National Guard Temporarily Halts Reenlistment Bonuses

Update: The Army National Guard announced it will resume incentive payments after an accounting miscalculation was resolved.

A recent National Guard internal memo announced the temporary halting of reenlistment bonuses. The pause is due to insufficient funding for the service component’s incentive. So, if you want to reenlist immediately, maybe wait. A spokesman with the National Guard suggests you won’t be waiting long. 

“It is the Army National Guard’s intent to resume issuances of bonus incentives with reenlistment contracts in April, pending the findings of this assessment,” said Paul Swiergosz, a National Guard Bureau spokesman. “We intend to resume the issuance of new reenlistment bonuses as soon as possible, with a target of 1 April.”

The pause will only affect people who would have received bonuses between now and the end of the fiscal year 2025. 

“This pause does not affect existing, valid contracts between the Army National Guard and soldiers; these will continue to be paid without delay. Soldiers with existing recruiting and retention contracts that contain bonus incentives will remain eligible and see no interruptions to their payments.”  

The situation isn’t ideal if you want to reenlist right now. However, you may find it promising that the goal is to resolve the issue by the start of next month, meaning you wouldn’t need to wait long before you could enlist and get the bonus. 

The immediate bonus suspension came after officials realized a need for more funding for the number of troops expected to continue serving. National Guard planners miscalculated when predicting the number of soldiers who would reenlist. Reenlistment bonuses for the National Guard can range from $2,500 to $12,000, depending on specific criteria. Also, in some cases, those who reenlist may not receive a bonus. 

In a statement from Army Lt. Gen. Jon A. Jensen, the director of the Army National Guard, “Our first obligation to the Army and to Congress is for us to meet our end strength mission.” Adding later, “We are joined with Army leaders to determine courses of action and resourcing solutions that will work to expand the recruitment market and further incentivize our soldiers to continue their service with the Army National Guard.”