Do You Get Paid
For Boot Camp
In The
Coast Guard?
Do You Get Paid
For Boot Camp
In The
Coast Guard?
USCG Basic Training Salary
USCG
Basic Training
Salary
You Won't Be Rich, But You Will Get Paid
Many of you who are thinking about signing up for the Coast Guard ask the common question "do you get paid for boot camp in the Coast Guard?".
The answer is "yes".
However, you are still encouraged to bring cash with you.
The reason for this is because your paycheck while attending Coast Guard Basic Training will be direct deposited to whatever bank account you choose, but you'll need cash for certain on-base purchases. The generally recommended amount to bring in cash is a minimum of $50. You can bring a bit more than that to be on the safe side, but I also wouldn't go overboard and bring like a thousand dollars.
In addition, make sure you have about $300 already sitting in your account prior to leaving for Cape May because they are going to make you buy some required items prior to your first direct deposit. Those will run you about $200-ish. The extra $100 is a buffer so you don't overdraft your account by accident.
How Much Will I Get Paid During USCG Basic Training?
How Much Will I Get Paid
During USCG Basic Training?
The answer to this question varies a little bit.
Generally speaking, most of you reading this will come in as Seaman Recruits, which is an E-1 pay grade. An E-1 pay grade will receive $1,833.30 per month as of the time of this writing. Since Coast Guard Boot Camp is 8 weeks long, that means you'll get 2 paychecks for the 2 months of being there.
While it may not seem like a lot of money – and it's not – keep in mind that this is just the pure cash portion of your compensation. You also won't be responsible for rent or food while at Cape May, and once you successfully graduate, you won't be an E-1 anymore so you'll get a salary bump. You'll also get a housing allowance and other benefits that come along with being a service member.
Salary Raises After Coast Guard Boot Camp
Salary Raises After
Coast Guard Boot Camp
As I said above, as soon as you graduate, you will be, at a minimum, an E-2, which means your new pay as of the time of this writing will be $2,054.70 per month.
While this is also fairly low, you'll only be stuck with this paycheck for a little bit. To be more specific, after you graduate from A-School, you'll be bumped up to an E-3 and your new monthly pay will be between $2,160.60 - $2,435.70. This is in addition to all of the other benefits you'll receive, some of which will also be monetary in nature (e.g. - housing allowance).
So depending on how backed up your A-School wait list is, you may reach the E-3 salary within only a few months after graduating Coast Guard Basic Training. Some recruits even graduate boot camp as E-3s so you may begin receiving the E-3 salary even before you ship out to A-School.
Some Recruits Get Even Higher Salaries
For recruits who are prior service and / or will be attending the Coast Guard D.E.P.O.T. program, your salary scales will be a bit different due to the nature of the program and to your previous work experience.
As the name itself suggests, the D.E.P.O.T. program is a "direct entry" into being a "petty officer", hence "Direct Entry Petty Officer Training". This means that when you complete the 3-week accelerated boot camp, you'll graduate as an E-4, or Petty Officer Third Class.
An E-4 monthly salary is between $2,393.40 - $2,905.50 as of the time of this writing.
That means that after only 3 weeks, you'll already be getting a decent paycheck when you consider your total compensation package, which includes BAH (basic housing allowance) and other benefits.
If you made it this far, I hope you got the answer to "do you get paid for boot camp in the Coast Guard?".
The answer, as outlined above, is "yes". Different recruits get different amounts, but everyone who attends and completes Coast Guard Basic Training – whether the standard 8-week program or the accelerated 3-week DEPOT program – will get paid for it.
On top of that, salary increases come fairly soon afterwards.
Please note that although I've done my best to provide the most accurate answer possible to this question, I cannot fully guarantee its accuracy because at any given moment, some aspect of Coast Guard Boot Camp or the Coast Guard in general could change. For this reason, please remember that the most up-to-date, accurate information will come from a Coast Guard recruiter and / or other official USCG personnel. Always listen to what they have to say over what you find on any website, including this one.
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