I'm in the DC area and an E5 at 10 years making dependent rate BAH takes home roughly the same amount as a step 1 GS 12. In lower cost areas, it's closer to GS11...but still. Unless you're making GS14 pay, you'll most likely be taking a pay cut if you're a Captain or higher. GS jobs are rarely worth it unless you're also making retirement and/or disability or has a spouse that also works and no kids. Otherwise, go the civilian route.

The Compensation print out and calculators online aren't completely accurate. To figure out what your real civilian equivalent is...add back in any TSP amount, than times your take home pay check by 24. That's your annual amount after taxes.

Now go to Google and type in something like "120,000 after taxes maryland." It'll come up to $85,000 a year. Change the amount and state to whatever you want. Also take out a few thousand for medical, certain property taxes, and things covered by military.

Currently, after taxes and no TSP, I make $3333 a paycheck. That's 80k a year...take home after taxes. If I separated from the military, I'd need to find a job paying about $120,000 a year just to break even with what I was making in the military. (This amount was before the 2023 basic pay raises and BAH bump too)

I'm also only an E6 making single rate BAH, and my take-home after is the same as someone making nearly $120,000 a year. That's basically a mid level GS13 in the same area. I didn't realize all this until around my 19 year mark. It's part of the reason I extended past 20. I needed more retirement and more time to beef up my resume and make myself more marketable.

For comparison...A Lt Col in this area is making around the civilian equivalent of 180k a year pre tax. Not like it's easy to walk into a civilian job like that with some Liberal Arts degree.