Military leave sell-back calculator (2026): what your leave is worth

The official math: sold leave is paid on basic pay only: monthly basic pay ÷ 30 × days sold. No BAH, BAS or other allowances (DoD FMR Vol. 7A, Ch. 35, para. 2.2.1.1; 37 U.S.C. 501). You can be paid for at most 60 days over your whole career. The calculator fills in your 2026 basic pay from DFAS's tables.

Calculator

Pay grade Years of service Monthly basic pay ($), filled from the 2026 table; edit it if yours differs Days of leave you want to sell Days you've already sold in your career

Gross amount. Leave payments are normally taxable and have income tax withheld; leave earned in a combat zone (CZTE leave) is tax-exempt for enlisted and warrant officers, and up to a monthly limit for officers (FMR para. 2.3). Finance computes the official amount.

Check the math with DoD's own example

The FMR's example: an officer with monthly basic pay of $9,034.50 sells 2.5 days, valued at $752.88. That's $9,034.50 ÷ 30 = $301.15 a day × 2.5 = $752.875, rounded to $752.88. Enter 9034.50 and 2.5 above to see the same result.

Who can sell leave

Enlisted: when you separate or retire under honorable conditions, when you reenlist, or the first time you voluntarily extend an enlistment (FMR para. 2.1.1; DoD Military Compensation).
Officers: only when separating or retiring under honorable conditions (DoD Military Compensation).
Not paid: other-than-honorable discharges forfeit all leave (37 U.S.C. 501(e)). Enlisted members discharged to accept a commission or warrant aren't paid; the leave carries over (FMR Table 35-3).
The 60-day career cap counts all leave you've been paid for since February 10, 1976 (37 U.S.C. 501(f)). Some Reserve Component contingency and 31–365-day tours are exceptions (FMR para. 2.1.1.4).
Special Leave Accrual: a one-time option lets enlisted members who'd lose leave over 90 days sell up to 30 of those days, and it counts toward the 60 (FMR para. 2.1.1.3).

Sell it, use it, or take terminal leave?

DoD lists three choices before you transition: use the leave before you leave, sell it back, or take terminal leave (you don't return to your duty station after it ends). DoD says terminal leave is just like regular leave, so your normal pay keeps coming while you're on it. Selling pays a lump sum on basic pay only. Talk to your finance office before deciding. To see how many days you'd have and when it would start, use the terminal leave calculator.

How leave builds up

You earn 2½ days per month of active service, and you generally can't carry more than 60 days into a new fiscal year unless you qualify for Special Leave Accrual (up to 90) (FMR para. 2.2.2). More on the cap and SLA in military leave accrual. See your balance in blocks 25–32 of your LES.

Getting out? Also see the leaving-the-service timeline and the separation pay calculator.

Official sources

Last checked Oct 15, 2026. Rates and rules change; the official source wins. Estimates only, not financial or tax advice. Pay questions: your unit finance office or DFAS. In crisis? Dial 988, then press 1.