What are the benefits of marriage in the Army?

My boyfriend and I were planning on marrying next year, but we're curious if we should put the marriage onto paper when he comes home on leave, so that we can start getting the benefits of marriage, even before we have the big ceremony.





Curious how much it costs to file for a marriage license, and the specific benefits we'll get from being married while he's active duty in the army. Still unsure where his duty station will be, currently he's in boot camp.What are the benefits of marriage in the Army?
It is hard to say the cost of license and so on because it ranges from county to county. That is something you are going to have to research for your area.





The benefits of being married is that he will get BAH - Housing Allowance to provide housing for you or you qualify to live in military housing at the base he is stationed at. With housing you are not required to put in a security deposit and utilities are free except for phone, cable and internet, that is your responsibility. You are also under obligation to keep the housing in proper order such as mowing the lawns, weeding, etc...





With BAH it is going to depend on where he is stationed. For if he gets orders to Korea and you can't go then the BAH will be based on your zip code. If he gets orders to a base in the 50 states then it is based on the command's zip code. If he goes to a OCONUS location and you go then you live in military housing. All allowances are combined with Basic Pay, split in half and paid on the 15th and 1st of each month.





If he is in schooling, TAD, TDY or deployment for longer than 30 days then he will get Family Separation of $250 per month.





COLA - Cost of Living, there is 2 types, CONUS (Continental US - lower 48) and OCONUS (Outside US including Hawaii and Alaska). CONUS COLA it doesn't matter if he is married or not, it is about the same. OCONUS COLA is only if you are command sponsored (meaning military is allowing you to be there after clearing a medical %26amp; dental screening) and that will depend on how many years in, his rank/rate, # of dependents and whether or not he is in barracks. If he is on unaccompanied orders then he will not get COLA for you.





You will be entered into DEERS which means you can then get a military ID card and are automatically enrolled in Tricare Standard. With Standard there is a yearly deductible and a co-pay for each time you go to the doctor that you choose from a list of providers that are acepted by Tricare. You can change to Tricare Prime in whch there is no co-pay or deductible and you are seen at a base hospital or clinic. Prescriptions can be filled at base pharmacy for free or out in town at certain pharmacy's for a discount There is United Concordia Dental, it is $13 a month for 1 person or $29 for a family. This gives you 2 free cleanings a year, then partial pay on everything that needs to be done up to $1200 per year.





You get Life Insurance of 100K on yourself, which ranges in price depending on your age, usually under $10 per month. Children are covered for up to 10K free of charge





You can use the base facilities such as gym, pool, ticket office, Commissary, Exchanges, etc...What are the benefits of marriage in the Army?
the marriage lisence and everything is done by the state you are in, and the cost depends on the state. in alabama its $60. the benifets are awesome. yall will either get a military house or BAH [whatever you prefer, we chose housing because the utilities are paid for, its much cheaper than having to pay for everything, and if your bill or house costs more than the BAH they give you, it doesnt change, you have to pay out of pocket]. YOU and any of your dependants will get tricare [health insurance], AND free life insurance. You will be able to go with him if he gets sent to korea, and if he gets deployed yall will get BAH, plus cola, and seperation pay. if yall dont get married, he will have to live in the barracks, and its MISERABLE there for the soldiers [at least for my husband it was haha]. You will also get a military ID so that you can buy things on post.
my brother did the same thing his marriage certificate cost 45 dollars and he and his wife had the big wedding later but she was also able to get his medical while he was away and many other perks and when he came home they got his VA lone and bought a house they had save the extra money the army gave them. Good luck and I pray your boyfriend stays safe My brother was lucky and He says prayers helped him.