I was searching for info on AF reserves and pay.... I found a post saying your travel to your unit is paid for. Is this true?
I also saw extensive information on how to execute TAPS, etc...overall, what is the min and max cash an AETC traditional reservist can make after taxes?
Thanks all

I thought all the UPT Reserve Squadrons paid travel (mine did), but found out some don't. There is also a limit on how many paid travels you get a year......not sure what it currently stands at (I'm back on active-duty). I think it used to be one per month.

As far as how much you can make: from 2005-2008, I worked almost as much as a full-timer--I could get all that I asked for. Now? Guys are lucky to get 5-6 days a month. It depends on how many Man-Days the squadrons are allocated, and under the current fiscal constraints, it is almost zip.

My best estimate (and again, I'm not in the Reserves any more) is 6 days a month of UTA, TP, and some of your AT. You can look up the pay rates for your rank and figure the rest.

Bottom line: used to be one could trough and make a living off of it; now it is just a supplement (but gives great flexibility to airline living).

In these tough fiscal times we've had one trougher get 270 man days. Obviously, it depends on how many hogs are eating the trough. We only have a couple. I think it's funny that all the doom and gloom and sequestration blah blah blah happened again, and nothing changed. Standard. I've seen it for 13 years in AFRC. At the end of this year, there will be a large drop of man days. Surprise.

In theory, reserves do not pay for member travel to the unit for drill.

They do pay travel from home of record to other locations where drill will be performed on a TDY basis. They also pay for travel to the unit for AT or other types of (non-drill) active duty.

Not sure about the USAF, but some specific Navy units have been authorized and funded to pay for member travel to drill as a recruiting/retention tool for critical skills (special warfare/special operations divers are the only ones I'm aware of).

I believe 11M are considered critically manned and now get travel for IDT. I live near my base, so I don't know the details on it.

Currently with the USAF, Annual Tour (the 15 days active duty per year), you get 4 paid travel days (airline tickets, taxis, etc.etc.) per year. You can use them as you see fit. But you only get 4 so for example if you break up your 15 days of active duty into three 5 day work weeks, you will only have travel days for two of the work weeks and will pay out of pocket for the last work week.

As what UPTme said, if you are in a critically manned career field, and they change frequently, you are entitled to up to $300 reimbursement for travel expenses for UTAs (the one weekend a month gig).

Anytime you are put onto Active Duty orders or you go TDY, they will pay travel to and from your home of record.

This is the only travel pay that I know of that reservists are entitled to. In my unit, all of us are in critically manned fields and as such, we have members who live all over the USA and commute back to dirty jersey for the reserves.

Thanks all. Looks like I have a little research to do over the next 2 years. Ill have to fly in and chat with the Randolph, Shepard, and Vance units.

If those are the locales you are looking at...they all are under the 340th and the individual squadrons should pay for travel with no questions asked. That is AT travel or MPA travel...we have had IDT travel (pays up to $300 per trip, twelve times a year) the last three years but it is not a guarantee it will be here next year…it is renewed each calendar year and this year we didn’t get it until very late. We have been good on money, (although a bit late this year…), for using the 4 AT travel days and the rest MPA travel to get you the minimum days per month….plan on working 5 days a month (it’s really 6 days a month but the MUTAs make up the rest). More is better if available and has been but as always the next year is always in question. If the squadron hires you they have to budget for you…the only caveat is if you are an airline guy they may ask you to jumpseat in to help out non-airline guys getting in. I didn’t buy airline tickets for my first 3.5 years but still used paid travel for everything else…I was finally told just buy tickets as they budgeted for me. I’m a long range commuter and it’s been no issue. Good luck.