Military Pay: What To Expect From A Military Career

The military can provide incredible career paths and impressive earning potential. If you’re interested in joining the military, it can be helpful to learn more about your potential income and the factors that influence your pay. In this article, we provide comprehensive compensation information for the military, including reserve pay, special pay and the salaries for different ranks and offices.

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What affects military pay?

As an active duty member of the military, the primary component of your salary is based on your basic pay, which is impacted by your rank and years of service. Moving past this, there are also differences in pay based on whether you are on active duty or in the reserves. Here’s a closer look at these distinctions and how much money you can make in the military based on these variables. For the most up-to-date information, please follow the links above.

Enlisted members

Enlisted service personnel are managed by officers and perform specific functions within their unit. These members of the military sign a contract to enlist and then serve in their branch of the military until their contract expires, when they can either renew their contract or leave the armed forces. Here are the different rankings and pay for enlisted members:

E-1

E-1 is the most basic enlisted rank in the military, and enlisted service members typically only hold this position until they finish basic training. After serving for six months, they are automatically promoted to the next rank. The titles for an E-1 are:

Air Force: Airman basic
Army/Marine Corps: Private
Navy: Seaman recruit

For the first four months, the basic pay for this position is $1,602.30 per month. After that, the monthly income increases to $1,733.10. If you hold this rank and are in the reserves, your income would be $53.41 per month for the first four months, and then $57.77 every month after that.

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E-2

After serving in the military for six months, most enlisted members get automatically promoted to E-2. The titles for this paygrade are:

Air Force: Airman
Army: Private
Marine Corps: Private 1st class
Navy: Seaman apprentice

Regardless of your years of service, the basic active duty monthly income for this ranking is $1,942.50 per month. For those in the reserves, your monthly income is $64.75.

E-3

Once you have served in the military for 12 months, you are usually automatically promoted to an E-3 paygrade. These enlisted members have titles like:

Air Force: Airman 1st class
Army: Private 1st class
Marine Corps: Lance corporal
Navy: Seaman

Your monthly income as an E-3 increases with your years of service:

Less than two years: $2,042.70 for basic pay and $68.09 for drill pay
Two years: $2,171.10 for basic pay and $72.37 for drill pay
Three years or more: $2,302.80 for basic pay and $76.76 for drill pay

E-4

Depending on the branch of the military that you join, the service requirements to achieve an E-4 promotion vary. Most of the time, enlisted members in this ranking have served for at least two years. The titles for this paygrade are:

Air Force: Senior airman
Army: Specialist/corporal
Marine Corps: Corporal
Navy: Petty officer 3rd class

The monthly income for an E-4, based on your years of service, is:

Less than two years: $2,262.60 for basic pay and $75.42 for drill pay
Two years: $2,378.40 for basic pay and $79.28 for drill pay
Three years: $2,507.10 for basic pay and $83.57 for drill pay
Four years: $2,634.60 for basic pay and $87.82 for drill pay
Six years or more: $2,746.50 for basic pay and $91.55 for drill pay

E-5

After you become an E-4, promotions are no longer automatic but you can still advance through the ranks. Enlisted members with as little as three years of military service are usually eligible for the E-5 paygrade, with ranks that include:

Air Force: Staff sergeant
Army/Marine Corps: Sergeant
Navy: Petty officer 2nd class

Most enlisted service members spend at least three years as an E-5 before getting another promotion. The monthly basic and drill pay based on the years of service are:

Less than two years: $2,467.50 for basic pay and $82.25 for drill pay
Two years: $2,634.00 for basic pay and $87.80 for drill pay
Three years: $2,761.20 for basic pay and $92.04 for drill pay
Four years: $2,891.40 for basic pay and $96.38 for drill pay
Six years: $3,094.50 for basic pay and $103.15 for drill pay
Eight years: $3306.30 for basic pay and $110.21 for drill pay
10 years: $3,480.90 for basic pay and $116.03 for drill pay
12 years or more: $3,501.90 for basic pay and $116.73 for drill pay

E-6

Though possible earlier in your military career, it’s relatively unusual for enlisted personnel to advance to the E-6 rank with less than six years of service. This rank has titles like:

Air Force: Technical sergeant
Army/Marine Corps: Staff sergeant
Navy: Petty officer 1st class

Here’s a look at the monthly income for an E-6:

Less than two years: $2,693.70 for basic pay and $89.79 for drill pay
Two years: $2,964.30 for basic pay and $98.81 for drill pay
Three years: $3,095.10 for basic pay and $103.17 for drill pay
Four years: $3,222.30 for basic pay and $107.41 for drill pay
Six years: $3,354.90 for basic pay and $111.83 for drill pay
Eight years: $3,653.10 for basic pay and $121.77 for drill pay
10 years: $3,769.80 for basic pay and $125.66 for drill pay
12 years: $3,994.80 for basic pay and $133.16 for drill pay
14 years: $4,063.50 for basic pay and $135.45 for drill pay
16 years: $4,113.60 for basic pay and $137.12 for drill pay
18 years or more: $4,172.10 for basic pay and $139.07 for drill pay

E-7

It’s rare for enlisted service members to achieve an E-7 rank with less than 10 years of service. In fact, many service members retire at this rank. This coveted rank supplies these titles:

Air Force: Master sergeant
Army: Sergeant 1st class
Marine Corps: Gunnery sergeant
Navy: Chief petty officer

As an E-7, your pay steadily increases until you reach 26 years of service. Here’s a look at your monthly pay for this rank:

