Pay: Statements, Backpay, Benefits, Deductions (Taxes, T4), Deployed ect... [MERGED]

[GAP]

Question: How does CF pay rates compare with British, American & Australian pay rates for similiar ranks? Are they close?

(the reason I ask this is the CF was looked upon as having the best pay when I was in the USMC...we always wished we were paid the same)

 

[jollyjacktar]

GAP dependant upon how you look at it we do get more money on just pure dollar signs.  But as I understand they Yanks do get different benefits which can negate the dollar difference. 

Please correct me if I am wrong as you served there, but are not the PMQs rent free? There is a lower income tax percentage paid 15% is it not?  They enjoy a GI benefits bill which has good support.  There is a cash bonus for re-enlistment, upwards movement is better and faster too.  I even have heard that there is a program to help getting a mortgage too.  I think it would be hard to make a definitive comparison between the two pay/benefits systems as some items would cancel out the others.  Kinda like Apples and Oranges.

We do have I am told hands down the best food, fresh or cbt rations.

 

[GAP]

GAP dependant upon how you look at it we do get more money on just pure dollar signs.  But as I understand they Yanks do get different benefits which can negate the dollar difference. 

Please correct me if I am wrong as you served there, but are not the PMQs rent free? There is a lower income tax percentage paid 15% is it not?  They enjoy a GI benefits bill which has good support.  There is a cash bonus for re-enlistment, upwards movement is better and faster too.  I even have heard that there is a program to help getting a mortgage too.  I think it would be hard to make a definitive comparison between the two pay/benefits systems as some items would cancel out the others.  Kinda like Apples and Oranges.

We do have I am told hands down the best food, fresh or cbt rations.

PMQ's I know little to nothing about, but I do remember there being some rent paid by one of my married buds. No clue how much.

At the time I was releasing they offered a jump in rank to Staff Sgt and $1500.00 bonus (a lot of money at that time). My pay as a Sgt was (tax free in FMF PAC) $200/month plus $60.00 combat pay. This is a long time ago, so the amounts don't really compare with today's rates.

The GI bill was a real bonus.

Things changed dramatically when the US eliminated the draft. The all volunteer force had to compete with industry and a lot was revamped.

Yeah, there is a real Apples/Orange problem now that I look at it...thanks anyway.

 

[tomahawk6]

Yep, I remember my starting pay was $288 a month. ;D
There was a $10,000 bonus for soldiers to re-enlist in the mid 70's. Had a soldier in the unit re-enlist got his bonus then disappeared. When the MP's tried tracking him down it seemed that the addresses he put on his application were wrong. After 30 some odd days his uncle a Sgt Major called the 1Sgt to find out what his status was, he had told the family he was on leave. He was told the soldier was AWOL. The kids uncle then contacted the MP's and his nephew was arrested and charged with defrauding the government among other things.

 

[jollyjacktar]

The PMQ info comes to mind from Rosy Roads, Puerto Rico (and of course depends upon my memory being correct).  During my first visit there in the latter 90's I was told by one of the Yanks that they did not pay rent but did have to pay for utilities which was expensive.  (A/C and the like).  This may be because it was considered an overseas posting too.

This spring I was asked by a US sailor how much I was paid, my reply made his eyes pop somewhat so it must be pretty good in comparison.  I am constantly asked by them to equate my trade/rank with their Navy's counterparts.  You may as well try to get Jack Layton to talk sense, that would be easier.  What my trade covers and what I am expected to be able to do/know for my rank in  comparison would turn perhaps Steven Hawkings mind to mush.  I am sure that it is the same for any other trades out there in the CF with their US counterpart.  Bloody hell, they seem to have at least 6 different trades that cover the same ground I do or could possibly expect to at one time or another. 

Tomahawk6, I had a friend who joined the Household Calvary in the early 70's.  There also were a few Yanks there too at the time.  This was also at the height of the IRA bombing campaigns in London.  Not fun stuff all in all.  One of the Yanks was from California, he got homesick and tired of the BS and went on the trot home. 

(At this time the  US/UK governments had a memorandum of understanding that if a citizen of one country was serving in the Armed Forces of the other's and went AWOL, he could be impressed into their Forces to serve the remainder of their contract time.)

Two weeks after getting home there was a knock at the door.  He answered it to find two American MP's asking after him.  He was then taken into the USMC and subsequently was sent to Vietnam.  He apparently was KIA within the month.  My friend said "Stupid Bugger.  He only had about 18 months left on his contract.  Even when the Regt was roto'd through Northen Ireland the ex-Pats were not sent as there was concern that it would look bad if they got the chop while deployed to that situation."

At one time here we moved heaven and earth to find guys who went on the run.  That policy became too much of a bother.  If you scewed off for 6+ mos they just struck you off strength, seized your pension contributions to pay for "lost" kit and called it a day.  (Assuming you did not sign papers for going on a Op)  What the current policy is I don't know as I am not in the "hunting game" anymore.

