Air National Guard Pay & Benefits

Honor, pride, a sense of duty – these are just a few of the benefits of protecting the United States in one of the branches of the armed forces. Serving your country doesn’t have to involve a full-time commitment. Members of the Air National Guard put in one weekend a month and two weeks a year, learning technical skills that translate into their full-time jobs, all the while defending their country and state. For their time and effort, Air National Guard personnel earn a wage and benefits.

As an airman in the Air National Guard, you’ll not only serve the United States; you’ll serve your state and local community. One weekend a month, airmen report to their base for training in their specific field, called drill weekends, during which they’ll earn national guard drill pay for their time. The Air National Guard has over 200 positions, including everything from administration to aircraft maintenance to health and medical. As you fulfill the duties of the position, you gain knowledge and experience that transfer to the civilian world.

Joining the Air National Guard requires meeting physical requirements, being over the age of 18, and having a clean medical history. Each recruit must have a clean background check. The type and level of education you need depends on the role you want in the Air National Guard. For example, jobs in Air Traffic Control or Weapons and Munitions require a high school diploma. More advanced roles require advanced degrees – health and medical positions need a medical degree and many other roles ask for a bachelor’s degree or higher. Each airman must also pass the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, a series of tests that cover four main areas – Arithmetic Reasoning, Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension, and Mathematics.

Airmen train and work at bases near their current hometowns. In times of war, an Air National Guard unit may be called up for deployment. Air National Guard units also help with natural disasters and other local emergencies, involving travel and time away from home. There are some risks involved in the Air National Guard, specifically when deployed or helping with local emergencies.

The National Guard pay calculator bases salary on pay grade and years of experience. Pay grades range from the lowest rank, E-1 Airmen Basic, moving up to the highest, O-7 Brigadier General. For example, an E-3 Airman First Class with five years of experience will earn $277.60 each month for weekend drills, plus $1,041 for the two-week training period required each year of service. Their total yearly salary would be $4,372.20. Air National Guard benefits include military retirement plan, Base Exchange (BX) and Commissary shopping privileges, legal assistance, and access to military clothing stores. Airmen also get extra perks, such as eligibility for VA home loans, free-space available air travel and use of military recreation facilities. You could also earn an enlistment or re-enlistment bonus for joining, and some states offer money for school and tax breaks in addition to the federal benefits.

Jobs in the Air National Guard are forecasted to remain steady in the next 10 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The needs of the reserves in all branches vary, depending on global conflicts, with more jobs available during wartime. Positions in the reserves become more competitive during times of recession, when civilian jobs are harder to obtain.