Updated August 2026
O-5 Pay 2026 — Lieutenant Colonel
Complete 2026 O-5 (Lieutenant Colonel) 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-5 Is Called in Each Branch
O-5 is a paygrade, not a rank. Every branch pays O-5 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-5 |
|---|---|
| Army | Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) |
| Marine Corps | Lieutenant Colonel (LtCol) |
| Navy | Commander (CDR) |
| Air Force | Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) |
| Space Force | Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) |
| Coast Guard | Commander (CDR) |
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-5 Base Pay Table — 2026
| Years of Service | Monthly Pay | Annual Pay |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or less | $7,295.40 | $87,544.80 |
| 2 | $8,218.20 | $98,618.40 |
| 3 | $8,787.00 | $105,444.00 |
| 4 | $8,894.10 | $106,729.20 |
| 6 | $9,249.60 | $110,995.20 |
| 8 | $9,461.40 | $113,536.80 |
| 10 | $9,928.50 | $119,142.00 |
| 12 | $10,271.70 | $123,260.40 |
| 14 | $10,715.10 | $128,581.20 |
| 16 | $11,391.30 | $136,695.60 |
| 18 | $11,713.80 | $140,565.60 |
| 20 | $12,032.70 | $144,392.40 |
| 22 | $12,394.80 | $148,737.60 |
All amounts reflect the 3.8% pay raise effective January 1, 2026. Source: DFAS.
O-5 base pay keeps rising through 22 years of service, from $7,295.40 at entry to $12,394.80. Promotion to O-6 is worth $1,718.10 more per month at that point ($20,617 a year) before any change in BAH.
O-5 BAH Rates — 2026 (With Dependents)
BAH for an O-5 with dependents ranges from $1,827 to $8,064 per month, with a national average of approximately $3,320/mo across 338 locations.
Top 5 Highest BAH Locations
- Westchester County, NY$8,064/mo
- New York City, NY$7,128/mo
- San Francisco, CA$7,089/mo
- Nantucket, MA$6,933/mo
- Boston, MA$6,483/mo
Top 5 Lowest BAH Locations
- Youngstown, OH$1,827/mo
- Cannon AFB/Clovis, NM$1,944/mo
- Stevens Point, WI$1,998/mo
- Saginaw, MI$2,007/mo
- Monroe, LA$2,040/mo
Total Compensation Example — O-5 at 10 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-5 Drill Pay — Guard and Reserve
Guard and Reserve members at O-5 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 | $243.18 | $972.72 | $15,320 |
| Over 4 yrs | $296.47 | $1,185.88 | $18,678 |
| Over 8 yrs | $315.38 | $1,261.52 | $19,869 |
| Over 12 yrs | $342.39 | $1,369.56 | $21,571 |
| Over 20 yrs | $401.09 | $1,604.36 | $25,269 |
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-5 pay changed in 2026
The 2026 pay raise added 3.8% to O-5 base pay compared with 2025 — $339 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 | $7,917/mo | $8,218/mo | +$301 (3.8%) |
| Over 6 yrs | $8,911/mo | $9,250/mo | +$339 (3.8%) |
| Over 12 yrs | $9,896/mo | $10,272/mo | +$376 (3.8%) |
Promotion is still the bigger lever: at 6 years of service, pinning on O-6 is worth $1,035 more per month in base pay alone ($12,416 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.