What You Get Paid During SkillBridge: Pay, BAH, BAS, Benefits Explained (2026)

The single most common SkillBridge question: do I keep getting paid?

Short answer: yes, your full military pay and most benefits continue because you remain on active duty for the entire program. Long answer: BAH does NOT change to your internship city, most special pays stop, bonuses are an unwritten gray area, and the SkillBridge company is legally forbidden from paying you anything.

This guide is the authoritative breakdown — sourced to DoDI 1322.29, NAVADMIN 160/22, and FY2026 DFAS rate tables.

The core rule

DoDI 1322.29 — the SkillBridge governing instruction — sets two foundational rules:

1. The service member remains on active duty for the duration of the SkillBridge authorization (up to the final 180 days of service)
2. The industry partner shall not provide wages, training stipends, or any other form of financial compensation for the time the service member spends participating in JTEST-AI

That second clause is the legal basis for everything else: because the company can't pay you, the military pays you exactly as it did before. (DoDI 1322.29)

1. Base pay — full rate continues

Confirmed in DoDI 1322.29, skillbridge.mil FAQ, and Military OneSource:

"Through this program, the DoD will continue to provide these service members with their salary, allowances, and benefits while they are in training with DoD SkillBridge Industry Partners."

For FY2026, basic pay reflects the 3.8% across-the-board pay raise effective 1 January 2026 (FY2026 NDAA).

2. BAH — stays at your PDS rate, NOT your internship city

This is the most-misunderstood rule. Authoritative branch guidance:

Marine Corps (MCB Camp Pendleton SmartPack, IPAC Miramar, Camp Lejeune "How to SkillBridge"):

"Marines already authorized and entitled to BAH at the without-dependent rate, or BAH at the with-dependent rate, will continue to receive BAH based on the current Permanent Duty Station (PDS) zip code... You do not rate BAH for your SkillBridge location."

Air Force (Luke AFB Separation/Retirement Finance Packet):

"If you move out of the local area during your SkillBridge, permissive, or terminal leave, you will still receive BAH for the [PDS] rate during this time through your DOS."

Navy (NAVADMIN 160/22 + PPIB 23-14): same rule — BAH continues at the PDS rate.

What this means in practice

If your PDS is San Diego and your SkillBridge is in Austin, your BAH stays at the San Diego rate through the date of separation. You don't get a BAH change for the internship city.

Frequently this means a SkillBridge participant either wins financially (high-BAH PDS, lower-cost internship city) or loses (low-BAH PDS, expensive internship city). Plan accordingly.

OHA edge case (Navy)

Sailors at an overseas PDS receiving Overseas Housing Allowance who participate in SkillBridge in the U.S. lose OHA if they no longer have a valid overseas housing lease (NAVADMIN 160/22). Real trap for OCONUS-stationed members.

3. BAS — continues, full rate

Confirmed across all service guidance and skillbridge.mil. FY2026 rates (DFAS):

• Enlisted: $476.95/month
• Officer: $328.48/month
• 2.4% increase over FY2025, effective 1 Jan 2026

You receive BAS the entire SkillBridge window.

4. Special and incentive pays — most stop (the gray area, now clarified)

The general rule: if the special pay requires you to be in a specific operational status (flying, jumping, diving, on submarine, in combat zone, on a ship), it stops because you're not performing that duty during SkillBridge.

The Navy put it in writing more clearly than the other services. From NAVADMIN 160/22:

"Sailors receiving special and incentive (S&I) pays who participate in SkillBridge will be treated as if they are on separation leave or long term TDY with respect to continued eligibility for S&I pays. If the policy for a particular S&I pay requires payments to stop when the member is on long term TDY or separation leave, commands must take action to stop the applicable S&I pay."

Pay-by-pay breakdown

Pay	During SkillBridge?	Why
HDIP — Flight pay	Stops	Not performing aircrew duty / not meeting flight minimums (DoDI 1340.09)
HDIP — Parachute / jump pay	Stops	No qualifying jumps; HRC: "fails to meet the minimum jump requirement, parachute duty pay will be discontinued"
HDIP — Demo pay	Stops	Not handling demo
HDIP — Dive pay	Stops	Not performing dive duty
Submarine Duty Incentive Pay (SUBPAY)	Stops	Not assigned to / performing sub duty
Career Sea Pay / SDAP	Stops when away from ship/billet	Skill or billet-based
Imminent Danger Pay (IDP) / Hostile Fire Pay	Stops	Not in designated zone (37 USC §310)
Hardship Duty Pay	Stops	Not at designated location/duty
Family Separation Allowance (FSA)	Generally stops	SkillBridge is permissive TDY, not the qualifying TDY/deployment that triggers FSA. Edge cases exist; confirm with finance

Command discretion

NAVADMIN 160/22 also empowers COs to "disapprove SkillBridge requests if they feel that allowing a Sailor to receive S&I pay during SkillBridge participation would inappropriately impact readiness." So a member drawing high S&I pay may simply be denied SkillBridge rather than navigate the pay-stop question.

5. Bonuses — SRB, EB, AIP (the unwritten gray area)

No DoD instruction directly addresses bonus continuation during SkillBridge. This is the one area where the rule is unwritten in the SkillBridge governing docs and falls back on the underlying bonus regulations (DoDI 1304.31; DoD FMR Vol. 7A Ch. 9).

