Military pay and retired pay, counted properly

Service members and military retirees have income most money tools don't understand. FIRE Mission reads a Leave and Earnings Statement and a DFAS Retiree Account Statement, and counts each part the way it actually works.

Free, no account. Your files are read in your browser and never uploaded.

What it reads

• LES: entitlements, deductions and allotments, tax-free allowances, and take-home from the mid-month and end-of-month payments.
• DFAS Retiree Account Statement: gross retired pay, VA waiver, taxable amount, Survivor Benefit Plan and other allotments.
• 1099-R from DFAS, and W-2s and pay stubs from a civilian second career.

In the retirement plan

Taxable retired pay and tax-free VA disability are kept apart, insurance premiums come off, and both count as income for life on the FIRE page. The Taxes page puts retired pay, a civilian paycheck and rental income on one federal tax estimate.

Thinking about joining or leaving?

The Starting Out page models years in uniform, the Thrift Savings Plan match, the pension after 20 years, a VA rating and a second career on the GI Bill.

Questions