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Suggest a Feature →Your deployment pay, decoded.
Every extra dollar, tax break, and benefit that kicks in when you deploy — and the ones finance won't mention.
Based on standard deployment entitlements. Actual pay depends on location, orders, and branch-specific policies.
Combat Zone Tax Exclusion (CZTE)
Your ENTIRE military income becomes tax-free while in a designated combat zone — federal AND state.
Anyone serving in a designated combat zone or receiving HFP/IDP for that zone.
Base pay, incentive pay, special pay, reenlistment bonuses — all tax-free for enlisted. Officers are capped at the highest enlisted rate.
If you spend even ONE day in a combat zone during a month, the ENTIRE month is tax-free.
FITW and SITW deductions should drop to $0 during CZTE months — if they don't, finance messed up.
Hostile Fire Pay / Imminent Danger Pay
Hostile Fire Pay — $225/month if you're in an area where you took or could take hostile fire.
Imminent Danger Pay — $225/month for designated imminent danger areas, same rate as HFP.
DoD-designated zones — not just Iraq/Afghanistan, includes areas most people don't realize qualify.
One day in the zone = full month's pay, same as CZTE.
HFP/IDP is always tax-free, even outside CZTE.
Hardship Duty Pay (HDP)
Up to $150/month for exceptionally difficult living or working conditions.
Based on where you're stationed or deployed, rated by hardship level.
For specific arduous missions regardless of location.
For extended deployments away from home station. $495-$1,000/month based on consecutive days deployed.
Family Separation Allowance (FSA)
$250/month when separated from dependents for 30+ continuous days due to military orders.
After 30 days of separation — then backdated to day 1.
Must have dependents and be separated due to orders — PCS, deployment, TDY 30+ days.
FSA is tax-free.
Finance sometimes doesn't start FSA automatically — you may need to request it with copies of your orders.
Savings Deposit Program (SDP)
Deposit up to $10,000 and earn 10% annual interest — guaranteed by the U.S. government.
Must be in a designated combat zone for 30+ consecutive days or 1 day in 3 consecutive months.
Through your deployed finance office — not available stateside.
10% on $10,000 = $1,000/year guaranteed, tax-deferred until withdrawal — you literally cannot get this rate anywhere else.
90 days after leaving the combat zone, your money + interest are returned.
Max out the $10,000 as early in deployment as possible to maximize interest earned.
Other Deployment Entitlements
Daily allowance for meals and incidentals — varies by location, can be significant OCONUS.
Up to 3 months base pay in advance before deployment — must be repaid.
Government-funded travel home during long deployments. Doesn't count as regular leave.
SGLI coverage continues automatically during deployment even if you hadn't been paying.
MilTax and VITA provide free tax prep for deployed service members — combat zone filing deadline extended.
Tax Filing During/After Deployment
Automatic 180-day extension after leaving combat zone for filing AND paying taxes.
Verify your LES shows $0 FITW during combat zone months — if it doesn't, you need to file for a refund.
Most states follow federal CZTE, but verify YOUR state's rules.
Your contributions are tax-free going in AND coming out — the ultimate Roth hack.
If you reenlist in a combat zone, the entire bonus is tax-free.
Deployment pay mistakes that cost you money
If tax withholding didn't stop, you'll need to file for a refund — and you're giving the government a free loan until you do.
10% guaranteed return is literally the best deal available anywhere — every dollar not deposited is money left on the table.
Finance doesn't always auto-start it — bring your orders and dependent documentation. That's $250/month you might be missing.
Advance pay must be repaid — it's not free money. If you take 3 months advance and spend it all, your paychecks will be short for months.
Tax-free in AND tax-free out — the combat zone Roth hack is the #1 wealth-building move available to deployed service members.
$495-$1,000/month you might be missing. If you've been away from home station 220+ days in a year, check your eligibility.
You have 90 days — after that the 10% rate stops. Set a reminder and collect your money plus interest.
What to do before, during, and after deployment
- 1
Before deploying — review your LES and set up allotments (TSP increase, SDP savings, automatic transfers). Get your financial house in order while you still have easy access to finance.
- 2
Within 30 days of arriving — enroll in SDP through the deployed finance office and max the $10,000. Every day you wait is interest you don't earn.
- 3
Switch TSP contributions to Roth if you haven't already — combat zone makes Roth contributions free. Tax-free in, tax-free out.
- 4
After 30 days — verify FSA started on your LES. If it didn't, bring your orders and dependent documentation to the deployed finance office.
- 5
Monthly — check your LES to verify CZTE is applied. FITW should be $0. If it's not, fix it immediately.
- 6
After redeployment — file taxes with CZTE, collect SDP within 90 days, and verify all deployment pays stopped correctly. Set a calendar reminder for the SDP 90-day window.