A soldier's pay comes in the form of Basic Pay (E-3 1700) BAH (housing allowance (which depends on zipcode) and BAS (food allowance $320 or so dollars) and while you are in training you get $250 for having unaccompanied orders (meaning your family cannot be with you... or separation allowance). OK. so look up your zipcode at defensetravel.dod.mil... For instance... a San Francisco zipcode will give you BAH of 2500 while a zipcode from Kansas city will give you $1000. The housing allowance is meant to cover for the costs of renting in the place where you are stationed so it differs from high cost areas to low cost areas. The highest BAH is in New York city. Since you have dependents (no matter how many, the army classify you as "with" or "without" dependents) during Basic and AIT (job school - as long as AIT does not go for more than 20 weeks) you will receive BAH based on your dependents zipcode. So, if you live in San Francisco you will get BAH of 2500 on top of your basic pay, BAS and Separation pay. That comes down to $4770. Now, if you live in Kansas City, your BAH will be lower so your pay might end up being $3200 or so. This is the case because with dependents you live in the barracks during Basic and AIT on the government expense. The BAS (food) the government keeps because they feed you. And you get separation pay after 30 days of being in Basic. However, if your AIT goes on for more than 20 weeks, you will receive "accompanied orders" meaning that your wife and kids are eligible to come to where you are training at which points BAH changes from your dependents' zip code to the zip code of the post (base) where you are training. There are some ways to keep on receiving BAH based on your dependents' zip code such as: 1. if your children need special medical treatment not offered anywhere else 2. Your wife has a stable and productive career and moving to where you are stationed signifies her losing her career... They might even let you do that if your wife is going to college and she cannot attend college where you are stationed. Keep in mind that these waivers are often times difficult to get and not everyone receives them, you may want to talk to your recruiter about these type of waivers, he may or may not know other ways. After you are done with AIT you are assigned to your permanent duty station at which point BAH is calculated based on your PDS (permanent duty station) and not on your dependents' zipcode unless a waiver is given to you.
Good luck
PS. You start making money the FIRST day you go to Basic, and it comes in the way of 1 check every two weeks. The army will not give you a check, but rather it will put it directly into your account. Thus, having a checking account prior to enlisting is very good or you will have to wait until the army gives you one.
