2026 Military Pay Chart

Monthly basic pay for every grade and longevity step, at the 2026 rates — a 3.8% raise effective 1 January 2026.

Basic pay only. It is the taxable core of military compensation and the figure every other entitlement is built on — retirement, drill pay, separation pay and severance are all percentages of it. It excludes BAH, BAS, special and incentive pays.

Pick a grade and years of service to pull one cell out of the chart, with BAS and the annual figure alongside it. Or just read the chart below.

How to read it

  • Columns are longevity steps, not exact years. The “Over 6” column pays anyone with 6 to 7 years and 11 months of service.
  • A dash means the grade does not exist at that step — nobody reaches E-9 in under 10 years.
  • Where a rate repeats across columns, the grade has capped. E-5 stops rising at 12 years; E-1 and E-2 never rise at all.
  • O-1E, O-2E and O-3E are officers with at least four years of prior enlisted service, who draw a higher rate than their peers.

Officers above O-7 are subject to a statutory pay cap set at Level II of the Executive Schedule, which is why O-8 through O-10 flatten at the top of the table. The senior enlisted rate for the Sergeant Major of the Army, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy and their equivalents is a month regardless of longevity.

2026 rates, effective 1 January 2026, from the DFAS military pay tables. Basic pay only — it excludes BAH, BAS, special and incentive pays, and all deductions. Verify against your LES and the current DFAS tables before relying on these figures.