**To help put the information below in perspective, we recommend you make use of the Regular Military Compensation Calculator a website that will compute your regular military compensation based on your inputs. Regular military compensation is the approximate amount of an equivalent civilian salary.

When you join the Marine Corps, you join to serve your country.  However, as an officer of Marines, you are compensated in a way that is competitive to your civilian counterparts.  Below are the average compensation amounts estimated for a Marine living in Quantico, VA (where you will begin your training). 

Not included in the below amounts are other benefits such as free health insurance for you and your family, an automatic death benefit if killed in action, access to military benefits such as Service Members’ Group Life Term Insurance (SGLI) costing $17 a month giving $400,000 upon death.  All of these benefits are impossible to find in the civilian world. 

Marine Corps benefits compensation package: 
Average yearly pay with allowances:

Starting salary (2nd Lieutenant):
        Pay and allowances with dependents:     $46,241.52
        Pay and allowances without dependents:     $41,192.40

After two years (1st Lieutenant):
        Pay and allowances with dependents:     $57,706.32
        Pay and allowances without dependents:     $55,150.32

After four years (Captain):
        Pay and allowances with dependents:     $73,840.32
        Pay and allowances without dependents:    $71,284.32
       
Not included in this compensation package special pay or cost of living allowance that you may qualify for, special skills pay, and flight pay. 

 Check out the latest FY 2009 payscale HERE