Coaching Marines on Pay

Why Leaders Coach on Pay

Per MCO 5000.14DMCO 5000.14D Enclosure 3, commanders own the accuracy of their Marines' records. As an NCO or SNCO, you are the commander's direct extension. Your section's pay accuracy is your responsibility.

A pay error caught early is a 5-minute fix. A pay error caught a year later is a multi-month nightmare with retroactive calculations, possible debt, and frustrated Marines.

What You Verify

For each Marine in your section, verify these pay categories monthly.

Base Pay

• Correct grade and years of service
• Reflects any recent promotion
• No unexpected reductions

BAH

• Correct rate for current zip code
• Correct dependent status (with vs without)
• Active when off-base, stopped when in barracks

BAS

• Active for off-meal-card members
• Inactive for meal-card members
• Officer or enlisted rate matches grade

Special Pays

• All qualifications producing pay (jump, dive, flight, SDA, FLPP)
• Stops for members no longer qualifying
• Starts for newly qualified members

Deployment Pays (when applicable)

• HFP/IDP for combat zone
• FSA for family separation over 30 days
• CZTE flag active for combat zone tax exclusion
• All deployment pays stop on return

Other Items

• TSP contributions match member's election
• Allotments active per member's setup
• No unexpected forfeitures or deductions

Performance Steps

Step 1 - Brief Marines Monthly

During section formations or counseling, remind Marines to review their LES.

• LES posts to MyPay around the 1st of each month
• Member should pull and review within 5 days
• Member should know their expected pay categories

Step 2 - Spot-Check During Counseling

When counseling Marines.

• Ask member to show their LES
• Walk through expected vs actual pay
• Identify any discrepancies
• Document during counseling

Step 3 - Verify Special Pay Qualifications

For Marines with special qualifications.

• Jump-qualified Marines: Jump pay active and currency maintained
• Dive-qualified Marines: Dive pay active and currency maintained
• SDA Marines: SDAP at correct level for billet
• Flight crew: ACIP at correct rate

Step 4 - Route Discrepancies

When you find an error.

• Document specifically: what's wrong, what should be right, why
• Send Marine to S-1 with specifics
• Follow up to verify routing
• Track to closure

Step 5 - Track Corrections

For each open discrepancy.

• Establish expected resolution timeline
• Follow up at 5, 10, and 30 days
• Escalate if not resolved
• Verify on next month's LES

Common Section-Level Pay Issues

New Joins

New Marines arriving from MOS school often have pay issues.

• BAH not yet started
• BAS status unclear
• Special pays not yet activated

Brief new Marines on what to verify and route promptly.

Post-PCS Members

Marines who recently PCSd.

• BAH at old vs new zip code
• Travel voucher not processed
• Specific allowances during transition

Returning from Deployment

Marines back from mobilization.

• Deployment pays stopping correctly
• BAH transition back to home zip
• TAMP coverage active for healthcare
• Active duty pay ending appropriately

Promotions

Marines recently promoted.

• New pay rate effective promotion date
• BAH at new rank rate if applicable
• Specific special pays at new rank

Special Pay Qualification Changes

Marines gaining or losing qualifications.

• Jump school graduate getting jump pay started
• Dive Marine losing currency without pay stopping
• New SDA assignment with SDAP not started

Coaching Junior Marines

Junior enlisted often need direct coaching on LES.

LES Reading Skills

Many junior Marines never learned to read LES.

• Walk them through line by line
• Explain entitlements vs deductions vs leave block
• Show them MyPay and how to access

Self-Audit Skills

Teach Marines to self-audit.

• Compare expected vs actual each month
• Identify common errors
• Know who to contact (you, then S-1)

Documentation

Coach Marines to keep records.

• Save monthly LES (digital copy)
• Save NAVMC 10922NAVMC 10922 submissions
• Save school certificates
• Save anything affecting pay

Section-Level Pay Tracking

Maintain a simple tracker for your section.

Review weekly. Drive issues to closure.

When to Escalate

Some issues exceed your authority.

• Multi-month overpayment requiring waiver
• Member's request for hardship reduction in repayment
• Specific complex pay actions
• Issues S-1 or PAC cannot resolve

Escalate through your chain.

Related Roles

Pay coaching at section level connects to other roles.

• Marines review their own LES monthly per MCO 5000.14DMCO 5000.14D Encl 2.
• Admin at S-1 and PAC processes the pay actions you initiate.
• Commanders review unit-level payroll monthly per MCO 5000.14DMCO 5000.14D Encl 3.

You are the bridge between Marine self-review and command-level payroll oversight.