2026 Military Pay Tables with 3.8% Raise

2026 Military Pay Raise Confirmed: 3.8% Increase Now Official

The 2026 military pay raise is now official at 3.8%, as approved by Congress in the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This increase takes effect January 1, 2026, and applies to all active duty, reserve, and National Guard members across every branch of service.

Whether you’re planning your budget for the new year, calculating retirement projections, or comparing military compensation to civilian opportunities, these complete 2026 pay charts provide exact salary figures for every rank and time-in-service combination.

Looking for 2025 rates? See our complete 2025 Military Pay Tables for comparison.

2026 Enlisted Pay Table – Complete

All figures are monthly base pay. Multiply by 12 for annual salary. This does NOT include allowances (BAH, BAS) or special pays.

E-1 through E-4 Pay Rates (Junior Enlisted)

Rank	<2 Yrs	2 Yrs	3 Yrs	4 Yrs	6 Yrs
E-1	$2,094	–	–	–	–
E-2	$2,340	$2,340	–	–	–
E-3	$2,457	$2,611	$2,611	–	–
E-4	$2,722	$2,858	$3,009	$3,163	$3,210

E-5 through E-9 Pay Rates (NCO/Senior Enlisted)

Rank	<2	2	4	6	8	10	12	14	16	18	20	22	26
E-5	$2,963	$3,117	$3,339	$3,474	$3,632	$3,768	–	–	–	–	–	–	–
E-6	$3,233	–	$3,582	$3,732	$3,926	$4,075	$4,357	$4,485	–	–	–	–	–
E-7	$3,745	–	–	$4,186	$4,355	$4,539	$4,766	$4,965	$5,140	$5,313	$5,519	–	–
E-8	–	–	–	–	$5,006	$5,224	$5,450	$5,695	$5,910	$6,155	$6,590	$6,968
E-9	–	–	–	–	–	$5,944	$6,193	$6,416	$6,654	$6,901	$7,316	$7,764	$8,663

E-9 Special Rates: E-9 with over 30 years: $9,175/month ($110,100 annually)

2026 Officer Pay Table – Complete

O-1 through O-3 Pay Rates (Company Grade Officers)

Rank	<2 Yrs	2 Yrs	3 Yrs	4 Yrs	6 Yrs	8 Yrs	10 Yrs	14 Yrs
O-1	$3,923	$4,507	$5,414	–	–	–	–	–
O-2	$4,521	$5,568	$6,223	$6,478	$6,583	–	–	–
O-3	$5,235	$6,042	$6,442	$6,855	$7,413	$7,888	$8,367	$8,999

O-4 through O-6 Pay Rates (Field Grade Officers)

Rank	<2	3	6	8	10	14	18	20	22	26
O-4	$6,008	$6,977	$7,898	$8,327	$8,789	$9,661	$10,346	$10,816	–	–
O-5	$6,988	$8,061	$8,841	–	$9,759	$10,536	$11,412	$11,918	$12,423	$13,094
O-6	$8,398	$9,401	$10,169	–	$11,181	$12,262	$13,384	$14,077	$14,577	$15,615

O-6 Special Rate: O-6 with over 30 years: $17,120/month ($205,440 annually)

What 3.8% Means in Real Dollars

Here’s how the 2026 pay raise translates to actual monthly and annual increases compared to 2025:

Enlisted Pay Increases

E-3 with 2 years:

2025 Pay: $2,516/month ($30,192/year)
2026 Pay: $2,611/month ($31,332/year)
Increase: $95/month ($1,140/year)

E-5 with 6 years:

2025 Pay: $3,347/month ($40,164/year)
2026 Pay: $3,474/month ($41,688/year)
Increase: $127/month ($1,524/year)

E-7 with 14 years:

2025 Pay: $4,783/month ($57,396/year)
2026 Pay: $4,965/month ($59,580/year)
Increase: $182/month ($2,184/year)

E-9 with 22 years:

2025 Pay: $7,480/month ($89,760/year)
2026 Pay: $7,764/month ($93,168/year)
Increase: $284/month ($3,408/year)

Officer Pay Increases

O-2 with 3 years:

2025 Pay: $5,995/month ($71,940/year)
2026 Pay: $6,223/month ($74,676/year)
Increase: $228/month ($2,736/year)

O-3 with 8 years:

2025 Pay: $7,599/month ($91,188/year)
2026 Pay: $7,888/month ($94,656/year)
Increase: $289/month ($3,468/year)

O-4 with 14 years:

