How Much Does The US Military Pay for Each Rank?

How much does the US military pay for each rank? – Military pay isn’t that bad, but military pay isn’t that good either. It’s hard for an inexperi+enced high school student to get a higher starting pay. But for an adult with years of experience who has been trained in critical professional skills, it’s not so great compared to similar civilian salaries.

How much does the US military pay for each rank?

MilitaryEzyInfo.com | Here’s a list of typical salaries for military ranks, from Army recruits earning $20,172 a year to Air Force generals taking home $189,600.

The base pay for the first six months of military service is less than $20,000 per year. However, the military will give you raises as you advance in rank and experience.

Basic Pay

The Marine Corps’ highest-ranking enlisted man, Marine Sergeant Major Ronald Green, earns more than $90,000 a year in base pay alone.

Military salaries are much higher. The young officer earns about $38,250 a year.

Base pay is only part of their compensation. Most military officers also receive benefits such as housing, food, uniform, and service allowances, many of which are tax-exempt.

Unless you serve in a designated tax-free combat zone, your base pay is taxable (as of 2015, members of the military pay a 6.2 percent tax on earnings of up to $118,500). You will pay federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare (Medicare’s tax rate is 1.45% of all pay), local and state taxes on your base pay. Some states do not tax military pay, while others do not tax it if it is out of state. The state that remitted the taxes as your “official residence” will determine the state tax rules that apply to you.

Every year, Congress passes the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes the Defense Appropriations Act and pays raises for military personnel. It is tailored to ensure that military pay does not fall too far behind civilian pay, but it depends on the policy.

What are the salaries of US military personnel?

The answer to this question depends on one’s rank, hours of service, duty station, location, family, and military specialty.

Other benefits include government health care and a portion of their pay is tax-free, which allows military personnel to stretch their income a little longer than civilians.

To give you an idea, I’ve broken down their monthly pay (base pay) by rank. I estimated their salaries based on how many years they typically served before they reached that rank. Some military personnel spends more time in each rank than we calculated, while others spend less time and advance faster.

We also did not include factors such as housing allowances because they vary widely, but they are often a large percentage of compensation. Also, we did not include warrant officers.

Each branch of the military sets the rules for promotions and has an “up or down” policy that determines how long a serviceman can remain in the military without being promoted.

Here are the approximate annual basic fees for each rank

Е-1: $20,172 Per Year

A martial arts instructor demonstrates Marine’s skills. Martial arts training at the Marine Corps Recruit Camp in San Diego, California. Fighters are paid minimally while they are in boot camp, but their pay increases gradually as they gain experience.CPL. Christian Garcia/US Marine Corps

E-1 is the lowest military rank in the U.S. Army: Airman Basic (Air Force), Private (Army and Navy), and Sailor Rookie (Navy). Military personnel usually undergo basic training and are automatically promoted after six months of service.

Base pay (salary) starts at $1,554 per month for this rank. After four months of service, the salary will be increased to $1,681 per month.

As punishment for misconduct, superiors may demote a soldier to this rank.

Е-2: $22,608 Per Year

Soldiers are automatically promoted to E-2 years (Air Force), Private (Army), Private First Class (Marines), and Trainee Seaman (Navy) after six months of service.

Their salary will increase to $1,884 per month.

E-3: $23,772 Per Year

Promotion to E-3 is automatic after 12 months of service. Airman 1st class (Air Force), Private 1st class (Army), Corporal (Marines), Seaman (Navy).

Base pay is $1,981 for this rank, with an additional $427 per month pay raise after one year of service.

Е-4: $ 27,684 per year

Tenure requirements vary by branch of the military, but military personnel promoted to E-4 usually have at least two years of tenure. Senior Airman (Air Force), Specialist and Corporal (Army), Corporal (Marine Corps), Third Class (Navy).

Even if E-3s don’t get a raise in two years, their pay goes up to $2,195.

Those who reach E-4 in two years will see their monthly salary increase to $2,307. Some fighters can be promoted after only one year; those who stay at the E-4 level will not see their monthly salary increase to $2,432 until they have completed three years of service.

