How much extra could i make if i joined the military married?

Crazy how money would persuade you to get married (:

I wouldn’t let the extra benefits of getting married persuade you in joining the military. Join because you want to, not for the money.

im just wondering because i dont know if i should merry my girlfriend before joining or after and ive always wanted to join its not just for the benefits but im just wondering if it would be more worth it to do that

Your pay does not change, but you’ll get a few hundred extra dollars a month on your BAH (monthly tax free housing allowance, to pay for a place ot live) depending on where you are stationed (the BAH rate is based on zip code). If you get deployed to to Iraq or somewhere else you’ll get $250 a month for family separation pay.

And, that’s about it really. Your spouse will be covered under TriCare, which is the military health insurance, so that’s nice. There are a bunch of smaller benefits like scholarships for spouses and things like that, but there isn’t a lot of extra pay involved. One nice thing is that you wouldn’t have to live in the dorms, you’d be able to live off base as soon as you got to your permanent base. If you are single you’ll likely live in a dorm or barracks depending on what service you join, and have a roommate or at least suite-mates. If you’re married your roommate is your spouse. :)

If you have a degree and plan to go through OCS (Officer Candidate School) you’re rank will be O-1.
If you are joining without a degree you will, most likely, be a bottom-of-the-barrel E-1.

You can sign up for BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) if you live off-base with your wife.
BAH = $604.50 for E-1 and $820.50 for O-1

As far as how much you would make just for being married I’m not sure if you get anything if you’re not living together.

You can download the 2009 military pay scale here. 3.9% pay raise this year as of January 1st.

The statistics don’t lie. Well, I don’t know the numbers but I know all the people I knew while I was in. Go in with a girlfriend, you’re losing her. Marry her she’ll most likely stay with you, but there’s a big chance you’ll get cheated on. A lot. But if you’re home most of the time you’re good to go. But that’s not likely either, so if you are serious about this woman, I would say no go! But then again she could be real serious about you, a rock solid kind of thing, a rarity, and be the kind that will stick it out with you and not give in to temptation while you’re away.

@Sakata, the BAH depends on your zip code. I make $1,329 for BAH with one dependent in the Denver area, and I’m only an E-3.

@z28proximo that’s a pretty bleak view. I think if you go into thinking you’re going to get cheated on or your wife is going to leave you, there’s a much better chance of it actually happening. I know it does happen in the Army more though, as they are out for 15 months at a time which is stressful for any relationship. Much better quality of life in the Air Force, as well as much shorter deployments.