Bottom line: One drill period ≈ 1/30th of your monthly basic pay. A normal drill weekend is four periods, so a weekend pays about four of those. Your exact number comes off the current pay tables for your grade and years of service.
How a drill weekend adds up
A standard drill weekend is four drill periods — two on Saturday, two on Sunday. Each period pays approximately 1/30th of the monthly basic pay for your grade and time in service. Four periods, so a typical weekend pays about four-thirtieths of a month's basic pay.
To get your exact figure: pull up the current military pay tables, find your grade and years of service, divide the monthly basic pay by 30, and multiply by four.
Annual training is paid separately
Your two weeks of annual training (AT) are active-duty days, not drills. Each AT day pays one day of basic pay (and earns one retirement point), so AT is counted and paid differently from a drill weekend.
What changes your number
- Rank and years of service — the biggest drivers; both move you up the pay table.
- Duty status — drills (inactive-duty training) vs. active-duty orders are paid on different rules.
- Annual pay raises — the tables update at the start of each year.