Posted on May 2, 2022
What options do career Soldiers have for final reenlistment?
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Good morning RP.
Synopsis: I just hit 10 years of service. My window opens in a few months and will put me at 10.5 years. This will be my final reenlistment into indef. With that being said, are there any perks for final reenlistments for career Soldiers?
I'm aware that most perks and benefits such as a school, duty station of choice, stabilization, etc. are targeted at first term Soldiers and not careerists... but does that mean I'm not eligible for any perks for my final reup? I'm not looking to change MOS, get out or anything... but if there's anything I can request for my final stab, I'd like to take advantage of it.
If additional information is needed for clarity, please advise.
Synopsis: I just hit 10 years of service. My window opens in a few months and will put me at 10.5 years. This will be my final reenlistment into indef. With that being said, are there any perks for final reenlistments for career Soldiers?
I'm aware that most perks and benefits such as a school, duty station of choice, stabilization, etc. are targeted at first term Soldiers and not careerists... but does that mean I'm not eligible for any perks for my final reup? I'm not looking to change MOS, get out or anything... but if there's anything I can request for my final stab, I'd like to take advantage of it.
If additional information is needed for clarity, please advise.
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
There are no options. Your only option is choosing when you reenlist. With any luck, there may be a bonus when you reenlist.
You are a Careerist, Careerists are not authorized any reenlistment options. Your duty station will be decided by the marketplace. Any incentives you're authorized would be those your unit provides, like education incentive or local school of choice.
You are a Careerist, Careerists are not authorized any reenlistment options. Your duty station will be decided by the marketplace. Any incentives you're authorized would be those your unit provides, like education incentive or local school of choice.
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SFC Casey O'Mally
To tack on to what SFC (Join to see) said, everything you get, you will get from your unit...
So go beat up your retention NCO, career counselor, and even your Commanders. Squeeze every ounce of incentive you can. Now is a GREAT time to ask for a 1 semester school drop; the ROI is much higher for a re-up that is effectively 10 years as compared to giving 6 months on a 3-year re-up.
3-day and 4-day passes are also good things to ask for if you can't get anything else. And don't be shy about hitting both Company and BN level for those. (And get them in writing - they tend to be not remembered a month later.)
Finally, there is the bonus. If you are authorized one, timing MAY be important. For tax purposes, having it split over multiple years, if possible, may help you out (the Army throughout my time was all over the place on paying bonuses, I do not know what current policy is). If your unit is scheduled for deployment and you can wait, get them Benjamin's tax free. Also, bonuses fluctuate. While career counselors don't have a crystal ball, they DO have knowledge and insight. They can't guarantee whether a bonus will go up or down - or go away - three months from now. But they have a good idea of the trends, and may be able to give you a good guess, along with the caveat that there are no guarantees. And they can almost always tell you what will happen NEXT month, so you can hop on something before it goes down or goes away.
So go beat up your retention NCO, career counselor, and even your Commanders. Squeeze every ounce of incentive you can. Now is a GREAT time to ask for a 1 semester school drop; the ROI is much higher for a re-up that is effectively 10 years as compared to giving 6 months on a 3-year re-up.
3-day and 4-day passes are also good things to ask for if you can't get anything else. And don't be shy about hitting both Company and BN level for those. (And get them in writing - they tend to be not remembered a month later.)
Finally, there is the bonus. If you are authorized one, timing MAY be important. For tax purposes, having it split over multiple years, if possible, may help you out (the Army throughout my time was all over the place on paying bonuses, I do not know what current policy is). If your unit is scheduled for deployment and you can wait, get them Benjamin's tax free. Also, bonuses fluctuate. While career counselors don't have a crystal ball, they DO have knowledge and insight. They can't guarantee whether a bonus will go up or down - or go away - three months from now. But they have a good idea of the trends, and may be able to give you a good guess, along with the caveat that there are no guarantees. And they can almost always tell you what will happen NEXT month, so you can hop on something before it goes down or goes away.
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SSG (Join to see)
SFC,
If my window is open and I'm at 9 years and some change would that also be considered a careerist with no reenlistment options?
TIA!
If my window is open and I'm at 9 years and some change would that also be considered a careerist with no reenlistment options?
TIA!
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Have you spoken with your Friendly Neighborhood Retention NCO yet? You're gonna have to go speak with them eventually anyway. But to answer your question a little bit...yea there can/may be some perks. For example, when I was at 17 years, I did INDEF and got a 6K bonus.
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SSG (Join to see)
I have. But I always like to get a second opinion -- especially regarding something as important as this.
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MSG (Join to see)
SSG (Join to see) - Like I said, you may qualify for a bonus. But, that's pretty much about it.
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If you're about to go indef - you get nothing but time. That's it. No perks. No benefits. You are just reenlisting for time.
Potentially a bonus depending on your MOS. When I hit indef, I got nothing but more time though.
Potentially a bonus depending on your MOS. When I hit indef, I got nothing but more time though.
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