Е-5: $ 32,136 per year

Promotion is no longer automatic, but it is possible to advance to E-5 after three years of service. These ranks are Staff Sergeant (Air Force), Sergeant (Army and Navy), and Petty Officer (Navy).

The new pay for these service members will be $2,678 per month.

Active duty military personnel usually spend at least three years on this pay. During this time, they are not promoted, but their pay increases with their years of service.

After four years of being drafted, an E-5 is worth $2,804 a month; after six years of service, their pay increases again – to $3,001 a month, even if they are not promoted.

Е-6: $ 39,048 per year

First Class Petty Officer Eisenhower from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower participates in public relations. The logo on their t-shirts is a variation of the Navy’s E-6 emblem, with an eagle on three inverted chevrons and a special seaman’s badge.

It is nearly impossible for a military officer to attain the rank of E-6 – Technical Officer (Air Force), Staff Sergeant (Army and Navy), or Petty Officer First Class (Navy) – with less than six years of service.

“E-6 with six” brings in $3,254 a month.

With more than two years of service, that amount increases to $3,543 per month. This works out to about $42,500 per month or about $42,500 per year.

It is not an unheard-of miracle to reach the next higher pay level, E-7 before you have worked for 10 years, but it is not guaranteed either.

Your next pay raise will come 12 years after your enrollment date, at which point your monthly salary will be $3,875.

E-7: $ 47,340 per year

It is not common to achieve the coveted rank of E-7, i.e. Chief Master Sergeant (Air Force), First Sergeant (Army), Gunnery Sergeant (Marine Corps), or Petty Officer (Navy), with less than 10 years of service, but it can be done.

Those who reach this milestone (E-7) earn $3945 per month, increasing to $4072 per month when they reach their 10-year enlistment anniversary.

At 20 years of service, the monthly salary is already $4,798 and the annual salary is $57,576.

The military sets limits on the amount of time each serviceman can spend in their respective ranks. This is usually referred to as “above or below,” meaning that a soldier cannot reenlist without advancing. These vary from branch to branch of the military, but in the Navy, this limit occurs at 24 years of senior midshipman service.

An executive with 24 years of service earns $5,069 per month.

E-8: $ 55,884 per year

Military personnel can upgrade to E-8 – Senior Master Sergeant or Petty Officer 1st Class (Air Force), Sergeant 1st Class or Master Sergeant (Army), Sergeant 1st Class or Petty Officer 1st Class (Marine Corps), Senior Petty Officer (Navy).

At that point, you will receive $4,657 per month.

A service member who retires as an E-8 after 20 years of service will receive $5,374 per month or $64,488 per year.

If he remains on active duty, he will receive a salary raise every two years.

An E-8 with 28 years of service earns $6,076 a month.

The Army’s “up or down” policy does not allow a first sergeant or major to serve more than 29 years.

Е-9: $ 66,960 per year

The Chief Master Sergeant insignia can be seen on jackets prepared for the dedication ceremony. Less than 1 percent of U.S. Air Force personnel receive this rank

E-9s have between 15 and 30 years of service, although few elected to certain positions may have more than 30 years of service. Their titles are Chief Master Sergeant (Air Force), Sergeant Major (Army), Senior Command Sergeant or Sergeant Major (Marines), Master Chief Petty Officer (Navy).

Servicemembers who reach that rank with 15 years of service will receive $5,580 a month.

They will get their next pay raise when they have 16 years of service and will earn $5,758 a month.

After 20 years, they will receive $6,227 which’s $74,724 a year when they reach retirement age.

Some branches of the military allow E-9s to stay in the military until age 32, at which point they will earn $7475 or $89,700 a year.

О-1: $ 38,256 Per Year

Compared to enlisted personnel with the same length of service, military personnel earns significantly more.

A newly promoted O-1 officer – 2nd Lieutenant (Army/Navy/Air Force), Warrant Officer (Navy) – earns $3,188 per month in base pay alone.

