Financial Assistance

Personal Financial Readiness services

Financial resiliency equals mission readiness. This is the basis for the Military & Family Readiness Center's Personal Financial Readiness services. With service members facing unique and complex requirements of deployments, family separation, frequent moves, spouse employment issues, special needs and other stressful situations, the importance of service members having their financial affairs in order is paramount.

The M&FRC is committed to fostering a culture that values financial literacy and fiscal competency resulting in service members and their families exhibiting responsible and effective financial management behaviors that improve their quality of life.

The PFR program ensures service members and their families have access to financial management services that:

• Help attain/maintain a high level of personal financial readiness
• Identify appropriate goals and support financial needs throughout the military life cycle
• Guide towards correcting financial management deficiencies that impede personal readiness
• Educate to a level of self-sufficiency and ability to effectively manage financial affairs
• Help develop a 12-month spend plan to comply with Transition Goals, Plans and Success Career Readiness Standards

The Eglin Air Force Base M&FRC offers a variety of classes and one-on-one assistance on topics such as budgeting, savings and investing, credit, Thrift Savings Plan, car buying and home buying. Contact the M&FRC at 850-882-9060 for more information.

Cost of Living

Eglin Air Force Base is located in Northwest Florida in a region called the Emerald Coast due to the emerald color of the local Gulf of Mexico waters. As a result, it is a popular tourist destination. For a variety of reasons, lodging options are limited. Traffic is heavy, especially during commuting hours, especially on U.S. Highway 98 and U.S. Highway 85. During the summer, thanks to tourism, traffic congestion is severe. Depending on where you live, the cost of living can be 14% higher than the national average.

Cost of Living Allowance

Eglin Air Force Base does not have a Cost of Living Allowance.

Temporary Lodging Allowance

Temporary Lodging Allowance is used to partially reimburse a member for the more than normal expenses incurred during occupancy of temporary lodging and expenses of meals obtained as a direct result of the use of temporary lodging OCONUS. The OCONUS base handles the paperwork and processing of TLA.

Temporary Lodging Expenses

Temporary Lodging Expenses is intended to partially reimburse members for lodging and meal expenses when a member/dependent(s) occupy temporary quarters in CONUS in conjunction with a PCS. The gaining base handles the paperwork and processing of TLE.

Housing and Utility Costs

Rental housing is scarce, and the price varies greatly depending on the city. Average home prices vary depending on the surrounding city, but range between $299,000-$600,000.

Monthly utility bills are high, as this is a high temperature and very high humidity area - averaging $170-$250 per month for a typical home.

Florida Car Insurance

Florida law requires residents of FL to have car insurance. You must purchase the minimum coverage amounts for both personal injury protection insurance and property damage liability car insurance. Luckily, Florida offsets this coverage requirement by offering some of the lowest car insurance coverage premiums in the country.

Florida is a no-fault insurance state. If you are injured in an accident, your car insurance will pay your medical costs up to your policy's limits, regardless of who caused the accident.

The minimum limits for Florida car insurance coverage are:

$10,000 of no-fault or personal injury protection insurance

$10,000 of property damage liability insurance

Property Tax Benefits for Active Duty Military and Veterans

Visit https://www.okaloosatax.com/services/real-estate-taxes/

Government Travel Card

Use your government travel card only for authorized expenses and be mindful of your daily allowances.  Save all receipts, especially if your expenses exceed your authorizations, since they may be tax-deductible items.

Emergency Financial Assistance in Transit/Emergency Travel

If you have a financial emergency while en route to Eglin Air Force Base, contact the American Red Cross. Active-duty service members stationed in the United States and family members residing with them should call 877-272-7337 (toll-free) or 800-733-2767.

Family members who do not reside in the service members' household, members of the National Guard and reserves, retirees and civilians should call their local Red Cross chapter. Active-duty service members and Department of Defense civilians stationed overseas and family members residing with them should call the Red Cross Office at the overseas location.

Emergency Financial Assistance in Local Area

The Air Force Aid Society (AFAS) is the official charity of the United States Air Force. A private, nonprofit organization, the AFAS promotes the Air Force mission by providing worldwide emergency assistance, sponsoring education assistance programs and offering a variety of base community enhancement programs that improve quality of life for airmen and their families. The AFAS assists with emergency financial needs that may arise such as rent, food, shelter, vehicle repairs and emergency travel for death or serious illness of immediate family members. Apply at https://afas.org/ 

Advance Pay

Managing your financial affairs during a PCS move can be challenging. You may be tempted to take Advance Pay to tackle this challenge. Remember, advances are loans, and you must pay them back. Be warned. This is not "free money," as this will be taken out of your pay by finance. Contact the local M&FRC office to get a budget analysis before you apply for Advance Pay to see if you can afford this additional allotment.