FAQ: What do recruits pay for themselves? What does the Navy pay for?

[Arwen]

Does the Navy pay for uniforms?

Yes, but not for everything they need at boot camp.

Recruits receive an initial uniform allowance of $1,157.21 for men and $1,371.69 for women. The sailor never sees the money, it goes directly to pay for the uniforms and is recorded as a credit and debt on the pay record.

 

The uniform allowance pays for the "sailor's seabag" which consists of four sets of Navy Working Uniforms (aka "digis"), two Navy coveralls, one pair of boots, one set of PT gear (sweats and shorts/t-shirt), two sets of tan and black Navy Service Uniforms (aka "peanut butters"), two sets of dress white uniforms (polyester), one dress blue uniform (wool), one pair of dress shoes, a pea coat, a rain coat with liner, an NSU parka with liner, and a seabag. Women also receive skirts for each service and dress uniform, a "combination cover” (dress hat) and a set of uniform dress pumps (for wear with skirts), which is why they get a higher allowance.

Sailors get a smaller allowance each year to replace worn or damaged uniforms, usually $200 - $400, on the anniversary of the date they shipped out for boot camp.

http://www.dfas.mil/navy2/militarypay/clothingallowance.html

This allowance does NOT cover the many small things they need that are not uniform items, from underwear to shampoo to athletic shoes. These items are considered to be general living expenses and must be paid for by the sailor. The first paycheck is reduced by $400 - $600 (often the entire paycheck) to pay for these items.

During winter months they may also need to purchase specific cold weather gear such as a scarf, gloves and a cold weather mask that may not be part of the basic "sailor's seabag."

What else comes out of my recruit's paycheck?

Later in boot camp sailors will have the option to purchase "yearbooks", PIR DVDs, pictures, division t-shirts, etc. Some of these are deducted from the sailors' paychecks, others may be paid from their accounts. They do have the option to not purchase these items.

However, if they do purchase these items the pictures and t-shirts arrive before PIR. If parents order them at PIR or later, it may take 1-2 months to receive them. DVDs and yearbooks take about 6-8 weeks to arrive.

When does my recruit get his/her first paycheck?

The first paycheck usually arrives in the recruit's bank account about one month to six weeks after his/her arrival at boot camp. Paydays are on the 1st and 15th of each month. No physical checks are issued, sailors must have a bank account ready for direct deposit. If a sailor does not have a bank account, or does not have the correct bank information for an existing account, one will be set up for him/her at either Navy Federal Credit Union or Armed Forces Bank.

 

If the sailor has dependents, the sailor should receive BAH (housing allowance for dependents) in the first paycheck.

Does the Navy pay for food?

Yes. However, the system is confusing to some people, so on paper it looks like sailors pay for their food. The Navy used to just feed all sailors, but for bookkeeping purposes it was difficult to figure out how much they paid for each sailor to eat.

Now the Navy issues a food allowance to every sailor. If that sailor is on shore duty and does not live on a ship or in barracks with access to a mess (cafeteria), the sailor keeps the cash to pay for their own food. However, if the sailor is assigned to a ship or barracks with access to a mess the Navy deducts the food allowance to pay for meals. At first glance on a pay stub this *looks* like the sailor is paying for his/her own food, but in reality the Navy is merely re-claiming the food allowance.

If a sailor does not like the food offered at the mess, finds the hours “inconvenient” for his/her schedule or is annoyed by long lines or little time to eat, and chooses to eat elsewhere, it is up to the sailor to pay for it out of their own money. The Navy will NOT return the money is the sailor declines to eat at Navy facilities.


http://www.dfas.mil/navy2/militarypay/allowances.html

Are there co-pays for sailors' medical care?

No. Medical care for active-duty sailors is free, as are prescriptions.

However, most "elective" medical procedures are not offered or covered unless a Navy-approved medical doctor/dentist determines that it is in the best interest of the sailor and the Navy.

Will the Navy pay for a private apartment for ship-based bachelor sailors to use while in port?

No, but they may get to live in a barracks. Even for extended port stays, some ships require unmarried sailors (E-1 through E-4) to continue to live on-board the ship. However, the Navy is trying to change this. In many places, sailors are assigned a dorm-like barracks (similar to A-school) room with one or two of their shipmates while their ship is in port. Sailors will also receive a barracks room if their ship goes into dry docks for extended repairs.

Occasionally, if there aren't enough barracks rooms to go around for ship-based sailors and the Navy wants sailors to live off-ship, sailors may be assigned a room in a non-Navy apartment building rented by the Navy, or be given a special allowance to find an apartment with other sailors. This is not common.

Shore-based sailors are assigned dorm-barracks. There is no charge for the barracks room.

An unmarried sailor (without dependents) who wants to live independently off-base must get permission from his/her command, pay for the apartment from his/her paycheck and must still sleep on board their ship on duty days. There is no allowance to assist the single sailor in paying for rent or utilities.

Will the Navy pay for airline tickets?

It depends on the purpose of the travel.

If the sailor is traveling on orders, the Navy will pay. Sometimes the Navy will issue tickets or assign a sailor to a military flight. At other times the sailor must pay for his/her own ticket and the Navy will reimburse the sailor for travel expenses after s/he submits all receipts with her order on arrival. Again, the reimbursement may take some time to be processed, so sailors should keep a savings account to cover such expenses.

