Guide
How to Read Your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES)
Your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) is crucial for verifying military pay and benefits. It includes entitlements, deductions, and allotments, and is accessible via myPay. Errors can affect VA loan applications, especially if your LES doesn't reflect current orders. Check it every pay period to ensure accuracy.
Next step:
Check Your VA Loan Eligibility
Identification Fields
- Grade: Your pay grade, like E-5 or O-3, affects base pay and allowances.
- Pay Date: Pay Entry Base Date (PEBD) marks when you started service for pay purposes.
- YRS SVC: Years of creditable service impact pay and retirement eligibility.
- ETS: Expiration Term of Service is your discharge date, crucial for planning transitions.
Entitlements, Deductions, Allotments
- Entitlements: Includes Basic Pay, BAH, and BAS; critical for calculating gross pay.
- Deductions: Federal taxes, SGLI, and FICA reduce your gross pay to net pay.
- Allotments: Voluntary payments like car loans or savings reduce your net pay.
- Net Pay: Final deposit after deductions and allotments; check for discrepancies.
Leave Information
- BF Bal: Balance brought forward from last fiscal year; affects current leave planning.
- Ernd: Earned leave is 2.5 days per month, totaling 30 days annually.
- Use/Lose: Days lost if not used by October 1st; plan leave accordingly.
- Cr Bal: Current leave balance shows available days for time off.
Common Misconceptions
- Myth: LES errors don't impact VA loan applications.
- Reality: LES errors can stall VA loan applications by affecting income verification.
- Fix: Review LES for accuracy, focusing on entitlements and deductions, before applying for a VA loan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I access my LES online?
Access your LES through the official myPay website. Ensure you have your login credentials ready. If myPay is unavailable, contact your finance office for assistance.
What should I do if my LES shows an unexpected debt?
Your LES verifies income for VA loans, impacting your debt-to-income ratio. Errors can cause delays if entitlements don't match current orders, potentially affecting loan approval. Ensure accuracy before submitting your loan application.
How does my LES affect my VA loan application?
Your LES verifies income for VA loans. Errors can cause delays if entitlements don't match current orders. Ensure accuracy before submitting your loan application.
The Bottom Line Up Front
Your Leave and Earnings Statement is the closest thing the military has to a pay stub, and it is the primary document lenders use to verify your income on a VA loan application. Every entitlement, deduction, allotment, and leave balance appears here. If something is wrong on your LES, it is wrong in your paycheck, and it will be wrong in your loan file. Check it every pay period.
DFAS publishes your LES through myPay twice each month. The statement is divided into distinct blocks covering identification, entitlements, deductions, allotments, leave, remarks, and TSP contributions. Each block feeds the next, so an error in the identification section can cascade through pay calculations, and a missed allotment change can quietly drain your net deposit for months.
When you apply for a VA home loan, the lender pulls your most recent LES to confirm qualifying income. Base pay, BAH, BAS, and documented special pays all count. If your LES does not reflect your current orders or duty status, the lender cannot credit that income, and your file stalls.
Check Your VA Loan Eligibility
What the Entitlements Section Shows
The entitlements column is the gross-pay side of your LES. If money is supposed to be flowing to you, it appears here. The first time a new entitlement shows up incorrectly or fails to appear, this is where you catch it.
Base pay is calculated from the military pay tables using your grade and years of service, and some grades received targeted special pay increases for 2026. Basic Allowance for Housing compensates for local housing costs and varies by duty station, rank, and dependency status. Your BAH rate is non-taxable and often represents the largest single line in the entitlements column. Basic Allowance for Subsistence covers a portion of food costs and is also tax-free.
- Base pay: driven by pay grade and years of service; changes with promotions and longevity milestones
- BAH: tied to duty station ZIP, rank, and dependency status; updates with PCS moves and annual rate adjustments
- BAS: flat monthly rate ($460.25 enlisted / $316.98 officers in 2026); separate from dining facility meal deductions
- Special and incentive pays: flight pay, hazardous duty pay, sea pay, hostile fire pay, family separation allowance, and others tied to orders and qualifications
- COLA: cost-of-living allowance for high-cost or overseas duty stations
When you PCS or receive new orders, the entitlements section should update within one to two pay periods. If it does not, contact your finance office with a copy of your orders and the LES showing the discrepancy. Lenders reviewing your file for a VA pre-approval will compare the entitlements on your LES to your orders and duty station assignment.
