{"id":15868,"date":"2017-11-20T20:38:45","date_gmt":"2017-11-20T20:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/11\/20\/2018-military-pay-raise-is-the-biggest-in-eight-years-but-how-generous-is-it\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T01:38:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T01:38:20","slug":"2018-military-pay-raise-is-the-biggest-in-eight-years-but-how-generous-is-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/pay-benefits\/2017\/11\/20\/2018-military-pay-raise-is-the-biggest-in-eight-years-but-how-generous-is-it\/","title":{"rendered":"2018 military pay raise is the biggest in eight years, but how generous is it?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Congressional lawmakers are boasting that the recently passed fiscal 2018 defense authorization bill has the largest pay raise for troops in the past eight years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that has less to do with newfound generosity among lawmakers and more to do with the expected rise in civilian wages next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Included in the massive budget bill, finalized by the Senate Nov. 16 and expected to be signed into law by President Donald Trump in coming days, is a 2.4 percent pay raise for service members starting Jan. 1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your 2018 pay raise (chart) \u2014 every rate for every rank<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s only the second time since 2010 that the pay raise has topped 2 percent (it was 2.1 percent last January) and was a point of pride among congressional leaders who backed the bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mark is 0.3 percent above what President Donald Trump and the Pentagon had requested. It translates into about a $680 annual boost from 2017 pay for younger enlisted ranks, and about $1,080 a year for more senior enlisted and junior officers. A mid-career officer will see almost $2,000 a year extra under the plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the 2.4 percent figure is also the mark mandated as the standard pay raise under federal law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In past years, the White House and Congress have gone below those expected levels in an effort to save money for other military priorities. Outside groups have argued this amounts to a cut in military pay, since those lower pay raises fail to keep pace with the cost of living.<\/p>\n\n\n\t