Enlistment Bonus

[motox813]

I've read some of the other threads and I am still a bit confused about how you receive your bonus.

Ok. So when you get to wherever your stationed, you prove they owe you a bonus and it may take up to a month for you to receive it, and when you do you will receive half.

Now how does this dividing the rest of it up go.

Lets say I enlist 4 years active and get a bonus of 42k.

[FutureCombatMedic]

I've read some of the other threads and I am still a bit confused about how you receive your bonus.

Ok. So when you get to wherever your stationed, you prove they owe you a bonus and it may take up to a month for you to receive it, and when you do you will receive half.

Now how does this dividing the rest of it up go.

Lets say I enlist 4 years active and get a bonus of 42k.


Do it because you want to dutifully server your country, not for the money.

[motox813]

Do it because you want to dutifully server your country, not for the money.

Your moronic post had nothing to do with the question I asked. I wouldn't be serving my country if I didn't wish to, money also helps. I am just trying to figure out how I will get my bonus as I have already signed and would like some info on how I will receive my money.

[MSG Glenn]

My son was owed $10,000 for a seasonal Infantry bonus. While in Infantry OSUT his contract was changed to 11X/Abn/option 40 (Ranger). that was another $3000 bonus. As soon as he completed RIP & went into the 75th Ranger Regt. he got his $3000. He kept applying for the $10,000 & finally it started coming. He was getting it monthly in addition to his regular pay/jump pay. They assured him that if he didn't receive all of it before he ETSed he would still receive it monthly in his direct deposit account until it was payed up.

Make numerous copies of all your paperwork: enlistment contract & completion certificates, orders to your unit , etc. & always make sure you have several copies for yourself. You'll have to submit all the paperwork every time you apply. Maybe you won't have a problem but you'll still have to physically apply for the bonus yourself. Ask your 1st line supervisor where to go for that. Bear in mind that my son was dealing with lazy civilians at Ft. Benning but eventually it worked itself out. What the screwup was the civilians thought that his initial $3000 bonus for Rangers was his 1st installment of the whole thing. They also told him that he could only receive one bonus in a fiscal year. He was wishing they would have started the Infantry bonus 1st & then the Ranger bonus.

Once you apply for your bonus check your LES after the date they told you that you'd start receiving it.

Don't let them screw you out of it. A contract is a contract regardless if you went into the Army for patriotic reasons or for the bonus.

[motox813]

^ I was told something completely different by two enlisted soldiers. They got theres 2weeks to a month after they were stationed which they received half of theyre bonus, then half of the half came a year or 2 later(cant remember which) and so on.

[jadesmommy1984]

the way it was explained to us is:

u will get 10k after u finish basic and ait, then the rest will be split up and given to u on ur anniversary checks (meaning on ur one year, 2 year, 3 year and so on for however many years u signed up for)

thats just what the recruiters told us hope this helps!

[motox813]

^ Is that for a 20k bonus. Because I talked to my recruiter today and he said you get half when you get back.

[Fireball]

the way it was explained to us is:

u will get 10k after u finish basic and ait, then the rest will be split up and given to u on ur anniversary checks (meaning on ur one year, 2 year, 3 year and so on for however many years u signed up for)

thats just what the recruiters told us hope this helps!

We told something similar (of course, J didn't get an enlistment bonus)... Anyway, the told us if we got one we would receive 10k of it after basic/AIT grad and the rest would be in monthly installments until the other 10k was received in full... It probably states in your contract. Are you able to view that online under your AKO account?

[motox813]

We told something similar (of course, J didn't get an enlistment bonus)... Anyway, the told us if we got one we would receive 10k of it after basic/AIT grad and the rest would be in monthly installments until the other 10k was received in full... It probably states in your contract. Are you able to view that online under your AKO account?

So that was for 20.


So if it was for 42 I would get 21 when I get back from basic. Then the rest would be paid in installments?

[Fireball]

So that was for 20.


So if it was for 42 I would get 21 when I get back from basic. Then the rest would be paid in installments?

I can't speak for your $$ man. I am just saying what we were told. :) But if it is like us -- Yes, but remember taxes are taken out... SO figure a lot less than 21. OUr friend got 10 after grad but ended up with 6k after taxes.

[motox813]

What is the tax percent?

[Fireball]

What is the tax percent?

I don't know. It may vary on where you live?? Hopefully someone who has received a bonus will reply and let you know...

[JABYERS]

I don't know. It may vary on where you live?? Hopefully someone who has received a bonus will reply and let you know...

To address a few concerns in this thread:

1. You cannot receive more than $40,000, so no point in using $42k as an example.
2. If you get $20,000, you will get half and half; half when you are stationed and half when you exit, however, they keep changing the rules on this.
3. If you get >$20,000, you get paid annually begining on the day you are stationed and on each anniversary of that date for the duration of your AD contract.
4. Taxes: Your tax rate is based on your income bracket. But for the most part, since we don't make all that much money, we will likely be taxed based on the civilian rate of bonus income, which is, sadly, about 25% unless your contract says it is tax-free, which for most enlisted is not the case (including myself). So I hope you guys have some deductions to use. However, because they distribute the bonuses at $10k per year, you are able to use deductions much more effectively to counteract the tax rate. For example, try coming up with $10,000 in standardized deductions in a single year compared to coming up with about $2,500 once a year over four years.

[shorty32]

My bonus was for 40,000 I was told I would get 10,000 after ait and that on my anniversey date I would get 6,000 a year for my last 5 years remember it is taxed

[ash1185]

My husband enlisted in April and we were told it was 40k total. 20K at the end of AIT, and then yearly instalments of 5k each year for 4 years.

But also, my bro-in-law is an army recruiter and has been in for 13 years and one thing he can vouch for, is that when it comes to money and the army. There is no real guess work. You kind of have to wait and see. Now I know we have a contract to get our money, but it doesn't outline a time of pay and what not. When he's received re-enlistment bonus' half the time they wouldn't come on the date he was told or they wouldn't come in the amount. Meaning, they could tell him he's getting it Mar. 3rd and he's getting 3k and he gets 1.4k on Mar. 19th and 1.6k on April 2nd. Why? No one knows, and you don't question it because you know it -is- coming, you just don't know when and how.

My husbands AIT is 15 weeks long, so we won't be seeing a bonus for a good while since his AIT doesn't even start til August 4th, so I won't be able to vouch for us as an example for getting a bonus. But what I can honestly say is that things tend to work differently for everyone, especially with the bonus variants.

[mtomom]

My son said that they taxed it os much he only got 150.00 of his 3K. Not sure how it works but he said it was right.

Not sure about that part. Good luck