Your Pay Is About to Change. Do You Know What It Should Be?
Most transitioning military leave $10,000–$25,000 on the table—not because they asked for too little, but because they never knew what to ask for.
Calculate Your Civilian Salary.
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Military Pay Doesn't Translate.That's the Problem.
- TRICARE
- BAH, BAS
- State taxes
- Discounts
- Subsidized childcare
You know these matter. But when a recruiter asks for your salary expectation—none of it shows up on a civilian offer letter.
So you guess. You lowball. Or you accept an offer that looks like a raise but actually costs you money.
This isn’t a confidence problem. It’s a math problem.
Stop Guessing and Start Calculating
The Military Compensation Calculator translates your full military compensation—every allowance, every benefit, every tax advantage—into one number:
Your equivalent civilian salary.
Your Military Compensation
- BAH, BAS, other allowances
- TRICARE
- BRS match – up to 5%
- 30 days leave, plus 11 holidays and Family Days
- State tax domicile of your choice
- MWR, ITT, JAG, gym
What Civilians Don't See
- Tax-free income that increases your true worth
- $0 premiums, $0 copays, $0 deductibles
- Free retirement money
- Hard to translate – no weekend leave needed
- Changes when you change status
- Benefits civilians can’t access
Know Your Number in 3 Steps
1. Input your compensation.
2. Get the translation.
3. Walk in with your number.
Try it now for free!
Try the calculator today
Try the Calculator today!
Try the calculator today!
The DoD's Calculator Gets It Wrong.
The Regular Military Compensation calculator is free. It’s also incomplete.
→ It skips FICA taxes (7.65% of your income).
→ It ignores state income tax changes when you leave Active Duty.
→ It doesn’t value healthcare, childcare, or benefits.
→ It doesn’t account for additional income.
→ It doesn’t value benefits – commissary, legal and tax advice, and MWR/ITT
→ It doesn’t cross tax brackets when grossing up
→ It won’t adjust standard deduction amounts
The result? A number that’s too low—sometimes by tens of thousands.
The MCC was built to fix that.
Veterans Who Knew Their Number
“Straightforward and actionable. Rock solid take on salary negotiation in today’s business world.”
“Breaks down the reasons we short ourselves and provides a roadmap on how to overcome those pitfalls.”
“As a military veteran, I wish I had this book when transitioning to civilian life!”
Built By Someone Who's Been There: Phil Spencer
Military veteran. BCG consultant. Career coach. Author. MBA.
I grew up in a modest home with four brothers. We didn’t talk about money, and no one taught us how to negotiate. After college, I joined the military—where your pay is locked in by rank, not performance.
Later, I became a consultant at Boston Consulting Group. I led a $770M post-acquisition savings effort, expanded a defense contractor’s industrial footprint in the Middle East, and helped scale tech and manufacturing teams across the U.S.
But through it all, I kept seeing the same thing: talented people being underpaid simply because they didn’t know how to ask for more.
That’s why I started Close This Gap.
So far, I’ve helped hundreds of professionals earn the raises they thought were out of reach—often achieving increases of 15%-30%, and in some cases, far more.
Your Future Self Is Counting On You
A $10,000 mistake today compounds into $400,000+ over your career.
✓ Hundreds of successful salary negotiations
✓ 19% average increase per client
✓ Military transition specialist
Don’t guess. Know your number.
Want more than a calculator? Book a free strategy session with Phil—negotiation prep, offer evaluation, and the confidence to ask for what you’re worth.