Military Pay & “Gross Incomeâ€
3. How does a family court determine a service member’s gross income to calculate his child support award?
When a service member is getting a divorce, the first stage of the case is to determine the amount of the child support award. The court will need to have the income information from both spouses to determine the child support award. Both spouses will have to give the court their pay stubs, their W-2’s, and their income tax returns. Moreover, in a military divorce the servicemember will have to provide the court their Leave and Earnings Statement.
You can learn a lot from a Leave and Earnings Statement, including the service member’s pay grade, years of service, and gross pay. A service member’s gross monthly pay primarily consists of:
Basic Pay, which varies depending upon the service member’s pay grade and years of service.
Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH). Service members receive BAH unless they reside in military housing or the barracks. The amount varies, depending upon pay grade, dependent status, and home station zip code.
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