If you are applying for a VA loan during or right after a PCS, make sure your LES reflects BAH at your new duty station rate before locking in a pre-approval amount. Lenders can only count BAH that is currently showing on your statement.
Deductions, Allotments, and Net Pay
The deductions and allotments columns explain why your deposit is smaller than your entitlements total. Every mandatory withholding, elected insurance premium, and voluntary transfer comes out of your gross pay before anything hits your bank account.
Mandatory deductions include federal income tax, Social Security (6.2% up to the wage base), and Medicare (1.45%). State tax withholding depends on your state of legal residence election. SGLI premiums ($0.06 per $1,000 of coverage per month), dental plan elections, and any court-ordered garnishments also appear here.
| Deduction Type | Source | What to Verify |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | W-4 elections | Filing status and allowances match your current household |
| State tax | State of legal residence (SLR) election | SLR matches your intent; some states have no income tax |
| SGLI / FSGLI | Elected coverage amount | Coverage level is correct; premium reflects current election |
| TSP | MyPay election / BRS automatic | Percentage matches your plan; Roth vs traditional split is correct |
| Allotments | Voluntary savings, rent, debt payments | Each allotment still serves a purpose; cancel anything outdated |
The net-pay field at the bottom of your LES is what actually deposits into your checking account. Your biweekly budget should be built around this number, not your gross pay. If net pay drops unexpectedly between statements, compare the two side by side and isolate which deduction changed.
Allotments to savings accounts, investments, or family members reduce your net deposit but do not reduce your qualifying income on a VA loan. The lender uses gross entitlements (minus taxes and mandatory deductions), not net pay, when calculating DTI. However, court-ordered garnishments do count against you.
Leave Balances and Remarks
Active-duty members earn 2.5 days of leave per month, totaling 30 days per year. The leave section of your LES tracks your beginning balance, days earned, days used, and current balance. It also flags use-or-lose projections for the end of the fiscal year.
Most members can carry over 60 days of leave into the next fiscal year (special combat-zone carryover rules allow up to 120 days in some cases). If your balance is projected to exceed 60 days by September 30, the use-or-lose field shows how many days you will forfeit unless you schedule leave. Days lost to use-or-lose are gone permanently.
- Leave earned: should show 2.5 days every month for a full month of active-duty service
- Leave used: chargeable leave processed through your unit; match this to your own records
- Current balance: beginning balance plus earned minus used; reconcile monthly
- Use-or-lose: projected days over the 60-day carryover limit at fiscal year end
- Leave sold: terminal leave sellback appears here during separation or retirement
The remarks section is where finance offices communicate one-off actions, corrections, and pending changes. Read it every single pay period. A remark about an upcoming debt collection, an overpayment recovery, or a mid-cycle pay adjustment gives you time to act before the next LES reflects the financial impact.
TSP Contributions on Your LES
The Thrift Savings Plan fields on your LES show how much you are contributing to retirement and whether those contributions are hitting your account correctly. Under the Blended Retirement System, the DoD automatically contributes 1% of your base pay and matches up to 4% of additional contributions for a maximum 5% match.
Your LES displays the elected contribution percentage, the dollar amount deducted this period, and the year-to-date total. The 2026 annual contribution limit is $23,500 for members under 50 (additional catch-up provisions apply for those 50 and older). If you contribute from bonuses or special pays, tracking year-to-date totals prevents accidentally exceeding the cap, which triggers corrective refunds.
| TSP Field | What It Shows | Your Action |
|---|---|---|
| Base pay rate % | Your elected TSP contribution percentage | Confirm it matches your savings plan after every promotion or pay change |
| Current deduction | Dollar amount taken this pay period | Multiply by 24 (or remaining periods) to estimate year-end total |
| Year-to-date | Total contributions so far this calendar year | Compare against the $23,500 limit; adjust if ahead or behind |
| Roth vs Traditional | Tax treatment of contributions | Verify the split matches your tax strategy; changes take effect next pay period |
Cross-check your LES TSP data against your account at TSP.gov at least quarterly. The LES shows contributions leaving your paycheck, but only the TSP website shows your fund allocations, balances, and whether matching contributions are posting. If your LES shows deductions but your TSP account does not reflect them, escalate immediately.