2025 Pay: $9,307/month ($111,684/year)
2026 Pay: $9,661/month ($115,932/year)
Increase: $354/month ($4,248/year)

O-5 with 20 years:

2025 Pay: $11,482/month ($137,784/year)
2026 Pay: $11,918/month ($143,016/year)
Increase: $436/month ($5,232/year)

2026 Warrant Officer Pay Table

Warrant officers bridge enlisted and commissioned officer ranks:

Rank	<2	2	6	10	14	18	20	22	26
W-1	$3,528	$4,013	$4,531	$4,979	$5,426	$5,747	$6,005	–	–
W-2	$4,020	$4,487	$5,070	$5,625	$6,091	$6,505	$6,838	$7,071	$7,425
W-3	$4,542	$5,009	$5,518	$6,192	$6,693	$7,214	$7,645	$7,989	$8,506
W-4	$4,973	$5,437	$5,921	$6,637	$7,243	$7,865	$8,403	$8,859	$9,527
W-5	–	–	–	–	–	–	$9,581	$10,027	$10,790

Why 3.8% Instead of the Projected 4.5%?

Earlier projections estimated a 4.5% raise based on anticipated Employment Cost Index (ECI) trends. However, the actual Q3 2024 ECI data showed wage growth moderating to 3.8%, which became the statutory baseline.

By law, military pay raises follow the ECI unless Congress votes for a different percentage. The 3.8% reflects:

Cooling inflation compared to 2022-2023
Normalized private sector wage growth
Economic stabilization post-pandemic

While 3.8% is lower than the 4.5-5.2% raises of 2023-2025, it remains above the historical average of 2.5% seen during 2014-2019.

Historical Pay Raise Comparison

Year	Pay Raise %	Notes
2026	3.8%	Matches ECI baseline
2025	4.5%	Largest since 2002
2024	5.2%	Targeted increases by rank
2023	4.6%	Inflation response
2022	2.7%	Pre-inflation spike
2021	3.0%	–
2020	3.1%	–
2019	2.6%	–
2018	2.4%	–
2017	2.1%	–
2016	1.3%	Lowest in decades

Impact on Total Military Compensation

Retirement Pay Increases

Military retirement pay is calculated as a percentage of base pay. The 3.8% increase means current retirees also see a 3.8% pension increase through the annual COLA adjustment.

Example: An E-7 retiree receiving $31,900/year pension would see it increase to $33,112/year—an extra $1,212 annually.

TSP Matching Benefits

Under the Blended Retirement System (BRS), the military matches TSP contributions up to 5% of base pay. Higher base pay means larger matching contributions.

Example: An E-6 contributing 5% of a $48,900 salary receives $2,445 in matching. With a 3.8% raise to $50,758, matching increases to $2,538—an extra $93 in free retirement savings annually.

2026 BAH and BAS Projections

Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH)

BAH is calculated separately from base pay using local rental market surveys. For 2026:

High-cost areas (SF, NYC, DC): Expected 2-4% increases
Moderate-cost areas: Expected 1-3% increases
Low-cost areas: Expected 0-2% increases or flat

Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS)

2026 BAS rates (projected):

Enlisted BAS: $323/month (up from $311 in 2025)
Officer BAS: $291/month (up from $280 in 2025)

When Does the 2026 Pay Raise Take Effect?

The 3.8% pay raise takes effect January 1, 2026. Your first paycheck reflecting the new rates will be the January 15, 2026 pay date.

If you’re on leave or TDY, the increase applies automatically—no action required on your part.

Using Pay Tables for Career Planning

Strategic use of pay tables helps maximize military earnings:

Promotion Value: An E-5 making $3,474/month who promotes to E-6 jumps to at least $3,582/month—an immediate $108/month raise ($1,296/year) even before time-in-service increases.

Reenlistment Timing: Timing your reenlistment around time-in-service milestones (2, 4, 6, 8, 10 years) can maximize both your bonus calculation and immediate pay increase.

Location Planning: Since BAH varies dramatically by location, a high-BAH assignment can add $15,000-$30,000 annually compared to low-cost areas.

The Bottom Line

The 2026 military pay raise of 3.8% continues competitive compensation for service members. While slightly lower than the exceptional 4.5-5.2% raises of 2023-2025, it exceeds historical averages and maintains military pay’s purchasing power.

Combined with tax-free allowances, healthcare, retirement benefits, and job security, total military compensation remains highly competitive with private sector opportunities—especially for enlisted personnel and junior officers.

Bookmark this page and check back for updates as we track 2027 pay projections and future military compensation changes.