About MilPayLab

MilPayLab is an independent website that turns the government's own pay and benefit tables into calculators and charts that are quick to use on a phone. It is written for active duty and reserve service members, veterans, military spouses and anyone helping them plan.

What we publish

• Calculators for military pay, BAH, VA disability compensation, VA back pay, the Thrift Savings Plan and High-3 vs Blended Retirement System pensions.
• Rate charts that show the full published tables — BAH by housing area, the military basic pay chart and the VA disability pay chart.
• Guides that explain how the rules behind those numbers work, in plain English.

Where the numbers come from

Every figure comes from a primary government source: the Defense Travel Management Office (BAH), the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (basic pay and BAS), VA.gov (compensation rates), the Thrift Savings Plan (contribution limits) and the U.S. Code and Code of Federal Regulations (how ratings combine and how pensions and matching are calculated). Each page names its source and the date the rates took effect.

Before a tool goes live, we test it against sample values from those tables. When a source contains an error, we say so: for example, VA's archived 2019 rate page lists six values for veterans with a child and dependent parents in the wrong columns, and our back pay calculator uses the corrected amounts and documents the change.

How we keep it current

Most rates change once a year. BAH and basic pay change on January 1, VA compensation on December 1, and TSP limits each November. We update the affected calculators and charts when the new tables are published and show the effective date on every page.

Privacy

All calculations run in your browser. There are no accounts or forms, and nothing you enter on a calculator is stored or sent to us. See the privacy policy for details.

Independence

MilPayLab is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the U.S. Department of Defense, any branch of the armed forces, DFAS, DTMO, the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. It is not an official government website. Our content is educational and is not financial, legal or tax advice. The site may be supported by advertising; advertisers have no say in our numbers or content.

Contact

Spotted a number that doesn't match an official table, or have a suggestion? Email contact@milpaylab.com. See the contact page for what to include.