Military Pay Stub: Understanding Your LES in Minutes!

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)?
How to Read a Military LES

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. how to get army les pay stub

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.

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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.

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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! Did our blog meet your needs? You might also find our other guides helpful:

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