Practical rules finance offices apply

• Already-paid SRB/EB installments continue. A member on a multi-year SRB receives scheduled anniversary installments because the obligated service is being satisfied (member is still on active duty)
• Bonus-tied skill pay (e.g., AIP for a specific billet/location) follows the S&I pay rule: if not performing the billet, pay stops
• New SRB / reenlistment bonus during SkillBridge: rarely applies because members are within 180 days of separation

Strong recommendation

Verify with your servicing PSD/finance office BEFORE relying on a specific installment hitting on a specific date. The default is "active duty = installments continue," but DoDI 1322.29 is silent. Get it in writing.

6. TRICARE — continues, full active-duty coverage

Member is on active duty, so TRICARE Prime / Select coverage continues unchanged for the member and dependents. Confirmed on skillbridge.mil and Military OneSource. No action required.

7. TSP and BRS matching — continues

BRS-era members continue to receive:

• The 1% automatic DoD contribution (begins after 60 days, runs through 26 years of service)
• Up to 4% matching on member contributions (after 2 years of service)

Because the member stays on active duty drawing basic pay, contributions are calculated against that basic pay normally. No SkillBridge-specific carve-out in TSP bulletins or DoDI 1322.29. (TSP Bulletin 17-U-3)

8. Leave accrual — continues at 2.5 days/month

Confirmed across skillbridge.mil and every branch SkillBridge guide. Standard 2.5 days/month accrual applies.

Important note (NAVADMIN 160/22 + branch SmartPacks): terminal leave and permissive TDY occur AFTER SkillBridge ends — you cannot SkillBridge while on terminal leave, because SkillBridge requires active-duty status (terminal leave is technically still active, but the sequencing matters for orders).

9. Promotion / TIG / TIS — all continue

Not addressed in DoDI 1322.29 directly, but follows from active-duty status:

• TIG and TIS clocks run normally
• Promotion eligibility unaffected by SkillBridge orders
• Navy specifically requires: member is "recommended for advancement or promotion and retention on most recent evaluation or fitness report" as a SkillBridge prerequisite — i.e., must already be promotion-eligible to be approved
• If a board result drops mid-SkillBridge, the frock/pin date is honored; coordinate paperwork with your losing command, not the SkillBridge employer

10. Civilian compensation from the SkillBridge employer — forbidden

The hardest rule, written directly into DoDI 1322.29:

"Providers shall not provide wages, training stipends, or any other form of financial compensation for the time that the Service members spend participating in JTEST-AI."

Reinforced by every Career Skills Program intern agreement: "CSP Interns shall not receive compensation of any kind from the Employer."

Common gray-area items that ALSO count as prohibited compensation

• Cash stipends
• Sign-on bonuses paid before separation
• Retention/relocation bonuses paid before DOS
• Hourly/salary wages even at "intern" rates

What IS allowed

Per Hiring Our Heroes legal FAQ and standard MOU practice:

• Reimbursement for actual program-related expenses (travel, training materials, etc.) at cost
• Post-separation hire offers and signing bonuses paid AFTER the DD-214 effective date
• Equipment / laptop / training access for the duration of the internship

If the company starts paying you, the SkillBridge authorization is invalid and the command must terminate the agreement. This is enforced — don't take cash and assume nobody's checking.

Quick-reference summary

Item	Status during SkillBridge
Base pay	✓ Continues, full rate
BAH	✓ Continues at PDS rate (not internship city)
BAS	✓ Continues, $476.95 enlisted / $328.48 officer FY26
TRICARE (member + dependents)	✓ Continues unchanged
TSP / BRS matching	✓ Continues
Leave accrual	✓ Continues (2.5 days/mo)
TIG / TIS / promotion eligibility	✓ Continues
Most special / incentive pays	✗ Stop (flight, jump, dive, sub, sea, IDP, hardship)
FSA	✗ Generally stops
OHA (overseas PDS)	✗ Stops if no valid lease
SRB / EB installments	✓ Continue (default — verify with finance)
Civilian wages from employer	✗ Forbidden

What to do before SkillBridge starts

1. Pull your LES. Identify every special pay you currently draw.
2. Talk to your finance office. Confirm what stops and what continues for your specific situation. Get it in writing if possible.
3. Update your dependent enrollment if relocating. TRICARE continues but provider networks vary by region.
4. Check OHA eligibility if you're at an overseas PDS — losing OHA without compensating BAH change is a real loss.
5. Confirm SRB/EB schedule with finance. Don't assume installments continue based on this guide alone.

What to remember

SkillBridge pay is mostly straightforward: you stay on active duty, the military pays you, the company doesn't. The complications are special pays (most stop), BAH location (always PDS), and bonuses (unwritten — verify with finance).

The biggest financial planning trap: assuming BAH will change to your internship city. It won't. If you're moving from a high-BAH city to a low-BAH city for SkillBridge, you might be financially better off than expected. If you're moving from a low-BAH city to a high-BAH city, plan for the gap.

The biggest legal trap: the company offering you a "stipend" or "intern pay" during the program. That's forbidden under DoDI 1322.29 and invalidates your SkillBridge. Walk away from any program that suggests it.

---

Sources:

• DoDI 1322.29 — SkillBridge governing instruction
• skillbridge.mil FAQ
• NAVADMIN 160/22 — Navy SkillBridge S&I pay handling
• PPIB 23-14 — Navy SkillBridge pay bulletin
• DFAS BAS pay tables
• DoDI 1340.09 — Hazard Pay Program
• Hiring Our Heroes SkillBridge Legal FAQs
• Military OneSource SkillBridge
• TSP Bulletin 17-U-3 (BRS)