 

[tomahawk6]

Interesting jolly.
Back to the thread I agree its hard to compare US pay because of the bonus'. A soldier that re-enlists in theater can receive their bonus tax free. Basic pay is tax free in theater. The rest of our pay is in the form of allowances which are tax free no matter where you are stationed. BAH is basic housing allowance. There is subsistance allowance BAS.

BAS Enlisted: $272.26 a month/officer $187.49 a month

BAH for an E-4 Washington Area $ 1614.00 [with family]
Colonel receives $ 2659.00 monthly

Hostile Fire Pay $225

http://www.military.com/benefits/military-pay/proposed-2007-military-pay-raise

 

[jollyjacktar]

Thanks Tomahawk6, I'll have to look it up and see what we are missing up here.

Good to see they are getting some allowances tax free.  When they were letting us sell off our accumulated leave it was of course taxed again before we received a cent, unless you went to a RRSP.  I guess paying tax on it the first time when we earned it was not good enough for the Liberals.

 

[Gunner]

When they were letting us sell off our accumulated leave it was of course taxed again before we received a cent, unless you went to a RRSP.  I guess paying tax on it the first time when we earned it was not good enough for the Liberals.

???  If you cashed out your leave, you were not taxed twice.

 

[jollyjacktar]

I disagree Gunner.  I have discussed this with the pay Sgt on-board, she concurs as well. 

The leave was earned as part of (for sake of argument) my year of service in 1990.  I was then (as I am now) paid a fixed rate of pay and benefits for that year based upon my rank and incentive level and subsequently paid income tax on said salary and benefits.  Unless I am mistaken and in this case I would like to be  (That way I won't feel sore about these taxes anymore), I should have already paid taxes on the leave earned for that year.  Therefore if I am taxed again at a later date for these same said days of leave it would mean I have been taxed twice would it not? 

If I have got it buggered up Gunner, please show me where I have the wrong end of the stick.

 

[Gunner]

As part of your pay and compensation package you are given, amongst other things, a salary and 25 days of leave a year.  Military leave is paid leave and whether you take it or not you are paid and taxed at the same amount.  This is the mistaken comment of having already paid tax on your accumulated leave, you paid tax on the income you earned during the period. 

First Scenario.

If you didn't buy your leave out, you would have expended your leave sometime during your military career.  In the example you provided, you didn't expend all of your leave in 1990, but let's say in 1991, you decided to expend all of your annual and the five days you accumulated from 1990.  So in 1991, you took 30 days of leave.  You still get paid the same salary and pay the same tax. 

Second Scenario

If the military comes out with a "buy out of accumulated leave package", they are purchasing each day of leave for a day's pay.  This is additional income as the CF is buying something off of you that you have accumulated - "paid leave days".  As it is deemed additional income, you are taxed on it.  If you did this in 1991, your income for the year would be higher than in 1990, hence additional tax owed. 

Third Scenario

You keep your accumulated leave all through your service career and decide to retire in 2006. You use your accumulated leave to enable you to take an extended vacation prior to collecting you pension.  Over your past 25 years, you accumulate 25 days of annual leave.  This final 5 weeks of leave count as income and you are taxed on the income.

Hence, no double taxation. 

The buy out was very popular for a short term cash infusion or topping up your RRSP portfolio.

 

[jollyjacktar]

Thank you for the reply Gunner.  I guess I am as thick as BC pine as there is a little smoke coming out of my ears at the moment mulling this over.  I see what you are saying, what has me smoking somewhat is that our pay folks agreed with me on my thoughts during past conversations on this subject. 

Like any good upstanding Canadian, I hate to think the Gov't is taxing me more than they should ( or at all, quite honestly, gr).  Cheers.

 

[Gunner]

You and me both! 

Cheers!

 

[a78jumper]

As mentioned prior the tax exempt status in specified zones started 1 Jan 04, and also applied to those CFPSA employees deployed in those areas as well, but not to civilian contractors living in the same conditions; there was quite a bit of discontent at the time amongst SNC Lavalin employees at the time as we continued to pay the full amount of tax, but on the other hand we were non combatants. DND "forgot"
there were 300 employees in Camp Julien doing the work the military no longer could do after the gutting of the support trades in the mid 90s.

 

[284_226]

Any DND pers seen their 2006 T4 slip yet?

The wife is waiting on mine...again...

 

[Inch]

They don't have to be mailed out until the end of this month.

I haven't seen mine yet.

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Any DND pers seen their 2006 T4 slip yet?

The wife is waiting on mine...again...

Yeah, I already got mine on Friday.

 

[armyvern]

And we just finished confirming/verifying the mailing address' for ours here. They'll go in the mail this week.

 

[orange.paint]

I got mine in Gagetown.

 

[284_226]

That's good to hear...thanks.  One of us is getting money back, and it's not me

 

[the 48th regulator]

Quick question, for the RFRG, I will be getting a T4 correct?  Or does that fall under a different tax slip?

dileas

tess