2026 DFAS Basic Pay · Effective 1 Jan 2026
Military Pay Charts by Rank
The official 2026 DoD basic pay table, split into one page per pay grade and years-of-service bracket — 540 in all. Basic pay is the same across every branch; only the rank title changes. These figures exclude BAH, BAS, and special pays.
Enlisted
| Pay Grade | Common Titles | Entry (0 yrs) | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 | Private · Seaman Recruit · Airman Basic | $2,407.00 | $2,407.00 |
| E-2 | Private · Seaman Apprentice · Airman · Private First Class | $2,698.00 | $2,698.00 |
| E-3 | Private First Class · Seaman · Airman First Class · Lance Corporal | $2,837.00 | $3,198.00 |
| E-4 | Specialist · Petty Officer Third Class · Senior Airman · Corporal | $3,142.00 | $3,815.00 |
| E-5 | Sergeant · Petty Officer Second Class · Staff Sergeant | $3,343.00 | $4,422.00 |
| E-6 | Staff Sergeant · Petty Officer First Class · Technical Sergeant | $3,401.00 | $5,268.00 |
| E-7 | Sergeant First Class · Chief Petty Officer · Master Sergeant · Gunnery Sergeant | $3,932.00 | $7,067.00 |
| E-8 | Master Sergeant · Senior Chief Petty Officer · Senior Master Sergeant | $0.00 | $8,068.00 |
| E-9 | Sergeant Major · Master Chief Petty Officer · Chief Master Sergeant · Master Gunnery Sergeant | $0.00 | $10,729.00 |
Warrant Officer
Commissioned Officer
Prior-Enlisted Officer
Common questions
- What is military basic pay?
- Basic pay is the taxable salary every service member draws, set by pay grade and years of service in a single DoD-wide table — it is the same for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard. It does not include BAH (housing), BAS (food), or any special or incentive pay. An E-5 with 6 years of service draws $4,110.00 per month in basic pay; an O-3 with 6 years draws $7,737.00.
- How often does basic pay increase?
- Two ways. Congress sets an across-the-board raise each year in the NDAA — the 2026 tables reflect a 3.8% increase effective 1 January 2026. Separately, you move to a higher years-of-service bracket on your pay-entry-base-date anniversary, and to a new grade on promotion. Both are automatic; neither requires an application.
- Why do the years-of-service columns skip numbers?
- The DFAS table publishes brackets, not every individual year — 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 and so on. Your pay changes when you cross into the next published bracket, not on every anniversary. A page here exists for each published bracket, so the figure you see is the table value rather than an interpolation.
- Is this the same pay for every branch?
- Yes. Basic pay is set by grade and years of service only. The rank titles differ by branch — an E-5 is a Sergeant in the Army and Marine Corps, a Petty Officer Second Class in the Navy and Coast Guard, and a Staff Sergeant in the Air Force — but the dollar figure is identical.