What Defence is doing to improve Service life and information on support and opportunities for you and your family.
The substantial range of benefits and allowances available in your Armed Forces Offer recognises the unique demands of military life and individual needs, at home and abroad.Pay is the most well-recognised aspect of the Offer, but the breadth and complexity of everything that’s included within the Armed Forces employee package means it can be difficult to navigate and understand.
That’s why work is underway to help simplify the way we talk about ‘Your Offer’ – with Discover My Benefits being the place to go to find out what’s covered, what it’s worth, where to find out more and what you need to do.
What is Discover My Benefits?
Discover My Benefits is a website for all Regular and Reserve Service personnel and their families and Defence civil servants – designed to help you understand the benefits and support available.
In the Armed Forces, ‘Your Offer’ includes:
- Your money: A competitive salary – including additional payment and allowances in recognition of the demands of Service life – alongside a unique non-contributory pension scheme, widely recognised as one of the best in the UK.
- Your health and wellbeing: Comprehensive medical, dental, rehab and mental health services – with free prescriptions and timely access to resources.
- Your time: A generous annual leave package and flexible working options to support a healthy work-life balance.
- You and your family supported: Assistance with food, travel, relocation, accommodation and buying your own home; enhanced maternity-pay, shared parental leave and childcare funding; and access to exclusive online and high-street discounts.
- Your career: Access to an extensive range of learning and continuous professional development options – including apprenticeships, education and trade-related training, and membership of professional bodies.
- Your opportunities: Experience much more than just a job – including access to unique adventurous training and sporting experiences in the UK and abroad, and accreditation opportunities to turn in-Service education, training and experience into nationally recognised civilian qualifications.
Improving Service life
Alongside activity to simplify how we talk about ‘Your Offer’ is ongoing work to review, improve and modernise its policies, processes and services.
This is all part of Defence’s commitment to improve Service life and renew the nation’s contract with those who serve – addressing long-standing challenges and ensuring Armed Forces personnel and their families feel valued, supported and motivated.
The past year’s announcements and initiatives to enhance the Armed Forces Offer include:
- One of the largest pay increases in 22 years – the 2024 pay award averaged at 6%, with pay for new recruits increasing by 35% during their first six months, or until completion of initial training, whichever is sooner
- Introduction of the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill – which will lead to the appointment of the first ever independent champion for serving personnel and their families – with whom issues which impact on Service life can be raised
- A pledge to transform living conditions for families in military housing – under a new Consumer Charter that Defence Secretary John Healey promises will “stop the rot”
- Expansion of the Wraparound Childcare scheme – giving hundreds of Armed Forces families who are deployed overseas the potential to save thousands of pounds in childcare costs
- New retention payments for thousands of Armed Forces personnel – with around 5,000 eligible Tri-Service aircraft engineers to receive £30,000 when signing up for an additional three years of service, and around 12,000 eligible Army Privates and Lance Corporals to receive £8,000, upon entering their fourth year of Service
- Roll out of a new dining offer – with menus providing greater choice and more affordable options for Service personnel, when using mess facilities and amenities
- An extension of the remit and timeframe for the 'Accompanied LTR(E) Overseas Pilot' until March 2027 – with increased accommodation entitlements for Service Personnel in Established Long Term Relationships (LTR(E)), following positive feedback received from pilot participants in Cyprus
- A new Families Hub – signposting information, guidance and support all in one place, to help navigate Service family life
- Removal of the Get You Home (Travel) allowance rate cap – so that eligible Service personnel who regularly travel home can now claim a financial contribution to their total mileage
- A new Defence medical appointment management approach – which has delivered a 26% reduction in waiting times for patients accessing doctor appointments in primary healthcare
- An increased remit for Standard Learning Credits – to include opportunities to gain additional driving licences (beyond your first UK Driving License)
What’s next?
There’s more ‘Your Offer’ enhancements to come, as Defence, the Royal Navy, Army and RAF continue to work on a range of programmes to deliver further improvements for our Armed Forces and their families… so watch this space.
Find out more
For more detailed information on what’s available, what you can personally receive and how it may compare to similar products outside Defence, visit discovermybenefits.mod.gov.uk – with sub-sites for the Army, Navy, RAF, Civil Servants and a new information portal for Service families.