New Military Pay Grade for 2024...

[Mongoose]

Basic pay (https://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/basic-pay) varies depending on your paygrade/rank, along with the number of years you have served.
For instance, in 2024, an enlisted service member with a paygrade of E-1 will receive $2,017.20 per month in basic pay. Meanwhile, a more senior enlisted person with a paygrade of E-6, who has more than a decade of service, will earn $4,387.80 monthly.
Officers are paid more. A new officer's basic pay begins at $3,826.20 in 2024, while a more senior officer with a paygrade of O-4, having served more than 10 years, will receive $8,684.10 monthly.
Basic pay is a service member's primary compensation. But your paycheck is also likely to contain several tax-free allowances (https://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/allowances) as well as special pay (https://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/special-pay) based on your duty station, qualifications or military specialties. All of these things are part of normal military pay, salary or compensation.
Most allowances are non-taxable, so they can contribute to a significant portion of your paycheck. For example, the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) (https://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/basic-allowance-for-housing) is excluded from gross income for tax purposes.

[Kegler300]

My Basic Pay as a private in 1975 was around $400 a month. I didn't see 2K a month until I was a GySgt in 1990.

[USMC 2571]

1963 E-1=78 dollars monthly if you were in under 4 months and 83.20 a month if you had more than 4 months service.

[Baker From WI]

1963 E-1=78 dollars monthly if you were in under 4 months and 83.20 a month if you had more than 4 months service.

Same in 1965 for me. However, money was the least of my concerns while at MCRD.:evilgrin:

[advanced]

In Janurary 67 I/we started at $96 per month. Of course at PI our entire platoon signed up to receive/invest in a US savings bond. Initially we didn't all agree to purchase the bond but the pushups stopped after everyone agreed.

[Mongoose]

Russ, we were highly encouraged to take out savings bonds. If you know what I mean. After this deduction our pay was about 34$ every 2 weeks.

[Zulu 36]

I made big bucks in boot camp (1971). $143/mo. Because I had been in the delayed entry program, I got paid at the E-1 over 4-months rate. Whoo-hoo. When in truck driver's school I was a PFC. Don't remember how much I got, but we were getting paid twice per month. I always had at least $20 left over by the next payday. I guess that made me rather frugal.

[Mongoose]

In Janurary 67 I/we started at $96 per month. Of course at PI our entire platoon signed up to receive/invest in a US savings bond. Initially we didn't all agree to purchase the bond but the pushups stopped after everyone agreed.
Russ, how much did you have left over every month while in Nam......

[Zulu 36]

When I was in Vietnam, every payday I had money left over, which I saved. We got paid cash in MPC, but I could send money home via postal money orders in US dollars. When I made corporal, I was getting about $160 each pay day (counting tax free base pay, combat pay, etc). While admittedly I was not in the bush like a lot of you guys were, I still did not have a lot of expenses. I had a couple of grand in the bank when I came home. I stayed away from the card and dice games. However, I made a few extra bucks from the guys who were winning big by getting money orders for them when they hit their allowed monthly limit. One guy in my squadron won easily over ten grand at blackjack.

[Marine1955]

I got $278.ºº a month and I was rich I thought, until I saw the pay scale chart.

[advanced]

I can't remember how much I received in the Nam, I made Cpl in March 68 because we ran out of NCO's, that was 14 months in the Corps. I remember though that I only took out $15 a pay day (twice a month) in MPC and I always had money left over. There was nothing to buy at An Hoa except for beer, I could buy a lot of beer at ten cents a piece.

They changed/reissued the MPC at least 6/7 + times so any MPC you had while out in the bush was worthless when we came back to An Hoa, we were fuvcked. I saved everything else and bought a VW bug when I got home. I've always been a saver.

[USMC 2571]

Our only out of pocket expense was dry cleaning of uniforms.