The Navy does not cover travel for sailors to go home on leave. The only exception to this is for leave between A school and their first duty station. The Navy determines the cost of travel between the two points, and the sailor pays the difference for a stop at home.

Travel home after being discharged from the Navy (for any reason) is based on bus travel. Sailors
have the choice of taking a bus ticket home, or accept the cash value of a bus ticket and make their way home on their own. The amount is based on returning the sailor to the location they lived when they enlisted. If airline tickets happen to be cheaper than bus tickets, the Navy may pay for a discharged sailor's airfare.

[ZZsMom]

Thank you!

 

[sboli1]

Great information thanks!  My son just signed his contract is planning to leave to BC on Dec 1st.  How do I figure out gradution with holidays?

 

Thanks!

[Arwen]

Graduation timing is hard to figure out, especially during the holidays. So much depends on how many recruits he arrives with, the order of their arrival, and the day of the week. It's really quite chaotic, how they figure these things.

 

Then you have to deal with the possibility of injury or illness, that may delay your recruit by a week to a few months (it happens to about 1 in 10 recruits) or they may have difficulty with PT. There are at least a dozen reasons why a recruit may be held back, and no, not all of them are "bad."

 

However, in the last two years, recruits who arrive on or around Dec. 1 generally PIR either the last week of January (Jan 27) or the first week of February (Feb 3). It's a pretty even split between the two dates.

[Invisible12]

I see there hasn't been any action on this thread in quite a while but here goes my question......who pays for the sailor's bedding?  My father-in-law said that the sailors have to pay for their own.  Does anyone know?

[Arwen]

Sorry for the long delay. Usually the bedding is issued on  a ship or in group barracks, where they have a common closet and sheet laundry. It's a weird size you can't really just buy. In boot camp they're issued, but they don't keep them. The sheets are just taken from a common sheet closet. In A school it's pretty much the same, but they may be required to wash their own sheets instead of dumping dirty sheets into a common laundry.

 

In fleet shore barracks, they may have issued sheets, but more likely they will have to buy their own. Usually they have to be white, but some barracks are getting less military-like and more like apartments and they can use whatever they want. It's like an alarm clock or music player - its not issued, just another thing to make a barracks a home.

[DebbieBTexas]

My son leave for BC on December 6th. What can I expect for PIF (is that the completion of BC?) What can I expect for Christmas?

[Arwen]

For Christmas you may get your first letter, but that's about it.

Recruits get their first phone call at the end of their third week of training - usually about four weeks after they arrive in boot camp. You may get  your first call for New Year, given your recruit's report date. There is no allowance for phone calls during holidays for junior recruits. Sometimes the RDCs dangle a Christmas call in front of recruits like a carrot, but it never happens.

Recruits will get a late wake-up and a half-day off Christmas morning, and will be given the chance to go to religious services, if they wish. Most stay in barracks, write letters, study, or do other things they may need to practice. They will not be allowed to leave barracks except to go to breakfast and church. In the afternoon the recruits will return to their usual Saturday schedule of marching, practicing making beds and whatever else the RDCs decide the recruits need to do.

Do send a card, but make sure it does NOT make noise or music, and is in a plain white envelope. Recruits who receive musical cards or brightly colored envelopes are often singled out for "extra training" by RDCs.

If you want to send a gift, make it an NEX gift card, or a gift card that can be saved for after boot camp. Recruits are not allowed to receive packages of any kind. Even a box of cookies will be confiscated and/or be cause for some kind of punishment. One recruit in my son's PIR group got a small box of cookies from his grandmother had to eat them all in one sitting while his entire division did 8 counts until he had finished every crumb. No one was happy.

You can either have your family celebration before he leaves, or save it for PIR weekend. I've known families who actually brought a tree and everyone's gifts to PIR weekend, set it up in the hotel room, and had their family celebration then.

PIR means Pass In Review - the ceremony to recognize the honor recruits and a show to put on for the parents. It's like Senior Night in high school. The Navy does it backward. Instead of having private senior awards night, then a public graduation, they hold a private graduation, then the public awards ceremony. And often they're still not done even after PIR. Many divisions still have a few days of training to complete after PIR weekend.

[Lizdcf]

Does the navy pay for them to go to boot camp?

[Arwen]

Yes, all travel required by the Navy is paid for by the Navy. The Navy will take over financial responsibility, including food and hotel costs, at the recruiter's office when the new recruit arrives to report for duty.

[Craig]

The link in Arwen initial post is broke....

Here is an attachment of new clothing allowance

 

http://www.dfas.mil/militarymembers.html

click on "2011 Pay Table"

 Go to page 3

[kimmic1989/Eric's Mom]

Excellent information.  Thank you !

[Steven'smom]

I don't know if this is the place for this question but there are so many discussion groups that I get lost!! 

I know the Navy issues glasses for BC but what about when BC is done?  My son's glasses have transition lenses (darken in sunlight) and he tells me these type lenses are not allowed.  I am wondering if it would be best to get him glasses with regular lenses so he has them for after boot camp.  Has anyone dealt with this?  Any advise or ideas would be greatly appreciated.  He doesn't leave until Aug 1st but I deal with stress by planning and organizing!  I deal with this by trying to do anything I can to ease this transition in his life (yes, he rolls his eyes and thinks I'm nuts!)