Less than two years: $3,114.30 for basic pay and $103.81 for drill pay
Two years: $3,399.00 for basic pay and $113.30 for drill pay
Three years: $3,529.50 for basic pay and $117.65 per month for drill pay
Four years: $3,701.40 for basic pay and $123.38 for drill pay
Six years: $3,836.10 for basic pay and $127.87 for drill pay
Eight years: $4,067.40 for basic pay and $135.58 for drill pay
10 years: $4,197.90 for basic pay and $139.93 for drill pay
12 years: $4,428.90 for basic pay and $147.63 for drill pay
14 years: $4,621.50 for basic pay and $154.05 for drill pay
16 years: $4,752.60 for basic pay and $158.42 for drill pay
18 years: $4,892.40 for basic pay and $163.08 for drill pay
20 years: $4,946.40 for basic pay and $164.88 for drill pay
22 years: $5,128.50 for basic pay and $170.95 for drill pay
24 years: $5,226.00 for basic pay and $174.20 for drill pay
26 years or more: $5,597.40 for basic pay and $186.58 for drill pay

E-8

You can advance to an E-8 rank after serving as little as eight years. Along with getting a pay increase, your title gets promoted to:

Air Force: Senior master sergeant or 1st sergeant
Army/Marine Corps: 1st sergeant or master sergeant
Navy: Senior chief petty officer

Here’s what the monthly basic and drill pay looks like for the E-8 rank:

Eight years: $4,480.20 for basic pay and $149.34 for drill pay
10 years: $4,678.20 for basic pay and $155.94 for drill pay
12 years: $4,800.90 for basic pay and $160.03 for drill pay
14 years: $4,947.60 for basic pay and $164.92 for drill pay
16 years: $5,107.20 for basic pay and $170.24 for drill pay
18 years: $5,394.60 for basic pay and $179.82 for drill pay
20 years: $5,540.10 for basic pay and $184.67 for drill pay
22 years: $5,787.90 for basic pay and $192.93 for drill pay
24 years: $5,925.60 for basic pay and $197.52 for drill pay
26 years: $6,264.00 for basic pay and $208.80 for drill pay
30 years or more: $6,389.70 for basic pay and $212.99 for drill pay

E-9

Before you can achieve an E-9 rank, you must have at least 10 years of military service. Upon promotion, you earn the title of:

Air Force: Chief master sergeant
Army: Sergeant major
Marine Corps: Master gunnery sergeant or sergeant major
Navy: Master chief petty officer

The monthly basic and drill pay for an E-9 varies based on your years of service:

10 years: $5,472.90 for basic pay and $182.43 for drill pay
12 years: $5,596.80 for basic pay and $186.56 for drill pay
14 years: $5,753.40 for basic pay and $191.78 for drill pay
16 years: $5,936.70 for basic pay and $197.89 for drill pay
18 years: $6,123.00 for basic pay and $204.10 for drill pay
20 years: $6,419.40 for basic pay and $213.98 for drill pay
22 years: $6,671.40 for basic pay and $222.38 for drill pay
24 years: $6,935.10 for basic pay and $231.17 for drill pay
26 years: $7,340.10 for basic pay and $244.67 for drill pay
30 years: $7,706.40 for basic pay and $256.88 for drill pay
34 years: $8,092.20 for basic pay and $269.74 for drill pay
38 years or more: $8,497.50 for basic pay and $283.25 for drill pay

Commissioned officers

Unlike enlisted service members, commissioned officers have to have a college degree, they outrank most other military personnel and they command those under them. Here’s a closer look at the ranks and pay for commissioned officers:

O-1
O-2
O-3
O-4
O-5
O-6
O-7
O-8
O-9
O-10

O-1

An O-1, referred to as an ensign in the Navy and a 2nd lieutenant in the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force, can earn as much as $4,136.40 per month for basic pay and $137.88 for drill pay.

O-2

After serving for two years, most commissioned officers are automatically promoted to O-2. Once they have served for more than six years, an O-2 officer, known as a lieutenant junior grade in the Navy and a 1st lieutenant for every other branch of the military, can make as much as $5,241.30 per month for active duty basic pay and up to $174.71 per month for reserve drill pay.

O-3

Known as a captain or a lieutenant, an O-3’s monthly income can reach $7,131.30 for basic pay and $237.71 for drill pay after 14 or more years of service.

O-4

An O-4 can earn as much as $8,324.10 per month in basic pay or $139.07 per month in drill pay after serving for 18 years or more.

O-5

Commissioned officers with an O-5 rank and 22 years of experience can make up to $9,816.60 per month in basic pay and $327.22 per month in reserve pay.

O-6

O-6 officers reach their pay cap after 30 years of service. At that point, they can earn as much as $12,270.30 per month in basic pay and $409.01 in reserve pay.

O-7

As an O-7, you can earn as much as $13,656.00 per month in basic pay and $455.20 in drill pay after 30 years of service.

O-8

After 34 years of service, you can earn up to $15,857.40 in basic pay and $528.58 in reserve pay as an O-8 officer.

O-9

The O-9 rank is reserved for military personnel that have served for over 20 years. The paygrade cap for this rank is $16,441.80 per month in basic pay or $548.06 per month in drill pay.

O-10

Officers are only eligible for the O-10 rank after 20 years of military service, and the monthly income is $16,441.80 for basic pay and $548.06 for drill pay, regardless of your years of service.

Other aspects of military compensation

There are also opportunities for military personnel to earn additional income, known as special pay, because of special skills or duties. In the Army, there are several types of special pay, including:

Special duty pay
Hardship duty pay
Foreign language proficiency pay
Flight pay
Special pay for healthcare providers
Diving duty and sea pay