2021 Military Pay Chart — Base Pay by Rank

Inflation Comparison: The 3% raise fell short of inflation (CPI: 4.7%), resulting in a real decrease of -1.7% in purchasing power.

Historical Reference: This page shows estimated 2021 military base pay rates derived from official data. Verify with DFAS for exact figures.

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Enlisted (E-1 to E-9) Warrant Officers (W-1 to W-5) Officers (O-1 to O-10) Prior Enlisted (O-1E to O-3E)

All amounts are monthly base pay in USD. Years of service columns shown: <2, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 26. Scroll horizontally on mobile.

2021 Enlisted Pay (E-1 to E-9)

Grade	<2	2	4	6	8	10	12	16	20	26
E-1	$1,950.70	$1,950.70	$1,950.70	$1,950.70	$1,950.70	$1,950.70	$1,950.70	$1,950.70	$1,950.70	$1,950.70
E-2	$2,186.20	$2,186.20	$2,186.20	$2,186.20	$2,186.20	$2,186.20	$2,186.20	$2,186.20	$2,186.20	$2,186.20
E-3	$2,298.80	$2,443.20	$2,591.50	$2,591.50	$2,591.50	$2,591.50	$2,591.50	$2,591.50	$2,591.50	$2,591.50
E-4	$2,546.30	$2,676.60	$2,964.60	$3,091.80	$3,091.80	$3,091.80	$3,091.80	$3,091.80	$3,091.80	$3,091.80
E-5	$2,708.90	$2,915.80	$3,198.30	$3,330.50	$3,484.40	$3,561.70	$3,583.10	$3,583.10	$3,583.10	$3,583.10
E-6	$2,756.10	$3,033.20	$3,297.20	$3,432.40	$3,738.00	$3,856.80	$4,086.80	$4,208.60	$4,268.60	$4,268.60
E-7	$3,186.40	$3,477.60	$3,786.80	$3,925.10	$4,161.70	$4,295.10	$4,531.20	$4,862.80	$5,061.20	$5,727.00
E-8	—	—	—	—	$4,583.70	$4,786.70	$4,912.10	$5,225.30	$5,668.70	$6,408.90
E-9	—	—	—	—	—	$5,599.60	$5,726.30	$6,074.40	$6,567.90	$7,510.20

2021 Warrant Officer Pay (W-1 to W-5)

Grade	<2	2	4	6	8	10	12	16	20	26
W-1	$3,256.10	$3,611.50	$3,930.70	$4,100.70	$4,364.90	$4,542.60	$4,810.30	$5,183.70	$5,519.40	$5,519.40
W-2	$3,708.00	$4,055.40	$4,257.90	$4,489.60	$4,795.90	$4,972.40	$5,168.90	$5,480.80	$5,738.90	$5,918.30
W-3	$4,222.50	$4,400.20	$4,801.50	$5,000.10	$5,276.30	$5,532.80	$5,771.80	$6,173.60	$6,602.70	$6,981.70
W-4	$4,621.10	$4,971.90	$5,271.00	$5,517.20	$5,762.80	$6,005.90	$6,320.90	$6,949.80	$7,431.90	$8,140.30
W-5	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	$6,560.90	$7,555.90

2021 Officer Pay (O-1 to O-10)

Grade	<2	2	4	6	8	10	12	16	20	26
O-1	$3,363.10	$3,500.70	$4,231.90	$4,231.90	$4,231.90	$4,231.90	$4,231.90	$4,231.90	$4,231.90	$4,231.90
O-2	$3,875.10	$4,413.30	$5,254.70	$5,362.60	$5,362.60	$5,362.60	$5,362.60	$5,362.60	$5,362.60	$5,362.60
O-3	$4,484.50	$5,084.00	$5,982.50	$6,269.60	$6,584.40	$6,787.20	$7,121.50	$7,296.50	$7,296.50	$7,296.50
O-4	$5,100.80	$5,904.50	$6,386.30	$6,751.90	$7,144.30	$7,633.40	$8,012.90	$8,428.90	$8,516.60	$8,516.60
O-5	$5,911.80	$6,659.60	$7,207.30	$7,495.40	$7,667.00	$8,045.50	$8,323.60	$9,230.90	$9,750.60	$10,044.00
O-6	$7,091.60	$7,790.50	$8,302.00	$8,333.80	$8,690.90	$8,738.30	$8,738.30	$10,112.80	$11,143.10	$12,308.10
O-7	$9,773.70	$10,228.60	$10,437.60	$10,596.40	$10,969.50	$11,318.10	$11,318.10	$12,145.90	$12,635.80	$12,635.80
O-8	$11,799.50	$12,171.00	$12,428.90	$12,486.00	$12,865.70	$13,294.80	$13,294.80	$13,647.80	$13,647.80	$13,647.80
O-9	$14,135.20	$14,135.20	$14,135.20	$14,135.20	$14,135.20	$14,135.20	$14,135.20	$14,135.20	$14,135.20	$14,135.20
O-10	$14,984.10	$14,984.10	$14,984.10	$14,984.10	$14,984.10	$14,984.10	$14,984.10	$14,984.10	$14,984.10	$14,984.10

2021 Prior Enlisted Officer Pay (O-1E to O-3E)

Grade	<2	2	4	6	8	10	12	16	20	26
O-1E	$3,719.70	$4,231.90	$4,484.50	$4,672.40	$4,917.70	$5,084.50	$5,084.50	$5,084.50	$5,084.50	$5,084.50
O-2E	$4,413.30	$4,789.60	$5,254.70	$5,500.40	$5,746.00	$5,891.60	$5,982.50	$5,982.50	$5,982.50	$5,982.50
O-3E	$5,486.30	$5,731.20	$6,109.40	$6,431.80	$6,584.40	$6,787.20	$6,944.20	$7,296.50	$7,296.50	$7,296.50

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Military Pay Raise History

Annual military pay raises are typically tied to the Employment Cost Index (ECI) and authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Year	Pay Raise	CPI Inflation	Real Change
2026	+3.8%	TBD	TBD
2025	+5.2%	2.9%	+2.3%
2024	+5.2%	3.4%	+1.8%
2023	+4.6%	4.1%	+0.5%
2022	+2.7%	8.0%	-5.3%
2021	+3.0%	4.7%	-1.7%
2020	+3.1%	1.2%	+1.9%

About the 2021 Military Pay Chart

What was the 2021 military pay raise?

Military members received a 3% pay raise effective January 1, 2021. This raise applied to all pay grades from E-1 through O-10 and was authorized by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2021.

What does base pay include?

Base pay is the fundamental component of military compensation determined by pay grade (rank) and years of service. It does not include:

BAH (Basic Allowance for Housing) — tax-free housing allowance based on location
BAS (Basic Allowance for Subsistence) — tax-free food allowance
Special pays — hazardous duty, flight pay, sea pay, etc.
Bonuses — enlistment, reenlistment, or retention bonuses

Use the Military Pay Calculator to estimate total compensation including allowances.

How are years of service calculated?

Years of service for pay purposes include all active duty time, plus any prior active duty or reserve time that qualifies. The pay longevity date is set by DFAS based on your total creditable service. Pay increases at specific year-of-service milestones vary by rank.

Data Sources

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