download your LES.
Based on our observations, regularly checking your LES ensures that any potential discrepancies in your payroll are promptly addressed should they arise.
How to Read a Military LES
Let’s look at how to read a Defense Finance and Accounting Service pay stub section by section.
Fields 1-9: Identification
These fields include personal and professional identification details such as your:
- name
- Social Security Number
- pay grade
- branch of service
- command
- date of enlistment or commission
Fields 10-24: Entitlements, Deductions And Retirement
These sections detail various types of pay and allowances on a military disability pay stub and the like.
This includes aspects such as your:
- base pay
- housing allowance
- special duty pay
As per our expertise in payroll services, these deductions are often sub-categorized into taxes, insurance premiums, and retirement contributions for army personnel.
Understanding these fields helps you identify your net income and money-related obligations when you make paystubs with us at Check Stub Maker.
Fields 25-32: Leave Information
This section provides data on leave balances, including accrued leave and leave taken.
Our research indicates that it helps track available leave days and any adjustments made to leave balances, helping you make the most of your earned time off from military duty.
Fields 33-38: Federal Tax Information
These fields provide a helpful snapshot of your tax obligations and withholdings for the pay period.
These fields show elements such as:
- federal income tax withheld
- taxable wages
- tax status
This is vital for understanding federal tax responsibilities and planning accordingly when service members get paid twice a month and receive their military check stubs.
Fields 39-43: Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) Information
This section details your Social Security and Medicare contributions.
Our investigation demonstrated that this includes the amounts deducted for FICA taxes. This ensures contributions towards future benefits, which is important for your long-term financial planning.
Fields 44-49: State Tax Information
This section deals with your:
- state income tax withheld
- taxable wages
- state-specific tax data
Fields 50-62: Additional Pay Data
These fields cover any additional pay details that weren’t included in the earlier sections.
Through our practical knowledge, it can include:
- bonuses
- incentive pays
- other money-related adjustments made for service members
When you create pay stubs with us at Check Stub Maker, our intuitive digital platform can accurately calculate your additional income within minutes.
Fields 63-75: Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Information
This section outlines your contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the military’s retirement savings program.
Drawing from our experience, it also includes:
- current and year-to-date contributions
- fund allocations
By understanding each section and what it entails, you can manage your finances more effectively and ensure all your payroll data is correct and up to date.
Conclusion
Understanding your military pay stub, particularly the Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), is essential for effective financial management.
At Check Stub Maker, we can simplify and enhance your army paperwork, including that for an OPM pay stub and more, giving you quick and accurate results every time.
So, what are you waiting for? Use our pay stub generator now to make your payroll process infinitely easier!
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