r/army • u/concernedandconfusse • 10h ago
Confusing Situation, Need Help
Hi. Recently my partner (married for less than a year) told me he has basically no money. Here’s the story he said.
He claims that the Army sent him a debt letter saying they over paid him and that he had to pay it back. He claims he set up a payment plan that has essentially docked his pay for maybe a couple hundred dollars a month. Not only this but he has not been being paid BAH for housing, which he claims to not know why. It has been about 6 months since he says this started, and he has not told me until now.
I need some clarification from anyone who can help me. Is there anyone who has been in a similar situation that can shed light onto this? Like is it possible his pay was docked for something else, as the loss of the BAH is also concerning and odd. Not to mention he also recently got moved to a new platoon where he went from doing PT once a week to doing it every single morning like he did back when he was new to the Army.
He is being very sketchy about it and this all seems very concerning and I am worried he has done something to possibly lose his rank which has caused the pay drop as well as the lying about it all. I just want to know if it could possibly be real that what he is saying is true and if not what could’ve happened to cause this? It’s extremely scary for me and any insight will help. Thank you!
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u/MostAssumption9122 8h ago
Chat with his 1SG or Chris, they will sort him out.
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u/Lyhtspeed 8h ago
There’s a possibility he’s being honest and you’re worried about nothing. But he’s obviously worried about something like your finances or the relationship. Talk to him.
There’s a possibility he’s lying but usually with him losing rank, he’d have to do extra duty and wouldn’t be home til late at night. So unless he’s coming home at 11pm every night for the next month, I doubt he’s lost rank.
Talk to him, just ask him to be honest about what he’s worried about and what’s on his mind. Hopefully he’ll open up and tell you everything.
PRAY! Our Lord and Savior sees and knows all, and there’s nothing he can’t do! All Praise to Godzilla!
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u/EWCM 4h ago
The Army has a Financial Readiness Program at nearly every location. The two of you can set up an appointment to go over your finances and help you with a plan.
If you are married to someone you don’t trust, Counseling would probably be a good idea as well.
Yes, people sometimes get over paid and have a payment plan set up to repay. BAH stopping after it was started is unusual. Usually the issues are with getting it started.
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u/Fat_Clyde 46m ago edited 21m ago
Are you not living with your husband? Has he not been paying rent?
But to address the #1 question - yes an overpayment can happen and he should’ve received a debt letter to either pay it all back in a lump sum or pay it back over time. If he ignored the letter, they may be docking his pay.
Not receiving BAH - this happens from time-to-time but being married for over a year is a bit much. It RARELY just stops once started though it can happen. It should not take six months to correct.
PT and a new platoon. It happens. Whatever section he was in, maybe had a high PT average and they let them do it one their own once 4x week. The new platoon may not operate that way - assuming it’s the same company and the company commander delegated PT down to the platoons. Or - maybe he is not doing well on PT and they’re monitoring him more closely.
So, there’s probably some misrepresentations on your husband’s part and probably some misunderstandings about the Army on your part going on here.
Edit to add:
Ask him specifically to see his LES. If he’s unwilling, he may in-fact be hiding things from you. Ask him to see his last six-months. He can login to My Pay and show you from home.
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u/Pitiful-Excitement47 Signal 8h ago
It can be real. I'll try to address everything.
As for the debt letter, ask to see it or the paystubs to verify. Say you want to make a budget and try to work through it while paying it back.
As far as BAH did you get it previously? I am confused by you saying it was lost. Either way it is an easy fix and you would be given back pay for the lost time.
Do you see his uniform? Is the rank different than what it was before? That would be an indication he got a demotion. There is also loss of pay if he did something bad/wrong. Which would only be for a few weeks in most cases.
A lot of units do PT everyday, that's normal.
But yeah, seeing his paystubs would be the easiest route, you would see his rank, debt being paid off, BAH and everything else. If that doesnt work you can always go to his unit yourself and talk to his 1sgt or commander. Which will definitely get him in trouble but if he isnt being honest or transparent then fck it.
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u/BurnerAccountGFY 8h ago
What he has said is a possibility. The DoD will be quick to take what is owed to them but slow to pay you what you are owed. Since finances in the government don't work like a tit for tat as in they owe him thousands and he owes them thousands so it should be even type of thing he could have a debt for something else like losing equipment while also not getting BAH.
I would think finance would be able to stop payments to his debt until his BAH gets cleared up but...I honestly would not bank on it happening. Different units have different PT requirements but honestly I would just call the 1st Sgt and ask him for help if it will effect your living situation drastically.