ChristianMilitaryWives

LES 101: What it tells you and
why you should examine it every payday

By: Claire Shackelford

When my husband first joined the military I had so many new names, acronyms, and forms thrown my way that I was sent into information overload. I had a very hard time prioritizing what item of business should be taken care of before another. Fortunately, I had a very wise and experienced Army wife who shared a sage piece of advice with me. I want to pass that along to you.

She said that as soon as the essentials were taken care of (such as making sure all of the information in DEERS is correct and housing is nailed down) to be sure to comb over my husband’s LES every single payday.

If an error is made and the military overpays your spouse, did you know they can and will take it back out of a future paycheck once the error is found? I have talked to a few wives who had not kept up with their husband’s LES and then the find out that there has been an error and the military will be taking a chunk of an upcoming paycheck. It has happened to some families, and much to their own financial chagrin.

Here are some pointers and basic information that will help you use the LES to keep yourself informed:

1. Always know your spouse’s base pay and your BAH pay. The only time this should fluctuate is during training, after a PCS (adjustments for cost of living), and other normal raises and allowances. Always investigate any unexpected increase or decrease in pay. Be sure it is not an error. If you are not sure about an increase, never spend the money. Always set it aside until you are certain. Two things to remember: 1. If the Army owes you money they will pay it back in small increments. 2. If you owe the military money they normally take it out in one huge chunk! It’s better to have that extra money sitting in savings so that when it’s time to pay the military piper you are not left flat!
2. If you are missing money on your LES report it immediately. Be sure to take the name of each person you may have to talk with, and be sure to get specific information such as when you can expect to see the money you are owed reflected on your LES.
3. Know what information is on your LES and what it tells you. Following the LE displayed below is a key to help you understand what each line means (image fromwikipedia) Continue reading beyond the picture for a detailed description of each item on the LES:

Here's a link to a large image of an LES. I had it posted here but it's messing up the format of the post. Feel free to open it in another tab for reference if needed.

(The following information was found on www.dfas.mil)
Field 1 NAME. The member’s name in last, first, middle initial format.
Field 2 SOC. SEC. NO. The member’s Social Security Number.
Field 3 GRADE (or rank). The member’s current pay grade.
Field 4 PAY DATE. The date the member entered active duty for pay purposes in
YYMMDD format. This is synonymous with the Pay Entry Base Date (PEBD).
Field 5 YRS SVC. In two digits, the actual years of creditable service.
Field 6 ETS. The Expiration Term of Service in YYMMDD format. This is synonymous with the Expiration of Active Obligated Service (EAOS).
Field 7 BRANCH. The branch of service, i.e., Navy.
Field 8 ADSN/DSSN. The Disbursing Station Symbol Number used to identify each disbursing office.
Field 9 PERIOD COVERED. This is the period covered by the individual LES. Normally it will be for one calendar month. If this is a separation LES, the separation date will appear in this field.
Field 10 ENTITLEMENTS. In columnar style the names of the entitlements and allowances being paid. Space is allocated for fifteen entitlements and/or allowances. If more than fifteen are present the overflow will be printed in the remarks block. Any retroactive entitlements and/or allowances will be added to like entitlements and/or allowances.
Field 11 DEDUCTIONS. The description of the deductions are listed in columnar style. This includes items such as taxes, SGLI, Mid-month pay and dependent dental plan. Space is allocated for fifteen deductions. If more than fifteen are present the overflow will be printed in the remarks block. Any retroactive deductions will be added to like deductions.
Field 12 ALLOTMENTS. In columnar style the type of the actual allotments being deducted. This includes discretionary and non-discretionary allotments for savings and/or checking accounts, insurance, bonds, etc. Space is allocated for fifteen allotments. If a member has more than one of the same type of allotment, the only differentiation may be that of the dollar amount.
Field 13 +AMT FWD. The amount of all unpaid pay and allowances due from the prior LES.
Field 14 + TOT ENT. The figure from Field 20 that is the total of all entitlements and/or allowances listed.
Field 15 - TOT DED. The figure from Field 21 that is the total of all deductions.
Field 16 - TOT ALMT. The figure from Field 22 that is the total of all allotments.
Field 17 = NET AMT. The dollar value of all unpaid pay and allowances, plus total entitlements and/or allowances, minus deductions and allotments due on the current LES.
Field 18 - CR FWD. The dollar value of all unpaid pay and allowances due to reflect on the next LES as the +AMT FWD.
Field 19 = EOM PAY. The actual amount of the payment to be paid to the member on payday.
Fields 20 - 22 TOTAL. The total amounts for the entitlements and/or allowances, deductions and allotments respectively.
Fields 23 through 30 contain leave information.
Fields 31 through 36 contain Federal Tax withholding information.
Fields 37 through 41 contain Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) information.
Fields 42 through 47 contain State Tax information.

Field 48 BAQ TYPE. The type of Basic Allowance for Quarters being paid.
Field 49 BAQ DEPN. A code that indicates the type of dependent.

