The 2026 military pay chart reflects a 3.8% across-the-board increase to basic pay for all active-duty, Guard, and Reserve members. The raise was authorized by the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which President Trump signed into law on December 18, 2025. The new rates took effect January 1, 2026.
Basic pay is determined by two factors: your pay grade (E-1 through E-9 for enlisted, W-1 through W-5 for warrant officers, and O-1 through O-10 for commissioned officers) and your years of creditable service. Pay rates are identical across all six branches, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and Space Force.
Alongside the 3.8% basic pay raise, the 2026 NDAA included an average 4.2% national increase to Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) and a 2.4% increase to Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS).
Brand-new recruit, monthly basic pay
Mid-career enlisted, monthly
Senior NCO with a decade in service
Top enlisted, eligible to retire
New commissioned officer
Captain / Lieutenant equivalent
Major / Lt. Cmdr. mid-career
Colonel / Captain, senior officer
Basic pay rises in two ways: each promotion moves you to a higher row in the paychart, and each longevity step (Over 2, Over 4, Over 6, and so on) moves you to the right within your row.
Most service members receive at least two non-taxable allowances. BAH covers off-base housing and varies by ZIP, grade, and dependents. BAS covers food costs and is a flat monthly rate.
Service members in specific duty assignments or skill areas may earn additional monthly amounts: flight pay, sea pay, submarine duty pay, hazardous duty pay, hostile fire pay, and others.
Commissioned officers who served over 4 years of prior active enlisted or warrant officer service receive higher basic pay than standard officer rates at the same grade.
BAH offsets the cost of off-base housing and is calculated by ZIP code, pay grade, and dependency status. The 2026 national average increased 4.2%, though your individual rate can rise, fall, or stay flat depending on local housing-market data.
BAS pays for the cost of a service member's meals at their permanent duty station. Unlike BAH, BAS is a flat monthly rate that does not vary by location or dependents. Officers and enlisted members receive different rates, and 2026 figures increased 2.4% over 2025.
Members in specific duty assignments earn additional monthly amounts on top of basic pay: flight pay, sea pay, submarine duty pay, hazardous duty pay, hostile fire pay, foreign language proficiency pay, and more. Amounts vary by category, grade, and duration.
Annual military pay increases take effect on January 1 each year. For 2026, the 3.8% raise hit LES statements in mid-January 2026, paid on the standard mid-month payday.
Longevity step increases happen automatically when you cross a years-of-service threshold (Over 2, Over 4, Over 6, and so on). DFAS updates your rate at the first pay period after the date.
Promotion-driven raises happen as soon as you pin on the new rank and the action is processed into the pay system. Promotion typically produces the largest single-event pay increase.
The annual military basic pay raise is tied by law to the Employment Cost Index (ECI), a measure of private-sector wage and salary growth published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The October ECI year-over-year change becomes the automatic pay raise percentage for the following calendar year unless Congress legislates a different amount.
For 2026, the October 2024 ECI release showed a 3.8% year-over-year change in wages and salaries, which became the default planning figure. Congress kept the 3.8% number intact through the entire FY2026 NDAA cycle. The pay-raise formula is codified at U.S.C. Title 37, Chapter 19, §1009.
The logic behind tying military pay to private-sector wage growth is straightforward: it helps the armed services remain competitive with civilian employers for talent. When private wages rise faster than military pay, recruiting and retention typically suffer.
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