Military pay chart 2026

2026 military pay: the key figures

The 2027 military pay raise: where it stands

The raise takes effect on 1 January 2027, but Congress hasn't settled the size. Under the law the raise matches the rise in private-sector wages measured by the Employment Cost Index, which gives 3.6% for 2027. Three versions are on the table:

• The President's plan (26 August 2026): 7.0% for E-1 to E-5, 6.0% for E-6 to O-3 and 5.0% for O-4 and above, "subject to the caps" (House Document 119-189). The letter doesn't name warrant officers; they sit between E-9 and O-1 in the pay grades, so we show 6% for them.
• The Senate Armed Services Committee's defense bill (S. 4784, reported 15 June 2026): 3.6% for everyone, the formula figure (Sec. 602).
• The House defense bill (H.R. 8800, passed 22 July 2026): no pay raise section, which leaves the President's plan in place. Its committee report says it funds "a 5 to 7 percent pay raise".

Neither bill had become law by the end of October 2026. If Congress passes no different figure, the President's plan takes effect. On it, an E-4 over 2 would go from $3,303.00 to about $3,534 a month, an O-3 over 4 from $7,382.70 to about $7,826. The calculator above shows the figure for any grade. We update this page when the 2027 table is published, usually in late December.

2026 enlisted pay chart

Monthly basic pay by years of service. An E-4 over 2 earns $3,303.00 a month, an E-5 over 4 $3,946.80 and an E-7 over 12 $5,591.70. E-8 rates start at over 8 years and E-9 at over 10.

2026 warrant officers pay chart

Monthly basic pay for warrant officers. W-5 rates start at over 20 years.

2026 commissioned officers pay chart

Monthly basic pay for commissioned officers. O-7 to O-10 are held at $18,999.90, and an O-6 with over 30 years at $15,408.30 (marked *). O-9 and O-10 rates start at over 20 years.

2026 officers with over 4 years of enlisted or warrant service pay chart

Officers in grades O-1 to O-3 who have more than 4 years of active service as an enlisted member or warrant officer are paid on these higher rates instead (so are reservists with at least 1,460 qualifying points).

Take-home pay at sample grades

The pay chart shows gross basic pay. This is what lands in your account from it: basic pay less federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, worked out with our 2026 federal tax engine for a single filer with the standard deduction, plus the tax-free food allowance (BAS). The housing allowance (BAH), also tax-free, comes on top and depends on where you are stationed and whether you have dependents.

How military pay works

Basic pay

Basic pay depends on only two things: your pay grade and your years of service. It is the same in every branch: an E-4 in the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force or Coast Guard is paid the same rate. It rises with each promotion and at the service milestones in the chart, and once a year with the January raise, which by law follows private-sector wage growth unless the President or Congress sets a different figure.

Allowances: BAS and BAH

On top of basic pay, most service members get two allowances that aren't taxed. The basic allowance for subsistence (BAS) pays for food: $476.95 a month for enlisted members and $328.48 for officers in 2026. The basic allowance for housing (BAH) pays for housing when you don't live in government quarters, and depends on your duty station, grade and whether you have dependents; the Army says 2026 rates rose an average of 4.2%. Because neither allowance is taxed, a dollar of allowance is worth more than a dollar of salary, so basic pay alone understates what military pay is worth.

Special and incentive pays

Many jobs carry extra pay on top: flight pay, hazardous duty, sea pay, special duty assignment pay, language pay, and enlistment and reenlistment bonuses. They vary by job and service and aren't in the chart.

Drill pay for the Guard and Reserve

Members of the National Guard and Reserve are paid for each drill period at 1/30 of the monthly basic pay for their grade and years of service (37 U.S.C. 206). The Army defines a drill period as four hours, and a regular drill weekend is four periods:

• E-4 over 2: $3,303.00 / 30 = $110.10 a drill period, $440.40 a drill weekend.
• O-3 over 4: $7,382.70 / 30 = $246.09 a drill period, $984.36 a drill weekend.

The calculator above shows the drill rate for any grade. Drill pay is taxable, like basic pay.

How military pay is taxed

• Basic pay, drill pay and most special pays are taxable: federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, as for any salary (IRS Publication 3, Table 1).
• BAH and BAS are not, and don't have to be reported as income (Publication 3, Table 2).
• Combat zone pay is excluded from income: all of it for enlisted members and warrant officers, and up to a limit for commissioned officers.
• State tax follows your legal residence. You don't gain or lose a state of residence for tax by being stationed somewhere on military orders (50 U.S.C. 4001), so you pay state tax, if any, to your home state. Some states don't tax military pay, in full or in part.