• I - Member married to member/own right
• R - Own right
• A - Spouse
• C - Child
• W - Member married to member, child under 21
• G - Grandfathered
• D - Parent
• K - Ward of the court
• L - Parents in Law
• S - Student (age 21-22)
• T - Handicapped child over age 21

Field 50 VHA ZIP. The zip code used in the computation of Variable Housing Allowance (VHA) if entitlement exists.
Field 51 RENT AMT. The amount of rent paid for housing if applicable.
Field 52 SHARE. The number of people with which the member shares housing costs.
Field 53 STAT. The VHA status; i.e., accompanied or unaccompanied.
Field 54 JFTR. The Joint Federal Travel Regulation (JFTR) code based on the location of the member for Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) purposes.
Field 55 DEPNS. The number of dependents the member has for VHA purposes.
Field 56 2D JFTR. The JFTR code based on the location of the member’s dependents for COLA purposes.
Field 57 BAS TYPE. An alpha code that indicates the type of Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) the member is receiving, if applicable. This field will be blankfor officers.

• B - Separate Rations
• C - TDY/PCS/Proceed Time
• H - Rations-in-kind not available
• K - Rations under emergency conditions

Field 58 CHARITY YTD. The cumulative amount of charitable contributions for the
calendar year.
Field 59 TPC. This field is used by reserves.
Field 60 PACIDN. The activity Unit Identification Code (UIC)

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If you experience any problems with your LES address them immediately. Be sure to take the name of the individual you talk with. This helps if there is any conflict in information shared.

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So I've been thinking about money. It's funny, I don't have much money, no savings to speak of, nothing really stored up for the future. But I'm happy, and not worried, I eat well and my babies get everything they need and more. I have a little bit of debt, no credit cards, just a student loan, a mortgage and a car loan. I know Dave Ramsey would have something to say about that car loan and the student loan, but oh well.

The world says, "SAVE!" It's okay if you have some debt as long as you have some savings too, as long as the interest you are accruing is more than the interest you are paying. That's how you build up your credit score so you can get into more debt later. Nice.

The Christian financial advisers say, "pay off and save up!" Once you get all your debts paid off (and they'll tell you how) then save up for the future. Pay for everything with cash and then store up for retirement and your children and what have you. It seems a little bit better of an idea to me, and what I've been striving for.

The problem is, the second I get money in the bank, something goes wrong. My car breaks down and needs repaired, some dental work needs done, you know what I mean, right? I am totally incapable of saving, my husband and I both. There is always something we need, or want, or someone we want to help.

I knew of a family that needed groceries last week, and I almost didn't buy them because I didn't want to dip into my meager "savings." How selfish is that? I might need that money down the road, so I'm not gonna give it someone who needs it now.

That's when I realized that the idea of savings isn't really supported by the Bible. Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal" Matthew 6:19-20. He told specific people to give away ALL they had to the poor, not just what they had extra after they were taken care of and had enough for the future and "just in case." Paul didn't gather a large chunk of monies from the local churches to be sent out on missions trips, he went and earned just what he needed when he needed it.

The closest thing we come to a Biblical support of savings is WITHIN the church: "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it" Malachi 3:10.

We probably should give our 10% PLUS our superfluous funds to the church, who should save it and dole it out to the widows and orphans and those who need it when they need it. But how many churches just use tithes to pay for overhead? If a church gets superfluous funds, they usually just use it to put in a new gym or build a bigger auditorium, just like if we get superfluous funds, we buy a new xbox360 or SUV. But just because a religious organization is temporally-minded and self-promoting doesn't mean that we have an excuse to be disobedient.

I think all this requires is a shift in our (my) attitudes. Money should not be a tool to acquire more stuff, nor should it be sitting in a bank. It should be fluid, flowing in and going out. We should give away what we don't need and not be ashamed to put our needs to the Body of Christ when we have them. There is blessing in this, I believe.

The problem is, this requires more faith and trust in God than most of us have, more than I have. We have to trust him that if we give our money to the poor that He'll take care of us. We trust in the idea of Him, the idea that He'll provide, but we don't actually trust that He'll actually do it. In fact, we think we are being "bad stewards" if we don't have a large amount of our money sitting in a 401(k).

I don't think Jesus was working on a nest egg. He was Kingdom-minded, living for the eternal and trusting in His Father for His needs. Paul was not paying into a Roth IRA. I'm just saying...when did storing up treasures (money) on Earth become a Biblical principle, a "Godly" thing to do?

I'm also way impressed with myself that I used the word "superfluous" thrice in one paragraph. Dig.

Save money by participating in commissary case lot sales.  I am so excited about the upcoming case sale here at Fort Bragg.  Last time I went to a case sale, I saved a great amount of money. 

Shopping the case lot sales at the commissary can be better than shopping bulk at many other stores.  The first time I went to a commissary case sale, I was able to pick up 16 large jars of brand name spaghetti sauce for $8.99!

To check out the case sale dates near you... CLICK HERE.