How to Access Your LES
myPay is the primary portal for current and historical LES statements. Log in with your credentials at mypay.dfas.mil, navigate to your pay statements, and download or print as needed. Active-duty, Reserve, Guard, and retired members all have access through the same system.
If myPay is unavailable due to maintenance or you cannot access credentials, your unit finance office can pull LES copies directly from pay systems. DFAS also supports historical LES requests through the askDFAS tool for members who need older records for benefit claims, audits, or VA loan documentation.
- myPay: primary access for current and prior statements; download PDFs before separating
- Unit finance office: can print copies from internal pay systems when portal access is limited
- askDFAS: formal request tool for historical statements beyond portal availability
- Separation packets: final LES and pay reconciliation documents are included at ETS or retirement
If you are going through a VA loan pre-approval, your lender will typically ask for your most recent 30 days of LES statements. Having them downloaded and ready saves time and avoids delays while waiting for portal access or finance office turnaround.
Download and save every LES as a PDF before you separate or retire. Once you leave active duty, myPay access can become limited. Lenders, the VA, and benefits offices may need LES records years later for income verification, disability claims, or entitlement restoration.
How Your LES Connects to VA Loan Qualification
For active-duty borrowers, the LES is the income document. Lenders do not ask for W-2s or tax returns from service members still serving. Your qualifying income is calculated directly from the entitlements on your LES, plus any documented income from off-duty employment or a working spouse.
BAH is grossed up by 25% because it is non-taxable, which gives you more buying power than the raw dollar amount suggests. BAS and other non-taxable allowances receive the same treatment. The lender adds up all qualifying entitlements, applies the gross-up, and measures it against your monthly debts to determine your debt-to-income ratio.
- Base pay: fully counted at face value
- BAH: grossed up 25% for DTI calculation because it is non-taxable
- BAS: grossed up 25%
- Special pays: counted if documented on LES and supported by orders showing continuity
- Variable or bonus pays: may require averaging over 12-24 months for consistency
If your ETS date is less than 12 months away, the lender may ask for documentation of re-enlistment intent or civilian job offers to confirm income continuity. Your service time also matters for VA eligibility itself.
The Bottom Line
Your LES is the financial command center of your military career. Every entitlement, every deduction, every leave day, and every retirement contribution flows through this one document. Read it every pay period, compare it to the previous statement, and investigate anything that does not match your orders, elections, or expectations. When it is time to apply for a VA loan, an accurate and current LES is the fastest path to getting your income verified and your file moving.
Check Your VA Loan Eligibility
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I review my LES?
Every pay period. DFAS issues an LES at mid-month and end-of-month for most active-duty members. Reviewing each one as it posts lets you catch errors, confirm changes from new orders, and keep your budget accurate.
What should I do if I find an error?
Document the discrepancy with a screenshot or printout, then contact your unit finance office immediately. Provide supporting documents such as orders, prior LES statements, or insurance election records. Follow up until you have written confirmation the correction was processed.
Why did my BAH change even though my rank stayed the same?
BAH can change when you PCS to a new duty station, your dependency status changes, or annual BAH rate tables are updated. Compare the effective date on your LES to your orders or life-event documentation and contact finance if the amount does not match your expected rate.
Does my LES show personal debts like credit cards or auto loans?
No. The LES only reflects items processed through military payroll, including authorized entitlements, mandatory deductions, and voluntary allotments. Personal debts do not appear unless you have set up a voluntary allotment to pay them through payroll.
Can I access old LES statements after separating?
In many cases, yes. myPay access may continue for a period after separation, and DFAS supports historical LES requests through the askDFAS tool. Download and save every LES as a PDF before you separate to guarantee you have copies for future benefit claims or loan applications.
How does my LES change during a deployment?
Deployments can add entitlements such as hostile fire or imminent danger pay, hardship duty pay, and combat-zone tax exclusions. BAH and BAS may also adjust depending on housing arrangements and meal provisions. Monitor each LES closely to confirm deployment-related pays start and stop on the correct dates.
What if my LES shows a negative leave balance?
A negative balance means you have used more leave than you have earned, creating advance leave. Work with your chain of command to verify the balance is accurate and plan future leave carefully until it returns to positive. At separation, any negative balance is deducted from your final pay.
Does the LES show my TSP investment fund allocations?
No. The LES shows your contribution percentage and year-to-date deduction totals. To see fund allocations, balances, and performance, log into your account at TSP.gov. Use both tools together for a complete picture of your retirement savings.