О-2: $ 50,208 Per Year

Officers are automatically promoted to O-2 after two years of service. This represents one of the largest individual pay increases in a career and is a highly anticipated promotion. These ranks refer to Lieutenant (Air Force/Army/Marine Corps) and Lieutenant j. g. (Navy).

O-2 earns $4,184 per month, which is $50,208 per year.

О-3: $ 68,052 Per Year

Officers receive a raise when they reach three years of service.

Using the average Army promotion schedule, an officer automatically receives the next rank after four years of service.

New captains and senior lieutenants with four years of service receive a monthly salary of $5,671. At this rank, officers receive a pay raise every two years.

О-4: $ 86,832 Per Year

By the time they reach the rank of O-4, military personnel will have served an average of 10 years. Major (Air Force/Army/Marine Corps), Lieutenant Colonel (Navy)

A major or lieutenant colonel with 10 years of service earns a monthly salary of $7,236, or just under $86,832 per year. Officers’ salaries continue to be increased every two years.

The O-4 salary is capped at $8,074 per month, so if the officer wants to take home a six-figure salary, he will need to move to an O-5.

О-5: $ 105,012 Per Year

An officer usually spends at least 17 years in the military before moving to O-5.

The pay is $8,751 per month until the 18th year of service, after which it increases to $8,998 per month. These ranks are Lieutenant Colonel (Air Force/Army/Marine Corps) and Commander (Navy Commander).

After 18 years of service in the military, an officer receives an annual salary of nearly $108,000 per year.

О-6: $ 130,092 Per Year

“Full Bird” “Full Bird” Navy captains and lieutenants with an average of 22 years of service are paid $10,841. The average salary is $10,841 per month.

Officers who are not promoted to general or admiral must retire after 30 years of service. At that point, they will earn $11,668 per month or about $140,000 per year.

О-7: $ 155,820 Per Year

Promotion to brigadier general and major general depends on a number of variables, including job availability.

Each of these ranks has its own duty requirements, and as with the Up or Down policy, officers must either advance to the next higher rank or retire.

Officers with less than five years in the lowest flag rank must retire after 30 years of service. In the most recent pay raise, my monthly salary was increased to $12,985.

О-8: $ 184,572 Per Year

Generals and Admirals with two stars – Major General (Air Force/Army/Marines), Rear Admiral (Navy) – must retire after 35 years of military service.

At that point, they will earn $ 15,381 per month or $ 184,572 per year.

О-9: $ 189,600 Per Year

Lt. Gen. Martin of the U.S. Army lays a wreath for President Abraham Lincoln’s 210th birthday. The corporal in the photo takes about six months to earn as much as Martin gets home each month.

Military pay is regulated and capped by the U.S. Code.

Three- and four-star admirals and generals who stay in the service long enough will both receive the maximum compensation allowed by the code. These ranks are Vice Admirals in the Navy and Lieutenant Generals in other branches of the military.

Excluding fringe benefits, cost-of-living adjustments, and allowances, the maximum salary for these officers is $15,800. That’s about $189,600 per year.

О-10: $ 189,600 Per Year

Regardless of the length of service, once a serviceman reaches the four-star rank of general or admiral, he loses his pay raise and is limited to $15,800 per month.

Supplemental payments and allowances help to increase their pay slightly.

Additional benefits

While base pay may seem stingy, especially in the lower ranks, enlisted personnel receive about $20,000 per year.

However, military personnel receive many benefits and may qualify for additional benefits.

TRICARE Prime, a primary care package for military personnel, is free for active-duty military personnel. This can save $6,896 per year for a single service member.

Once they are able to live off base, they are eligible for the Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH), which is increased with each pay raise. Military personnel is also given allowances to cover food costs, and living wage allowances (COLA) are given at higher duty stations. Civilians also receive subsidies to help cover the cost of military uniforms.

The government does not tax the portion of your salary that is designated as “supplemental,” which means that you pay taxes on only about two-thirds of your employment income.