Army overseas (Iraq) pay question....?

Question

OK few questions, I have asked my husband he dont remember anymore, so here it goes, while in Iraq, I know you get the extra pay, we are getting that fine... First question is that while over there are we supposed to still be paying in all the taxes.. cause we still are.. and the thing is, I heard from a friend ( we all know how that is) when he gets home he gets to go to finance and do some paper work to get something like 3.50 a day for everyday he was gone.. is that true, what I am doing is tring to figure out ABOUT how much we are going to have in saving, and I wanted to know those few things.. thanks

I wanted to add that I dont talk to my husband everyday and when we do get to talk the last thing I want to talk about is pay, so I am hoping for other answers then ask his unit.. thanks

Oh yeah before I get this I have POA but live in Indiana and there are no posts here.. they will not talk with me over the phone unless I fax them the power of attorney, and was going to see what you all had to say first

Answer 1

I live in Indiana ,also.While there might not be any active duty stations here anymore,there are still reserve units throughout the state.There are also recruiting stations here.One of those places should be able to help get you your info.If you can't get the info you need,then you really need to take a minute with your husband and talk about it.Good Luck.And Thanks to your husband for serving and thanks to you for the sacrifices you've made.

Answer 2

Ok I will give you the right info. I am a pro. I control the money in the house, and when my husband deploys I make DANG sure I get every single penny that is owed me. (I say me because I control the money and invest it while he is deployed...he earns it, I make sure he has it all when he comes back)

FIRST, you are not taxed for a month that you are not here in the states. If you leave on the 31st of the month, you will not be taxed for the month and you will receive a refund for the taxes for that month. You will get a seperate check cut for that. And for the remaining months, no taxes. NONE. So if your husband is getting taxed, you need to talk to dfas. If you email me, I will give you the number. I read in our post newspaper recently that you need a special POA to talk to finance. But I have never had to have one through 2 deployments. Getting ready for number 3 so maybe this is a new rule I will find out about soon enough.

Second, the extra pays are as follows. Family separation is $250 and takes effect 30 after deployment begins. $225 Hostile Fire Pay take effect immediately. Hazardous duty pay is $150 per month.

Third, perdium is $3.50 per day and that is due at the end of the deployment. May take a few months to receive after he returns. He will also continue to receive his seperate rats if he is active duty. And if husband is guard/reserves, husband says you should still receive that once he goes active (deployment).

My husband had some pay problems last deployment and he handled much of it in Iraq. There were times he had to go EVERY DAY to finance to be sure they were getting his paperwork to where it needed to go. It is frustrating, but keep at it because if you dont then it wont get done. Civilians run the pay system and they dont care that you get shortchanged.

Good luck and if you need anything feel free to email me...

Answer 3

He is not supposed to be paying federal income tax while he is in Iraq. I think some, if not all, states still charge income tax. But you should definitely get the federal fixed, because he should not be charged that.

Also, the $3.50 a day is called per diem. When they get back, as part of his redeployment briefs they will show them how to fill out the paperwork. The money comes in a lump sum, usually a few weeks after he fills out the paperwork. It doesn't have to come on a payday, usually it just shows up out of nowhere. If he is gone a year, it ends up being $1000, give or take.

Finance probably won't talk to you unless you have a DFAS power of attorney. Hopefully you have one (I still don't, and I don't think most wives do). If the POA you have is just a general, they probably still won't talk to you. He can get you one while he is deployed, but it will take a while to mail it to you. It is sometimes easier and faster for him to try to fix the problems with his pay on his end.

Answer 4

I am sure that before your husband left, you were given a power of attorney. Go to Finance and ask those folks the questions you have. I know in a couple of states, Soldiers were exempt from state taxes while in Iraq. All these questions can be cleared up in finance office.

Answer 5

He shouldn't be paying federal taxes. States decide for themselves whether or not they pay taxes. He'll need to go to finance wherever he is.

When he gets back, he'll fill out a travel voucher to get his $3.50 per diem. That's $3.50 for every day he was actually in country (RnR days don't count).

Answer 6

yes you get the 3.50 a day but it takes some time to get and could be a few months at least, if you have any problems you can email me, im still in the service and in illinois, you pay taxes on property and such, but his pay is tax free at least,like i said, if you need anymore help military wise, you can email me direct

Answer 7

you do get separation pay when he gets home. I am not sure how long it takes to receive it. State taxes must still be paid but you can delay filing & not be penalized. Federal taxes are excluded while in a combat zone or in hospital for a combat injury ( we pray that will never happen ). It does sometimes take a while for the tax deduction to show up in pay. They should adjust for past pay when it does. Has he been there long?

Answer 8

Start here. But I suggest you ask the pay officer form his unit.

http://usmilitary.about.com/od/2007paycharts/a/2007basicpay.htm