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Calcimator

Combat Pay Tax Exclusion Calculator

Calculate tax savings from combat zone tax exclusion on military pay including federal, state, and FICA savings.

Inputs

$
$
months
$

Results

Total Tax Savings

$10,091.00

≈ 7 months of rent

Tax-Excluded Pay$44,550.00
Federal Tax Savings$4,455.00
Est. State Tax Savings$2,228.00
Tax-Free Roth TSP Contributions$6,683.00
Roth Future Value (20 yr)$25,859.00
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Monthly Base Pay, Monthly Special/Incentive Pay, and Months in Combat Zone.
  2. Set Filing Status, Single, and Married Filing Jointly.
  3. Adjust Other Annual Income, TSP Contribution Rate as needed.
  4. Review the Total Tax Savings ($) result.
  5. Use Tax-Excluded Pay ($) and Federal Tax Savings ($) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Months in Combat Zone

Months in Combat ZoneTotal Tax Savings
2.1$2,562.00
4.85$5,918.00
8.15$9,138.00
11$12,333.00

What each input means

Monthly Base Pay
Monthly base pay.
Monthly Special/Incentive Pay
Hostile fire/imminent danger pay and other special pays.
Months in Combat Zone
Number of months deployed to a combat zone this year.
Filing Status
Federal tax filing status.
Other Annual Income
Spouse income or other non-military income.
TSP Contribution Rate
TSP contribution as % of pay (Roth contributions during combat are especially valuable).

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Monthly Base Pay = 4500, Monthly Special/Incentive Pay = 450, Months in Combat Zone = 9, Filing Status = 1 = 6 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Total Tax Savings
    Total Tax Savings
    10091 = $10,091
  3. Calculate Tax-Excluded Pay
    Tax-Excluded Pay
    44550 = $44,550
  4. Calculate Federal Tax Savings
    Federal Tax Savings
    4455 = $4,455

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