Remember to check statement

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Orville Bahia
  • 60th Civil Engineer Squadron
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  You look up and it's the 15th of the month. It's payday. You go to the ATM to withdraw money and your balance is negative $400.

Your overdraft protection had to kick in to pay your bills on automatic pay. You frantically run to your job to check your leave and earnings statement only to realize you have been over paid for the past four months since your arrival at Travis. This is a story that happens often. We, as Airmen, have many responsibilities on our plates, but one overlooked portion is reviewing your LES.

Airmen are held to high standards in all aspects of our lives, yet maintaining good financial health is often an overlooked variable. Your financial health includes making sure the appropriate amount of money is being transferred to your account every month. If left unchecked, personal finances can be a stressor that affects our personal lives, relationships, and work. Remaining vigilant and checking your LES every month should be a part of your monthly routine.

The LES is a monthly statement outlining base pay, allowances and leave. It is the military version of a pay stub that shows critical details about the specific amounts you are being paid or charged. It is critical to check your LES every month for changes and errors. Learning how to read and understand it will help ensure you are fully aware of your monthly income. There are several organizations on base, like the Airman and Family Readiness Center, that are willing to educate you on reading and understanding this important document.

There are several things individual should keep track of on a monthly statement, such as base pay, basic allowance for subsistence, basic allowance for housing and any special pay they may receive. Several factors which could affect your pay include: deployments, change of marital status, new dependent or addition to the family, getting stationed overseas and moving off base from a dormitory. These types of changes should be reported immediately to the Military Personnel Flight or Military Pay Office because you could end up getting underpaid or overpaid. Either of these situations could put you into financial hardship, especially if left unchecked.

Whenever errors are found on your LES, you need to make sure it is reported immediately to finance to avoid long-term pay problems that could affect your financial stability. It is important that you stay on top of any paperwork used in reporting an error to avoid delays in solving the problem. Errors to your pay, if not corrected, will cause more problems especially if there are insufficient funds in your accounts to meet your financial obligations.

You can better manage your finances when you routinely review your LES. You should check it on a monthly basis at a minimum. Staying on top of your pay is important to maintaining good financial health. Reviewing your LES is easy and fast and should be part of your routine when paying bills. Maintaining good financial health is critical to remaining a mission-ready Airmen.