Posted on Sep 5, 2015
How Much Did You Get Paid When You Joined The Military? My Take Home Pay Was $457 a Month as a (Army) Private in 1990?
108K
2.18K
496
117
117
0
How much did you make when you joined the military? Back then I got paid on FRIDAY AND BROKE ON MONDAY!! (was not making too much-no family but me, myself and I). Times have changed since the days of your era. Who remembers the Green JUMPs Statement?(DA 3681-6) and getting once a month pay out the finance cage. Yes you had to salute the payroll officer. I remember in Basic Training getting American Travels checks and the Senior Drill Sergeant/1SG keeping it in a safe. Getting once a month pay(cold hard cash), this was before surepay, it was known as casual pay before direct deposit kicked in before the internet. I am referring to 1989-1990. Much respect to all the Army Veterans (Private Pay) who got $75 dollars a month in 1949. The Private in 2015 makes about $1430 a month(under 4 months). Use the link below if you served in the DOD since 1949.
http://www.militarypay.com/MilitaryPayCharts.php
http://www.militarypay.com/MilitaryPayCharts.php
Posted in these groups: 
Money
Military Pay
Money Military Pay
Edited 5 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 282
6
6
0
6
6
0
What PVTs make today is CSMs make in 1980 something. Even saw a retired E7 friend of mine's LES, and it was about $100 less than what PVTs make today
(6)
(0)
6
6
0
5
5
0
Haven't the faintest idea what I was making when I came on active duty, but thanks to the internet you can look up military pay rates. In 1968 as a 2nd Lt under 2 years I made a whopping $343.20 per month. And as I recall around $75 of that went to monthly payment on my GTO.
(5)
(0)
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen first and foremost thank you for your honorable and faithful service to a Grateful nation. Wow 1968, my goodness times have changed for sure. I bet that was some good pay back in those days I can only imagine.
Maj Marty Hogan SGT (Join to see) SPC Margaret Higgins SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth CW5 Jack CardwellCOL Mikel J. Burroughs CPL Dave Hoover SSG William Jones Lt Col Charlie Brown PO1 H Gene Lawrence SCPO Morris Ramsey TSgt Joe C. PVT Mark Zehner LTC (Join to see) Capt Dwayne Conyers PO1 Tony Holland PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Sgt (Join to see) LTC Stephen F.
Maj Marty Hogan SGT (Join to see) SPC Margaret Higgins SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth CW5 Jack CardwellCOL Mikel J. Burroughs CPL Dave Hoover SSG William Jones Lt Col Charlie Brown PO1 H Gene Lawrence SCPO Morris Ramsey TSgt Joe C. PVT Mark Zehner LTC (Join to see) Capt Dwayne Conyers PO1 Tony Holland PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Sgt (Join to see) LTC Stephen F.
(6)
(0)
Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL I was in Sears Management Training Program before going on active duty and got a raise as a 2nd Lt.
(1)
(0)
5
5
0
My pay check as an E-1 was $ 97 a month after taxes then there was SGLI ($ 5), laundry ($ 2), the Red Cross ($5) and Cup and Flower fund ($1) donations leaving me with $84 net.
(5)
(0)
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
LTC Wayne Brandon good read/share on pay back in the day. $84 dollars take home pay, that had to be back in the early 60s or late 50's maybe. Thank you for your service to a Grateful Nation my friend. Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed reading it.
Maj Marty Hogan SGT (Join to see) SPC Margaret Higgins SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth CW5 Jack CardwellCOL Mikel J. Burroughs CPL Dave Hoover SSG William Jones Lt Col Charlie Brown PO1 H Gene Lawrence Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen SCPO Morris Ramsey TSgt Joe C. PVT Mark Zehner LTC (Join to see) Capt Dwayne Conyers PO1 Tony Holland PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Sgt (Join to see)
Maj Marty Hogan SGT (Join to see) SPC Margaret Higgins SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth CW5 Jack CardwellCOL Mikel J. Burroughs CPL Dave Hoover SSG William Jones Lt Col Charlie Brown PO1 H Gene Lawrence Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen SCPO Morris Ramsey TSgt Joe C. PVT Mark Zehner LTC (Join to see) Capt Dwayne Conyers PO1 Tony Holland PO1 William "Chip" Nagel Sgt (Join to see)
(7)
(0)
LTC Wayne Brandon
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL - It was E-1 pay in 1969. I still have the LES somewhere in my archives. The pay didn't begin to improve until '71 or '72 then stayed relatively flat during the Carter administration. Reagan was a hero to the soldier. Pay really took a jump on his watch - we got a lot of cool new toys to use as well.
(2)
(0)
5
5
0
1967, as an E-2 I got paid every two weeks, $37 on the first wednesday, then $39 on the second. No idea why it wasn't $38 every payday. Donated blood at a local blood bank for $15 every 6 weeks.
(5)
(0)
5
5
0
That's ok ... when I came on active duty in 1971, I was an E-2 at my first permanent party base, living on base and having a meal card. My take-home pay was $69 each payday. When I retired as a Col 40 years later, my take home was just a little bit higher.
(5)
(0)
5
5
0
I looked at the pay charts and it can't be right, it says my base pay before taxes was 832 as a Private under 3 months, but, I know my base pay was 770, before taxes, so I don't know where those paychart number comes from.
(5)
(0)
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
SSG Jason Trammell thanks for the response. You know what you made and that's what matters!
(10)
(0)
5
5
0
The grand total of $67.00 a month. I was to get that and spent most of it on military stuff.
(5)
(0)
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
SGM Gregory Hoppe thanks for your honored service. Wow $67 dollars a month and most of it went back on the military!
(9)
(0)
5
5
0
Hundred 'n' two bux per month. The good news was that, in my basic unit, you had ZERO chance to spend it other than for necessities and cigarettes somebody else would fetch from the PX.
(5)
(0)
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL
SP5 Michael Rathbun thanks for sharing, wow pay has come a long way since then.
(8)
(0)
SP5 Michael Rathbun
I built up a bunch of combat zone bonus as an E5 in 1970 that I didn't send home and ended up using it to sponsor a student at the Tin Lành (Viet-Namese evangelical Christian) seminary. That was rewarding. Have no idea what happened to him after things came to a rather dismal end in 1975.
(3)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google