Updated August 2026
O-6 Pay 2026 — Colonel
Complete 2026 O-6 (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-6 Is Called in Each Branch
O-6 is a paygrade, not a rank. Every branch pays O-6 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-6 |
|---|---|
| Army | Colonel (COL) |
| Marine Corps | Colonel (Col) |
| Navy | Captain (CAPT) |
| Air Force | Colonel (Col) |
| Space Force | Colonel (Col) |
| Coast Guard | Captain (CAPT) |
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-6 Base Pay Table — 2026
| Years of Service | Monthly Pay | Annual Pay |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or less | $8,751.30 | $105,015.60 |
| 2 | $9,613.80 | $115,365.60 |
| 3 | $10,245.00 | $122,940.00 |
| 6 | $10,284.30 | $123,411.60 |
| 8 | $10,725.00 | $128,700.00 |
| 10 | $10,783.50 | $129,402.00 |
| 14 | $11,396.40 | $136,756.80 |
| 16 | $12,479.70 | $149,756.40 |
| 18 | $13,115.40 | $157,384.80 |
| 20 | $13,751.10 | $165,013.20 |
| 22 | $14,112.90 | $169,354.80 |
| 24 | $14,479.20 | $173,750.40 |
| 26 | $15,188.70 | $182,264.40 |
| 30 | $15,408.30 | $184,899.60 |
All amounts reflect the 3.8% pay raise effective January 1, 2026. Source: DFAS.
O-6 base pay keeps rising through 30 years of service, from $8,751.30 at entry to $15,408.30. Promotion to O-7 is worth $1,833.90 more per month at that point ($22,007 a year) before any change in BAH.
O-6 BAH Rates — 2026 (With Dependents)
BAH for an O-6 with dependents ranges from $1,839 to $8,136 per month, with a national average of approximately $3,346/mo across 338 locations.
Top 5 Highest BAH Locations
- Westchester County, NY$8,136/mo
- New York City, NY$7,194/mo
- San Francisco, CA$7,155/mo
- Nantucket, MA$6,993/mo
- Boston, MA$6,540/mo
Top 5 Lowest BAH Locations
- Youngstown, OH$1,839/mo
- Cannon AFB/Clovis, NM$1,956/mo
- Stevens Point, WI$2,010/mo
- Saginaw, MI$2,022/mo
- Monroe, LA$2,055/mo
Total Compensation Example — O-6 at 16 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-6 Drill Pay — Guard and Reserve
Guard and Reserve members at O-6 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 | $291.71 | $1,166.84 | $18,378 |
| Over 8 yrs | $357.50 | $1,430.00 | $22,523 |
| Over 20 yrs | $458.37 | $1,833.48 | $28,877 |
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-6 pay changed in 2026
The 2026 pay raise added 3.8% to O-6 base pay compared with 2025 — $377 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 | $9,262/mo | $9,614/mo | +$352 (3.8%) |
| Over 6 yrs | $9,908/mo | $10,284/mo | +$377 (3.8%) |
| Over 12 yrs | $10,389/mo | $10,784/mo | +$395 (3.8%) |
Promotion is still the bigger lever: at 6 years of service, pinning on O-7 is worth $2,594 more per month in base pay alone ($31,133 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.