U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Marcellous Dixon reenlists in the courtroom of Camp Blaz, Guam, Dec. 27, 2024. Marines receiving bonuses for reenlisting this year will have to wait until next fiscal year to receive their incentive payment, which will be issued on a funding-available basis, according to a recent service message. (Ryan Little/U.S. Marine Corps)
Marines who extend their military careers now will have to wait to get retention bonuses they might be eligible for rather than receiving them upon signing a new contract, according to a recent Marine Corps administrative message.
Payments under the Selective Retention Bonus Program will now be made on a funding-available basis with Oct. 1 the first possible date, Headquarters Marine Corps said in the April 15 message.
The change is intended “to enhance career stability and retention efforts,” Maj. Jacoby Getty, a spokesperson for Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve Affairs said in a statement Thursday.
The retention bonus payout revision follows reports in recent years that Marines and other service members across the Defense Department have faced delays in bonus payments because of Congress’ failure to pass timely budgets.
With the change, Selective Retention Bonus Program funds will be issued no later than Sept. 30, 2026, aligning with the completion of the Marine’s current contract instead of at the time of reenlistment as in the past, according to the message.
Marines who do not receive their bonus as scheduled will be allowed to request separation within 90 days of the end of fiscal year 2026, the message noted.
Eligibility for this year’s program applies to Marines in selected occupations who reenlist on or after April 16 and whose current contracts end between Oct. 1, 2025, and Sept. 30, 2026.
The Selective Retention Bonus Program is updated annually to identify enlisted job fields that qualify for financial incentives based on where the Corps most critically needs to retain experienced personnel.
A variety of factors determine which Marines might be eligible for bonuses — and how much those bonuses might be — including the amount of manning in specific career fields, time in service and rank.
In the same message, the Corps also announced the continued suspension of the Broken Service Selective Retention Bonus Program for a second straight year.
That program was designed to provide an incentive for Marines who had left the service for fewer than four years to return to active-duty status.
A key reason for the continued suspension is the program’s initial success in luring a large number of Marines back into the service, Military.com reported last year.