Limits

• These are the monthly basic pay rates for active duty and the drill rates that follow from them. Allowances, special pays and bonuses aren't included.
• Take-home pay is federal only, for a single filer with the standard deduction. State tax, TSP contributions, SGLI and allotments aren't taken off.
• The cadet and midshipman rate ($1,452.90 a month) and the senior enlisted advisor rate ($11,166.90) are set separately and aren't in the calculator.
• The 2027 figures follow the President's plan and are rounded; the official table will differ by a few cents per cell.

Questions

How much does an E-4 make in 2026?

Monthly basic pay for an E-4 is $3,142.20 with 2 years of service or less, $3,303.00 over 2 years and $3,815.40 over 6 years, the top of the grade. Over 2 years that is $39,636 a year. After federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare, and with the tax-free food allowance (BAS) added, an E-4 over 2 has about $39,751 a year, before any housing allowance.

How much does a second lieutenant or ensign (O-1) make?

$4,150.20 a month in basic pay with 2 years of service or less ($49,802 a year), rising to $4,320.00 over 2 years and $5,222.40 over 3. An O-2 over 2 years earns $5,446.20. Officers who served more than 4 years as enlisted members or warrant officers are paid on the higher O-1E rates.

When is the 2027 military pay raise, and how much is it?

It takes effect on 1 January 2027, but the amount isn't settled. The President's plan of 26 August 2026 sets 7.0% for E-1 to E-5, 6.0% for E-6 to O-3 and 5.0% for O-4 and above. The Senate Armed Services Committee's defense bill would give everyone 3.6% instead, the figure the pay formula produces. The House bill sets no raise, which leaves the President's plan in place. Until Congress finishes the bill, the plan is what takes effect.

Is military pay taxed?

Basic pay is taxed like a salary: federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare. The housing and food allowances (BAH and BAS) are not taxed at all, which is why military pay goes further than the basic pay figure suggests. Pay earned in a combat zone is excluded from income too: in full for enlisted members and warrant officers, up to a limit for commissioned officers. For state tax, your state is your state of legal residence, not where you are stationed, and some states don't tax military pay.

How is drill pay worked out for the Guard and Reserve?

Each drill period pays 1/30 of the monthly basic pay for your grade and years of service (37 U.S.C. 206). A drill weekend is usually four periods, so an E-4 over 2 earns $110.10 a period and $440.40 for the weekend.

What is the highest military pay?

$18,999.90 a month ($227,999 a year) for generals and admirals from O-7 to O-10, the cap set by level II of the Executive Schedule; every O-9 and O-10 is held there, and an O-8 reaches it after 22 years. For everyone else the cap is level V, $15,408.30 a month, which holds back an O-6 with over 30 years. The top enlisted rate is $10,729.20 for an E-9 with over 38 years, and the senior enlisted advisor of each service is paid $11,166.90.

Sources

• Executive Order 14368, Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay, Schedule 8 (Federal Register, 23 December 2025)
• 37 U.S.C. 1009, adjustments of monthly basic pay (ECI formula)
• BLS, Employment Cost Index, September 2024 (wages and salaries up 3.8% in 12 months)
• U.S. Army, My Army Benefits: Basic Pay (2026 tables, 3.8% raise)
• U.S. Army, My Army Benefits: Allowances (2026 BAS and BAH)
• IRS Publication 3, Armed Forces' Tax Guide (what is and isn't taxed)
• 37 U.S.C. 206, drill pay (1/30 of monthly basic pay per period)
• 50 U.S.C. 4001, residence for tax purposes (Servicemembers Civil Relief Act)
• House Document 119-189, the President's alternative pay plan for 2027 (26 August 2026)
• S. 4784, NDAA for Fiscal Year 2027 as reported by the Senate Armed Services Committee, Sec. 602
• H.R. 8800, NDAA for Fiscal Year 2027 as passed by the House (22 July 2026)
• Take-home pay: Paygrade's 2026 US tax engine (IRS Revenue Procedure 2025-32 brackets and standard deduction, Social Security and Medicare rates), see the methodology.

Related

• GS pay scale 2026: pay for federal civilian employees, with locality pay
• All pay scales: official public sector pay tables we cover
• Salary comparison by city: what a civilian salary is worth in another US city
• Salaries in the United States: what civilian jobs pay, with official BLS data by state