Air Force Final Pay Calculator
Estimate your US Air Force final pay: basic pay owed, unused leave sell-back at the 60-day statutory cap, other final amounts and deductions.
Final Pay Inputs
Take monthly basic pay from your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES) or the current Air Force basic pay chart for your paygrade and years of service. Allowances such as BAH and BAS are not basic pay and are not part of the leave payment.
Pay Breakdown
| Line | How it is worked out | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Basic pay owed | Daily rate × days owed | - |
| Unused leave sell-back | Daily rate × payable leave days | - |
| Other amounts owed | Entered total | - |
| Recoupments | Entered total, subtracted | - |
| Estimated final pay | Sum of the lines above | - |
Scenario Analysis: What Your Leave Is Worth
| Leave sold | Days actually paid | Estimated value |
|---|---|---|
| 15 days | - | - |
| 30 days | - | - |
| 60 days (lifetime limit) | - | - |
| Your accrued balance | - | - |
Leave is paid at the daily basic pay rate, so taking the days before your last duty day is worth the same gross amount as selling them, and time off also avoids the tax that comes off a lump-sum payment.
From Separation Date to Final Pay
Separation date setYour separation orders fix the last duty day and the date pay entitlement ends.
Daily rate and leave balance confirmedFinance divides your monthly basic pay by 30 and reads your leave balance.
Leave sell-back appliedUp to 60 days of unused leave are paid at that daily rate.
Final pay releasedFinal pay is released with your last regular pay or shortly afterwards.
Final LES checkedCompare the final LES with this estimate and raise any difference with finance.
What Is Air Force Final Pay?
Final pay is the money the Air Force still owes you when your active-duty service ends: basic pay earned since your last paycheck, the cash value of unused accrued leave, and any other amount finance confirms. Under 37 U.S.C. § 501(b)(1), accrued leave is paid in cash on the basis of the basic pay you were entitled to on your date of discharge. An E-5 over 10 years on $3,849 a month with 45 days of leave and 12 days of pay owed is looking at roughly $7,313 before withholding. Retired pay, disability compensation and separation pay are different entitlements and arrive on their own schedule.
How Unused Leave Is Paid Out
Leave is paid at your daily basic pay rate, which is monthly basic pay divided by 30, so $3,849 a month becomes $128.30 a day and 45 days becomes $5,773.50. The statute allows payment for no more than 60 days of leave in a career, less any days already paid under the same section. A one-off election in 37 U.S.C. § 501(b)(6) lets a member who would otherwise lose accumulated leave above 90 days take cash for up to 30 days of it. Days above those limits are simply not paid, which is why an 80-day balance returns $9,712 at an E-6 rate of $4,856 a month rather than $12,949.
What Stops When You Separate
Basic pay stops on your separation date, and with it go the allowances that ride on it: BAH, BAS and most special or incentive pays end when entitlement ends. Those allowances are not part of the leave payment, because 37 U.S.C. § 501(b)(1) pays leave on the basis of basic pay only. Entitlements such as TRICARE, the Transition Assistance Program and veterans' education benefits follow their own rules and timelines, so check them with your transition office rather than inside this estimate. Retirees keep a monthly retired pay instead, calculated on years of service and high-36 average basic pay, which this tool does not work out.
What Reduces the Amount You Receive
Federal income tax is withheld from the leave payment, so a $5,773.50 gross figure arrives smaller than the headline number. SGLI premiums, association dues, overpayments and missing or damaged government equipment can all be recouped from final pay, which is what the recoupment field is for. A discharge under other than honourable conditions is the sharpest cut: 37 U.S.C. § 501(e)(1) forfeits all accrued leave to your credit on that date. If your LES shows a debt, ask finance for the written basis before the amount is taken.
Selling Leave or Taking It
Leave and cash are worth the same gross amount per day, because both are paid at the daily basic pay rate. Taking the days before your last duty day keeps them out of taxable income, while selling them converts the balance into a lump sum in one pay period, which can push more of your yearly income into a higher tax bracket. Selling also closes the balance early, so a member with 45 days left who sells 30 keeps 15 days for terminal leave. The scenario table above shows the value of 15, 30 and 60 days at your own rate, and the 60-day lifetime limit in 37 U.S.C. § 501(f) applies to every sale.
Method And Limits: What The Estimate Assumes
Method: your daily basic pay rate is monthly basic pay ÷ 30, multiplied by the days you enter, with leave pay capped by the 60-day lifetime limit in 37 U.S.C. § 501(f); the statute and pay-chart references were last checked on 18 October 2026. Leave is valued on the basic pay entitled on the discharge date, and a discharge under other than honourable conditions is treated as a full forfeiture under § 501(e)(1). The tool deliberately does not model federal or state withholding rates, FICA, BAH or BAS, special and incentive pays, reenlistment bonuses, the contingency exceptions in § 501(b)(5), the 30-day election in § 501(b)(6), recoupment disputes, separation pay, disability or retired pay. It cannot read your orders or your LES, so treat it as a planning figure and check the final statement from finance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in Air Force final pay?
Basic pay owed from your last pay date, the lump-sum value of unused accrued leave, and any other amount finance confirms. BAH, BAS and most special pays stop when entitlement ends and are not part of the leave payment.
How is unused leave paid out?
Days of accrued leave multiplied by your daily basic pay rate, which is monthly basic pay divided by 30. On $3,849 a month the daily rate is $128.30, so 45 days is $5,773.50.
Is there a limit on how much leave I can sell?
Yes. Payment may not exceed 60 days of leave across a career, less any days already paid. A member who would lose accumulated leave above 90 days may once elect payment for up to 30 days of it.
What happens to leave on an other than honourable discharge?
All accrued leave to your credit is forfeited under 37 U.S.C. § 501(e)(1), so the leave line of this estimate drops to zero. Select that option to see the effect.
Is retiring different from separating?
Yes. Retired pay is a separate monthly entitlement based on years of service and high-36 average basic pay. This tool estimates final pay only, so add retired pay from your finance office separately.
Is the leave payment taxable?
It is paid as basic pay and federal income tax is withheld through payroll, so the gross figure here is larger than what reaches your bank. Your final LES shows the withholding actually applied.
Is this an official DFAS figure?
No. It is an estimate built from the statute and the monthly basic pay you enter. Your LES, separation orders and finance office determine what is paid.
Sources
- 37 U.S.C. § 501 — Payments for unused accrued leave (Cornell LII)
- DFAS — Final pay for separating and retiring service members
- FederalPay — Air Force basic pay charts by paygrade and years of service
Last updated: 2026-10-18. This page gives a gross estimate in USD only and is not tax, legal or financial advice.
About this tool
Created and maintained by CoryVu. Read how we check our tools and consult the sources and assumptions on this page.
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