KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. -- Looking at a leave and earnings statement might be confusing but understanding what’s on it is very beneficial.
The LES has a lot of useful information on your military pay, earned leave, entitlements, deductions and more.
Reviewing your LES regularly could spare some stress and financial hardship by catching any potential problems early.
“It's important to check your LES to see if you have the right entitlements being paid out to you,” said Senior Airman Jonathan Lyew-Ayee, 81st Comptroller Squadron financial services technician. “These entitlements are the correct base pay, basic allowance for subsistence, basic allowance for housing rate for your location, any other special pays, allowances and bonuses you’re entitled to. This is also where you will see all the deductions and allowances on your record, leave balance and debt notifications.”
Use the “How to Read an LES” guide to find information about these top six items on your LES:
1. (Box 10) Entitlements - In this box Airmen can find the base pay for any Airman in their pay grade. Airmen can also see any extra pay they may receive, including cost of living, housing and food allowances.
2. (Box 11) Deductions - Here Airmen can find any deductions taken from their pay. These deductions may be taxes, social security or life insurance; the mid-month-pay amount also appears here.
3. (Box 12) Allotments - This box has deductions, including required or voluntary payments, which are made to individuals, institutions or agencies. These deductions may include money the Airman might have going to savings or checking accounts, insurance or bonds.
4. (Box 19) End of month pay - This box has the actual amount of money the Airman receives at the end of the month.
5. (Box 28) Leave - This shows the current leave balance available based on the leave the Airman has earned minus the amount they have used. In Box 32, any leave lost by not using it is listed. If they are planning on taking leave or interested in how many days they have earned, then they can look at box 28.
6. (Box 76) Remarks - This is the box used to explain any changes to pay and displays notices from the command. If there are changes in any other box on the LES, Airmen can find a written explanation of it here.
“People benefit from checking their LES because they are able to see what they are receiving and are aware of any significant changes to their pay,” said Lyew-Ayee. “With this they are able to verify and take action should they discover any discrepancies they have or make queries on anything they may or may not understand on their record.”
For more information about your LES, the 81st CPTS offers customer service Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on non-training Fridays in the Sablich Center. You can also email the office at 81cpts/travel@us.af.mil or call 228-376-8225.