Federal · Title 37 — Pay and Allowances of the Uniformed Services
37 U.S.C. § 309: Special pay: enlistment bonus
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A person who enlists in an armed force for a period of at least 2 years may be paid a bonus in an amount not to exceed $40,000. The bonus may be paid in a single lump sum or in periodic installments. A member who does not complete the term of enlistment for which a bonus was paid to the member under this section, or a member who is not technically qualified in the skill for which a bonus was paid to the member under this section, shall be subject to the repayment provisions of section 303a(e) of this title . The enlistment bonus authorized by this section is not a bounty for purposes of section 514(a) of title 10 . This section shall be administered under regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Defense for the armed forces under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Defense and by the Secretary of Homeland Security for the Coast Guard when the Coast Guard is not operating as a service in the Navy. No bonus shall be paid under this section with respect to any enlistment in the armed forces made after December 31, 2018 .
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