Flightline Foundry
Your base pay chart hides the real number. Translate your tax-advantaged military take-home into the civilian salary you actually need to match it.
The bottom-line net on your LES, after taxes, SGLI, and all deductions.
Add back what you set aside for retirement. It was real compensation.
Where you want to live after service.
This compares cash compensation only. Your military package also carried value that a civilian salary has to absorb: healthcare premiums and near-zero out-of-pocket costs, retirement match, commissary and exchange savings, and any childcare or dependent support. A salary that matches the figure above can still leave you short on monthly cash flow once those costs land on you directly. Treat this as a ballpark starting point, then do the harder math on your full situation before you set a target.
Estimates use 2026 federal figures (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32) and representative state rates. Not tax advice. Built for orientation, not filing.