Active Duty Enlisted Basic Military Pay Charts 2019

The enlisted personnel of all branches of service received a 2.6 percent military pay raise for all pay grades effective January 1, 2019. Base pay is the same across all service branches and is based on rank and time in service, with pay raises according to years of creditable service. There are two distinct career paths in the military: Commissioned officers and enlisted. 

How U.S. Military Pay is Determined

Each military service has its own name for the various enlisted ranks (Navy and Coast Guard are the same), but they share the same ranking scales and base pay regardless of their military occupational specialty (MOS) or job.  

However, many jobs in the military offer specialty pays and bonuses.  These charts do not reflect the different specialty pays that are available within the military branches.  Most enlisted members enter the military at the lowest pay grade (E-1) and climb the pay scale to higher positions with greater pay. Enlisted pay grades range from E-1 through E-9 ("E" represents Enlisted, and refers to that rank across all branches of the miliary. An E-1 in the Army is a private, in the Navy an ensign, and so on).

Military members receive a monthly base pay which is based on their rank and time in service. Military pay is subject to income tax unless it is earned in a designated combat zone. 

Commissioned Officer Pay in the U.S. Military

To gain the pay advantages of a commissioned officer, some enter the military with a higher education degree and begin their military careers through one of the officer candidate schools; some are high school graduates who attend a service academy or a civilian college while participating in an ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Corps) program.

There are other enlisted to officer commissioning programs as well, such as warrant officer programs and limited duty officer. Neither requires advanced education after high school, but have restrictions to command level billets as they increase in time and rank. 

Types of Special Pay in the U.S. Military

The military maintains various other pays that are not included as part of the pay tables below. Additionally, there are a number of allowances provided, including the clothing allowance, basic allowance for housing and cost of living allowance.

These allowances are not taxed as they are not considered pay. However, there are other special pays that are taxed: Dive pay, jump pay, hazardous duty pay, hostile fire pay, combat pay, submarine pay, flight pay and special professionals pay for lawyers, doctors and nurses.

The basic pay charts below are for enlisted members of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and National Guard for the calendar year 2019.

               Active Duty Enlisted Basic U.S. Military Pay Charts 2019

GRADE	2 Years or Less	Over 2	Over 3	Over 4	Over 6	Over 8
E-7	$3,020.70	$3,296.70	$3,423.30	$3,590.10	$3,720.90	$3,945.00
E-6	$2,612.70	$2,875.20	$3,002.10	$3,125.40	$3,254.10	$3,543.30
E-5	$2,393.40	$2,554.80	$2,678.10	$2,804.40	$3,001.50	$3,207.00
E-4	$2,194.50	$2,307.00	$2,431.80	$2,555.40	$2,664.00	$2,664.00
E-3	$1,981.20	$2,105.70	$2,233.50	$2,233.50	$2,233.50	$2,233.50
E-2	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00
E-1 over 4 months	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90
E-1 4 mos	$1,554.00

GRADE	Over 10 yrs	Over 12	Over 14	Over 16	Over 18	Over 20
E-9 (*4)	$5,308.20	$5,428.50	$5,580.30	$5,758.20	$5,938.80	$6,226.50
E-8	$4,537.50	$4,656.60	$4,798.80	$4,953.60	$5,232.30	$5,373.60
E-7	$4,071.60	$4,295.70	$4,482.60	$4,609.80	$4,745.40	$4,797.60
E-6	$3,656.40	$3,874.80	$3,941.40	$3,990.00	$4,046.70	$4,046.70
E-5	$3,376.20	$3,396.60	$3,396.60	$3,396.60	$3,396.60	$3,396.60
E-4	$2,664.00	$2,664.00	$2,664.00	$2,664.00	$2,664.00	$2,664.00
E-3	$2,233.50	$2,233.50	$2,233.50	$2,233.50	$2,233.50	$2,233.50
E-2	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00
E-1 over 4 monthss	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90

GRADE	Over 22 yrs	Over 24	Over 26	Over 28	Over 30	Over 32
E-9	$6,470.70	$6,726.60	$7,119.30	$7,119.30	$7,474.80	$7,474.80
E-8	$5,613.90	$5,747.40	$6,075.60	$6,075.60	$6,197.70	$6,197.70
E-7	$4,974.30	$5,068.80	$5,429.10	$5,429.10	$5,429.10	$5,429.10
E-6	$4,046.70	$4,046.70	$4,046.70	$4,046.70	$4,046.70	$4,046.70
E-5	$3,396.60	$3,396.60	$3,396.60	$3,396.60	$3,396.60	$3,396.60
E-4	$2,664.00	$2,664.00	$2,664.00	$2,664.00	$2,664.00	$2,664.00
E-3	$2,233.50	$2,233.50	$2,233.50	$2,233.50	$2,233.50	$2,233.50
E-2	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00
E-1 over 4 months	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90

GRADE	Over 34 yrs	Over 36	Over 38	Over 40
E-9	$7,848.90	$7,848.90	$8,241.90	$8,241.90
E-8	$6,197.70	$6,197.70	$6,197.70	$6,197.70
E-7	$5,429.10	$5,429.10	$5,429.10	$5,429.10
E-6	$4,046.70	$4,046.70	$4,046.70	$4,046.70
E-5	$3,396.60	$3,396.60	$3,396.60	$3,396.60
E-4	$2,664.00	$2,664.00	$2,664.00	$2,664.00
E-3	$2,233.50	$2,233.50	$2,233.50	$2,233.50
E-2	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00	$1,884.00
E-1 over 4 months	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90	$1,680.90