Other countries pay and allowances

[ALM In Waiting]

Just a post out of curiosity. How does the UK military's pay and perks compare with our major allies? In particular front end and rear crew.

I've often heard anecdotally that US personnel enjoy excellent allowances and perks but a fairly low basic salary. Where as we in the UK have the opposite. Does anyone have knowledge of the European systems?

As for overseas operations how does the op allowance stand up to what other countries provide? Is UN pay still in existence and going into the pockets of the UK gov?

From a personnel point of view the op allowance is now greater than what I would get from just going tax free.

[Willard Whyte]

I have heard that US forces get an allowance to tempt them in to buying a property in the community rather than use MQs.

Wonder how much MQs stateside cost them pcm, for that matter.

[Siggie]

ALM,

re Overseas Ops;

3 Month det to the sandpit - about AU$25,000 extra, made up from allowances and tax free pay.

Not intended as a pi**ing contest, just providing the info.

[WPH]

My understanding is that US forces get BAH (Basic Allowance Housing) if they chose not to live on base. If you live in base housing (MQs) then you don't get the allowance and your accommodation is effectively free. However, BAH will rent you a good house off base (e.g $1800 a month where I was for a Flt Lt - each rank and each area is a different rate). Many US servicemen seem to find somewhere much less than the BAH to rent and keep the difference. For married service couples, both get BAH, so can make a lot of money off this allowance.

I also believe that if you did buy privately and would lose a significant amount of money through posting if you sold (due to huge drops in property prices) then there was an arrangement put in place to compensate you/ buy your house off you - but this would require more research!

These allowances were on top of their basic pay, which appeared to be roughly equal to our own.

On the flip side, if they get posted to the UK for 3 years, they are not entitled to journeys home for the family, whilst we get a contribution (which normally covers the entire cost) towards 1 journey home per year per family member.

Also, on a 6-month det, whilst they do get R&R, they don't necessarily get shipped all the way back to the US.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, just some observation/ rumors I'd picked up.

[ALM In Waiting]

£16000 for a three month tour certainly puts our op allowance in the shade.

[Corporal Clott]

For USAF see here for all the pay and rates of allowance - there's even a BAH Calculator...

Pay, pay raises, pay allowances, pay charts - Air Force Times

Clott

[The B Word]

I've just done the sums for a RAF Sqn Ldr OF-3 and a USAF Major O-4

For a level 5 Sqn Ldr on enhanced Flying Pay then it is £67,737 per year, but for a 22year+ O-4 Major on flying duties with married/accompanied BAH for Nellis then it is ~£73,770 (assuming $1.6 to the £1). So yes, USAF servicemen are better off and they get a 1.6% pay rise this year (2012).

The only thing is that I usually have my fill of living in the US after about 2 weeks and want to eat some decent food, walk on pavements to the shops and drink some decent beer!

But is that worth £6k a year!!!

[Easy Street]

That is very interesting, B Word. Any time I have heard people ask (at COS Pers roadshows) why other nations got a much better deal on operational allowances, I have always swallowed hook, line and sinker the standard reply that our basic pay was much better than other nations', so we didn't need the big bribes when away on ops. Looks like that's untrue for at least one rank...

[ALM In Waiting]

Thanks for the responses. I too had always assumed we had much better basic pay. This appears not to be the case.

[Jimlad1]

I was talking to a USAF Lt Col recently who told me that they have real insecurity over their pensions though. If you fail to make it past a certain point due to the up and out, then you will leave with no pension at all if you served under a certain timeframe.

[TwoTunnels]

Isn't there a substantial educational/college allowance (as in SLC/ELC type for your own use, not CEA) available to US Forces? I heard something about being able to pass it on to your children.

[25Uniform]

There is $4,500 a year for tuition assistance in addition to either the GI Bill or the post 9/11 GI Bill. The regular GI Bill (at least the one I have currently) is $30,000, plus a $200 a month stipend. The post 9/11 GI Bill is similar, but covers more, pays housing allowance at the E5 rate and can be transferred to other people if you don't want to use it.

[Kitbag]

Without wishing to seem totally stupid how does the cost of living compare in the countries mentioned so far? Surely we need to measure income against living costs as a fraction to gain a scaled view.

[Whenurhappy]

USAF Pensions

The AFPS 75 Pension scheme is a pretty good deal - even when compared with the US one. The USAF system has load of gaps in it, and many SP leave after many years with virtually nothing. A friend of mine - a USAF Reserve F-16 pilot - was on a year's activation as an instructor when 9/11 happened and his activated stretched to 10 years. He left late last year as a Colonel - and left with nothing - including no job protection. He was previously an engineer with NASA - can't return there and has apparently lost his pension pot that he had built up over 25 years. In his 60s now, desparately trying to get a well-paying job until he his too old and infirm to work.


Not sure that I should publicise this...the Treasury might get some ideas!