Military Pay Calculator

Monthly base pay = table value for (paygrade, years-of-service column)
Annual base pay = Monthly × 12
Semi-monthly cheque (1st and 15th) = Monthly / 2

• PaygradeE-1 to E-9 enlisted, W-1 to W-5 warrant, O-1 to O-10 officer
• Years of servicetotal creditable service, which selects the column in the pay table
• Base paythe taxable core salary, before any allowance or special pay

• The example names the 2026 table because the schedule is replaced every January under the annual pay raise set by the NDAA. A figure from one year is simply wrong in the next, and the tool follows whichever table it is configured with.
• Base pay alone understates total compensation, often severely. Basic Allowance for Housing varies by duty ZIP code, paygrade, and dependency status and can exceed $3,000 a month in high-cost areas; Basic Allowance for Subsistence is a flat monthly food allowance at separate enlisted and officer rates. Both are non-taxable, which is why Regular Military Compensation is the honest comparison against a civilian salary, not base pay.
• Special and incentive pays stack on top and are trade-specific: flight pay, sea pay, hazardous duty, dive pay, submarine duty, foreign language proficiency, and hardship duty location pay each have their own eligibility rules and monthly amounts.
• The lookup uses the full DFAS service steps (2 or less, over 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10 and on up to over 40 years). Pay caps: most enlisted grades stop rising well before an officer grade does, and pay is subject to the Level II Executive Schedule ceiling at the top.
• Pay lands on the 1st and 15th, so the monthly figure divides into two equal cheques, rather than the 26 biweekly cheques a civilian comparison usually assumes.