Updated August 2026
O-1 Pay 2026 — Second Lieutenant
Complete 2026 O-1 (Second Lieutenant) base pay table by years of service, plus BAH rates and total compensation breakdown. All rates include the 3.8% pay raise effective January 1, 2026.
What O-1 Is Called in Each Branch
O-1 is a paygrade, not a rank. Every branch pays O-1 the same base pay from the same table — only the title changes. If you came here from a Navy or Coast Guard search, the numbers below are yours too.
| Branch | Rank at O-1 |
|---|---|
| Army | Second Lieutenant (2LT) |
| Marine Corps | Second Lieutenant (2ndLt) |
| Navy | Ensign (ENS) |
| Air Force | Second Lieutenant (2d Lt) |
| Space Force | Second Lieutenant (2d Lt) |
| Coast Guard | Ensign (ENS) |
Rank titles: U.S. Department of War, Military Rank Insignia. Where a service lists two ranks at one paygrade, the job determines which one you hold — the pay is identical.
O-1 Base Pay Table — 2026
| Years of Service | Monthly Pay | Annual Pay |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or less | $4,150.20 | $49,802.40 |
| 2 | $4,320.00 | $51,840.00 |
| 3 | $5,222.40 | $62,668.80 |
All amounts reflect the 3.8% pay raise effective January 1, 2026. Source: DFAS.
O-1 base pay keeps rising through 3 years of service, from $4,150.20 at entry to $5,222.40. Promotion to O-2 is worth $1,050.00 more per month at that point ($12,600 a year) before any change in BAH.
O-1 BAH Rates — 2026 (With Dependents)
BAH for an O-1 with dependents ranges from $1,218 to $5,172 per month, with a national average of approximately $2,270/mo across 338 locations.
Top 5 Highest BAH Locations
- San Francisco, CA$5,172/mo
- New York City, NY$5,073/mo
- Boston, MA$4,803/mo
- Northern New Jersey, NJ$4,791/mo
- Santa Clara County, CA$4,704/mo
Top 5 Lowest BAH Locations
- Youngstown, OH$1,218/mo
- Anniston/Fort McClellan, AL$1,230/mo
- Vance AFB/Enid, OK$1,245/mo
- Monroe, LA$1,251/mo
- Fort Sill/Lawton, OK$1,272/mo
Total Compensation Example — O-1 at 2 Years
BAH and BAS are tax-free allowances. Actual total compensation varies by duty station and dependency status. Use the Military Pay Calculator for a personalized estimate.
O-1 Drill Pay — Guard and Reserve
Guard and Reserve members at O-1 are paid from the same base pay table. One drill period pays 1/30 of the monthly base pay above, and a standard drill weekend is four periods.
| Years of service | 1 drill period | Drill weekend (4) | Annual (48 drills + 15 AT days) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 2 yrs | $138.34 | $553.36 | $8,715 |
| Over 3 yrs | $174.08 | $696.32 | $10,967 |
Drill periods are computed as monthly base pay ÷ 30 per DFAS Reserve Component drill pay rules; annual training is paid at the active-duty daily rate, so 15 AT days add 15 daily payments rather than 30 drill periods. Run your own numbers with the Drill Pay Calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
How O-1 pay changed in 2026
The 2026 pay raise added 3.8% to O-1 base pay compared with 2025 — $191 more per month at 6 years of service. Officer pay at this grade is capped by Executive Schedule limits at senior levels, so the table below shows where the raise actually lands.
| Years of service | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Over 2 yrs | $4,162/mo | $4,320/mo | +$158 (3.8%) |
| Over 6 yrs | $5,031/mo | $5,222/mo | +$191 (3.8%) |
| Over 12 yrs | $5,031/mo | $5,222/mo | +$191 (3.8%) |
Promotion is still the bigger lever: at 6 years of service, pinning on O-2 is worth $1,395 more per month in base pay alone ($16,744 a year) — before any change in BAH.
2025 figures: DoD pay tables (incl. the April 2025 junior-enlisted adjustment). 2026 figures: official tables effective January 1, 2026.