Military Rank Pay 2026
Pay is set by pay grade, but people look it up by rank title, and the same title is a different grade in different branches: a Staff Sergeant is E-5 in the Air Force and E-6 in the Army and Marine Corps, and a Captain is O-3 in the Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force and O-6 in the Navy and Coast Guard. Pick a title to see its grade in each branch with 2026 basic pay, drill pay and the 2027 outlook. 57 rank and position titles, from the defense.gov rank insignia page.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Page reviewed against DFAS pay tables and defense.gov rank titles October 26, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Not affiliated with the Department of Defense. FedRateCalc is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Defense, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) or any military branch. Figures are basic pay only; BAH, BAS, special and incentive pays, and taxes are separate and are not included. This page is general information, not pay or financial advice. Your leave and earnings statement (LES) in myPay is the record of what you are actually paid.
Enlisted
| Rank title | Pay grade by branch |
|---|---|
| Private | E-1 Army, Marine Corps; E-2 Army |
| Seaman Recruit | E-1 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Airman Basic | E-1 Air Force |
| Specialist 1 | E-1 Space Force |
| Private First Class | E-2 Marine Corps; E-3 Army |
| Seaman Apprentice | E-2 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Airman | E-2 Air Force |
| Specialist 2 | E-2 Space Force |
| Lance Corporal | E-3 Marine Corps |
| Seaman | E-3 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Airman First Class | E-3 Air Force |
| Specialist 3 | E-3 Space Force |
| Corporal | E-4 Army, Marine Corps |
| Specialist | E-4 Army |
| Petty Officer Third Class | E-4 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Senior Airman | E-4 Air Force |
| Specialist 4 | E-4 Space Force |
| Sergeant | E-5 Army, Marine Corps, Space Force |
| Petty Officer Second Class | E-5 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Staff Sergeant | E-5 Air Force; E-6 Army, Marine Corps |
| Petty Officer First Class | E-6 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Technical Sergeant | E-6 Air Force, Space Force |
| Sergeant First Class | E-7 Army |
| Gunnery Sergeant | E-7 Marine Corps |
| Chief Petty Officer | E-7 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Master Sergeant | E-7 Air Force, Space Force; E-8 Army, Marine Corps |
| First Sergeantposition within a grade | E-7 Air Force; E-8 Army, Marine Corps, Air Force; E-9 Air Force |
| Senior Chief Petty Officer | E-8 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Senior Master Sergeant | E-8 Air Force, Space Force |
| Sergeant Major | E-9 Army, Marine Corps |
| Master Gunnery Sergeant | E-9 Marine Corps |
| Master Chief Petty Officer | E-9 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Chief Master Sergeant | E-9 Air Force, Space Force |
Warrant officers
| Rank title | Pay grade by branch |
|---|---|
| Warrant Officer 1 | W-1 Army, Marine Corps, Navy |
| Chief Warrant Officer 2 | W-2 Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard |
| Chief Warrant Officer 3 | W-3 Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard |
| Chief Warrant Officer 4 | W-4 Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Coast Guard |
| Chief Warrant Officer 5 | W-5 Army, Marine Corps, Navy |
Commissioned officers
| Rank title | Pay grade by branch |
|---|---|
| Second Lieutenant | O-1 Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force |
| Ensign | O-1 Navy, Coast Guard |
| First Lieutenant | O-2 Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force |
| Lieutenant Junior Grade | O-2 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Captain | O-3 Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force; O-6 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Lieutenant | O-3 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Major | O-4 Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force |
| Lieutenant Commander | O-4 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Lieutenant Colonel | O-5 Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force |
| Commander | O-5 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Colonel | O-6 Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force |
| Brigadier General | O-7 Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force |
| Rear Admiral Lower Half | O-7 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Major General | O-8 Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force |
| Rear Admiral Upper Half | O-8 Navy, Coast Guard |
| Lieutenant General | O-9 Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force |
| Vice Admiral | O-9 Navy, Coast Guard |
| General | O-10 Army, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force |
| Admiral | O-10 Navy, Coast Guard |
Looking up by pay grade instead
The full table by pay grade and years of service is the military pay chart 2026; the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Space Force pay charts list each branch's titles.