Aviation Career Incentive Pay (ACIP): 2026 Rates for Officers

The former Aviation Career Incentive Pay (ACIP) program is not the controlling 2026 pay schedule. DoD shifted to Aviation Incentive Pay (AvIP) under 37 U.S.C. § 334 after October 1, 2017. The retired ACIP schedule under § 301a remains online, which explains why some flight-pay charts show outdated tier amounts. Always identify the program and the effective date before using a table. [6] [7]

Use the Military Pay Center for the broader pay picture. If you are reviewing an old LES or retroactive claim, ask finance which pay authority and effective date applied to the months in question.

Officer AvIP rates depend on service branch and years of aviation service (YAS), not simply rank or total years in uniform. The tables below reproduce DFAS-listed schedules still posted as of November 5, 2026. The underlying effective dates differ, so 2026 here means currently posted reference schedules, not a new across-the-board pay raise. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

How to read: each threshold carries forward until the next higher threshold. For example, an Army aviator at 11 YAS is in the $1,000 tier, while an Air Force aviator at 11 YAS is in the $700 tier. The published tables do not mean every rated member is automatically eligible.

Navy Baseline and Milestone Rates

The Navy baseline schedule peaks at $840 after 14 YAS. A separate Navy administrative milestone schedule can reach $1,000 after 10 YAS for officers meeting qualifying department-head or command milestone rules; it is not the default rate for every naval aviator. [3] [4]

Marine Corps Officer AvIP Rates

YAS generally begins with qualifying aviation training or service, not the date you first entered the military. Service records establish the official aviation service date. Modern AvIP also uses documented operational or proficiency flying months for continuation in some non-flying assignments. Do not use the old ACIP 8-of-12 rule as the sole current test. [6]

These are eligibility pathways, not guaranteed payments. The non-flying assignment must fit authorized categories, and the service must consider the payment in its interest. Aviation warrant officers have a distinct potential continuation beyond 25 YAS in qualifying positions. [6]

AvIP can be paid to eligible officers who are entitled to military pay, hold or are training for an aeronautical rating or designation, and meet service flying-duty criteria. It is not limited to fighter pilots, and a rating alone does not produce automatic payment. DoD FMR Chapter 22 describes operational flying duty (OFD) and proficiency flying duty (PFD). [6] [7]

Members searching for enlisted flight compensation should start with Career Enlisted Flyer Incentive Pay (CEFIP) and the current CSIP rules rather than this officer rate chart.

Yes, an eligible aviator can sometimes continue receiving AvIP while not performing OFD or PFD. DoD allows specified joint-duty, professional education, aviation-designated, and qualifying career-enhancing assignments, subject to the applicable flying-month gates and service authorization. An ordinary desk assignment is not a universal entitlement or an automatic cancellation. [6]

For a relocation, evaluate the assignment against the PCS planning guide and confirm the next duty station’s aviation status before assuming current incentive pay will follow you. A lender reviewing a home purchase will separately need evidence that the income is likely to continue.

AvIP compensates eligible career aviation officers, HDIP compensates qualifying hazardous flying duty, and CSIP applies to certain designated enlisted aviation skills. The programs have different authorities, beneficiaries, and restrictions. Under DoD FMR Chapter 22, AvIP and flight-related HDIP cannot be paid for the same skill and period. [6] [10]

See the Hazardous Duty Incentive Pay guide for duty conditions and aviator retention bonus guide for contract-based aviation incentives. A bonus can coexist with AvIP when independently authorized, but a one-time bonus should not be converted into a permanent monthly payment in planning.

Yes, aviation incentives are generally included in taxable military income. IRS Publication 3 expressly identifies aviation career incentives among taxable special pays. Qualifying combat-zone service may exclude some military income from federal income tax, subject to officer caps and the rules for the period in question. [8]

When reading a Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), distinguish the gross entitlement, taxes withheld, and net deposit. BAH and BAS are treated differently from taxable flight incentives. For military earnings, consult IRS Publication 3 rather than assuming all allowances have the same treatment.

Start with your latest LES, signed flight orders and official aviation service date. A pay amount that differs from a DFAS table may be correct because of a billet-specific tier, eligibility start date, missed qualification, partial month or later correction. Do not assume a pay discrepancy is a DFAS calculation error before checking the underlying personnel authorization. [6]

Pay Discrepancy Example

Yes, a VA lender may include AvIP in qualifying income when it is verified, stable and reasonably expected to continue. VA Pamphlet 26-7, Chapter 4 specifically discusses flight or hazard pay under other military allowances. The lender must evaluate duration and the nature of the assigned duties. An LES alone is not a guarantee that all incentive pay will be counted. [9]

Worked Mortgage Qualification Comparison

This example isolates DTI only. VA lenders also review residual income, credit, occupancy, entitlement, and property eligibility. It does not imply approval at any of these ratios. If a future non-flying billet ends the incentive, qualifying income may be recalculated using the lower amount.

Review the full VA loan qualification requirements and use VA affordability guidance to test housing payments with and without flight pay. If you already have a lender quote, the VA loan fee auditor can help examine its costs. Verify your Certificate of Eligibility separately from employment income.

The correct AvIP amount depends on the officer’s branch, aviation-service date, approved billet and qualification records. These examples use currently posted DFAS tables and show the questions to verify before relying on the result.

For borrowers whose aviation role could change soon, compare the current-income and post-transfer scenarios before selecting a mortgage. Your VA loan compensating factors may help support a complicated application, but cannot manufacture an income source that is not expected to continue.

Confirm the entitlement in writing before budgeting AvIP as permanent income. The same documents that resolve a pay discrepancy also help a lender determine whether flight pay is stable enough to qualify.

Before requesting mortgage offers, review VA funding fee exemptions and costs and current VA mortgage rate context. If you decide to submit an inquiry, the site’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use explain the handling of information and conditions for using its services. Neither page substitutes for the lender’s required disclosures.

These answers use the published branch tables and current DoD guidance. Always confirm eligibility and local service authorization for individual pay records.