Astronauts' pay varies depending on whether they are civilian or military personnel. Civilian astronauts at NASA earn between approximately $104,898 and $161,141 per year, based on federal government pay scales that take education and experience into account. Military astronauts are paid according to their military rank and years of service. Astronauts work a 40-hour week and do not receive overtime, weekend, or holiday pay. While in space, they continue to receive their regular salary as federal employees on official travel orders, along with a small daily incidentals allowance, currently about $5 per day. For example, NASA astronauts who spent 9 months in space recently continued to earn their annual salary, which can be more than $152,000, plus incidentals for each day on the mission.
The pay can range widely depending on rank, experience, and whether the astronaut is classified as GS-12 through GS-14 in government pay grades. The highest-paid government scale for astronauts is about $161,141 per year for civilians and can be augmented by military allowances for military astronauts.
