Also called: Army 36B, Air Force 6F0, Marine 3451
Handles military pay, travel reimbursements, and budget accounting.
Finance techs fix pay problems, process travel claims, and track spending. Deployed, they may carry cash to pay local vendors. Civilian paths: accounting clerk, payroll, bookkeeping, and accounting degrees via the GI Bill.
Regular military compensation (RMC = base pay + housing and food allowances + their tax advantage) for typical E-1 to E-6 ranks, 2026 estimate. Cash in hand is lower early on because junior troops often live in free barracks and eat in dining halls. Enlistment bonuses can add thousands.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
High school diploma, about 0.3 years after high school. High school diploma, then ~10 weeks of training. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Get paid while you train.
Majors to look at: Accounting, Finance.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
High risk for 10 years. Automated travel claims and pay systems are absorbing most of this work; few techs will be needed.
Classes: Accounting, Business / Excel.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.