The charts show the average annual salaries of active duty members of the United States Military for calendar year 2009. The charts include base pay, average housing allowance, monetary food allowance, and the tax advantage of untaxed allowances.

Military personnel can retire after 20 years of active duty service. A military member who retires at 20 years of service receives 50 percent of his/her monthly base pay. For each year served over 20 years, the military member receives an additional 2.5 percent, up to a maximum of 100 percent of their base pay, at 40 years of service. Military members who entered the service after September 8, 1980 fall under a slightly different system that pays a little less.

Here are the pay charts which show monthly retirement pay for military members who retire during 2009.

Military members who are involuntarily separated from the military may be entitled to involuntary separation pay (severance pay). To be eligible, a military member must have six or more years of active duty, and less than 20 years.

Here are the charts for those who are involuntarily separated during 2009.

CONUS (Continental United States) COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) is paid to military members who are stationed in areas of the United States which are considered to have a significantly higher cost of living than the national average.

Here are the rates for 2009.