Uniformed services pay grades of the United States

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Pay grades^[1] are used by the eight uniformed services of the United States^[2] (in order of precedence per US law: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps) to determine wages and benefits based on the corresponding military rank of a member of the services. While different titles or ranks may be used among the eight uniformed services, pay grades are uniform and equivalent between the services and can be used to quickly determine seniority among a group of members from different services.^[3] They are also essential when determining a member's entitlements such as basic pay and allowances.^[4]

Structure[]

Pay grades are divided into three groups:^[1] enlisted (E), warrant officer (W), and officer (O). Enlisted pay grades begin at E-1 and end at E-9; warrant officer pay grades originate at W-1 and terminate at W-5; and officer pay grades start at O-1 and finish at O-10.^[a] Not all of the uniformed services use all of the grades; for example, the Coast Guard has authority to use, but does not use the grades of W-1 and W-5,^[9][10] the United States Navy formerly did not use the grade of W-1^[11] and the Air Force (USAF) discontinued appointing new warrant officers in 1959 (although the last USAF warrant officer did not retire until 1992).^[12]

Although authorized to do so, currently, neither the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), nor the Public Health Service (USPHS), use any of the enlisted or warrant officer grades.^{[6][13][14][15][16][b]} Additionally, while not formally established as one of the eight uniformed services, the Maritime Service (which provides officers serving in the Maritime Administration and as administrators and instructors at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA), and the six state-operated maritime academies)^[18][19] is also authorized, but does not currently employ, enlisted^[20] or warrant officer grades.^[21]

Officers in pay grades O-1, O-2, and O-3 with more than four years of prior cumulative service (creditable toward both length of service and retirement) in an enlisted or warrant officer grade are paid "... the special rate of basic pay for pay grade O-1E, O-2E, or O-3E,"^[22] respectively.^[4] This benefit does not affect their rank and is used simply for reward and incentive purposes in recognition of their prior enlisted (or warrant officer) experience. A cumulative total of 1,440 days of creditable Federal active duty and/or reserve inactive duty for training days is required to qualify.^[23][24]

The pay grade of W-1 is normally reserved for officers appointed using a "warrant"^[3][25] rather than a "commission"^[26][27] by the Secretary of Defense or by each of the service secretaries, using authority delegated from the President,^[28] to an intermediate rank between enlisted non-commissioned officers and commissioned officers (starting at W-2).^[10] However, appointments to this grade can by made by commission by the service secretaries, defense secretary, or the President,^[25] but this is more uncommon. By law, regulation, and traditional customs and courtesies across the military services, warrant officers serving in pay grade W-1 have the same privileges as commissioned officers (with certain exceptions grounded in the distinction required in the Constitution that all "officers of the United States" be commissioned,^[29] which affects the command authority and specific standing of W-1's under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and the Manual for Courts-Martial).^{[30][12][31][32][33]}

While cadets and midshipmen directly appointed by the President to four of the Federal Service Academies (US Military Academy; US Naval Academy; US Air Force Academy; US Coast Guard Academy) are members of the Regular Component of their Service,^[3] serving on active duty, they hold neither a commission nor a warrant of appointment, nor do they hold an enlisted grade or rank.^[34] US statutes no longer include any pay grade for cadets or midshipmen;^[1] as "inchoate officers"^[35][36] appointed using the Appointments Clause of the US Constitution^[37] as "inferior officers," they are recognized as having only a precedence below the most junior warrant officer, and above the enlisted grades, and almost entirely lack any authority over any other servicemembers (including other cadets and midshipmen) except for specific internal Academy functions, or very narrowly drawn training purposes while serving with their Service for leadership and skills development.^[32]

Those appointed to attend the US Merchant Marine Academy (the fifth Federal Service Academy), by the Administrator of the Maritime Administration (within the Department of Transportation),^[38][39] will also be appointed by the Secretary of the Navy directly as Midshipmen, US Navy Reserve, without enlistment.^[40] Additionally, the Service Secretaries will appoint the cadets or midshipmen of the Senior Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC),^[41][42] but unlike the cadets and midshipmen of each Federal Service Academy, ROTC cadets and midshipmen are first enlisted into the reserve component of their respective service.^{[43][44][45][3][46][47]} Cadets and midshipmen from both the USMMA and ROTC are appointed as "inchoate officers"^[35][36] without a commission or warrant,^[35] but unlike the other four Federal service academies, they are also appointed under Article II as "inferior officers" in their respective reserve component,^[37] and only serve on active duty during authorized training events (typically the "Sea Year" for USMMA midshipmen,^[20] or for ROTC during the summers between years of college).^[4][47][44] They share the ill-defined precedence, and lack of statutory pay grade, of cadets and midshipmen of the Academies, and have even less apparent authority (since they are generally not in any official duty status) beyond their internal USMMA and ROTC requirements, although they—like the cadets and midshipmen serving in the Regular Component at the Federal Service Academies—have the innate potential to command troops in emergencies, and otherwise perform duties far beyond their academic environment, as required by competent authorities.^{[20][32][33][34][35][36][43]}

For both types of cadet/midshipman (Academy and non-active duty ROTC), their basic pay rate is $1,217.10, effective 1 January 2022, which is "the monthly rate equal to 35 percent of the basic pay of a commissioned officer in the pay grade O–1 with less than two years of service."^[48][23][47]

For pay tables and information on specific pay grade wages and entitlements for members of the uniformed services, see United States military pay.

NATO equivalents[]

The enlisted grades correspond with the NATO rank codes,^[49] with E-1 being equivalent to OR-1, E-2 equivalent to OR-2, and so on. The officer grades are all one higher than their NATO equivalent (except O-1) as the O-1 and O-2 grades are both equivalent to the NATO code of OF-1. Hence O-3 is equivalent to OF-2, O-4 is equivalent to OF-3, and so on. U.S. warrant officer grades (W-1 through W-5) are depicted in the NATO system as WO-1 through WO-5. The United States is the only nation that has officers in this category.

Enlisted[]

Rank by Branch of Service[1][7]
Uniformed services pay grade	E-9						E-8		E-7		E-6						E-5						E-4				E-3		E-2						E-1
United States Army[50] v t																																			No insignia
	Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman		Sergeant Major of the Army	Command sergeant major	Sergeant major		First sergeant	Master sergeant	Sergeant first class		Staff sergeant						Sergeant						Corporal		Specialist		Private first class		Private						Private
United States Marine Corps[51] v t																																			No insignia
	Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman		Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps	Sergeant major	Master gunnery sergeant		First sergeant	Master sergeant	Gunnery sergeant		Staff sergeant						Sergeant						Corporal				Lance corporal		Private first class						Private
United States Navy[52] v t	Insignia pending																																		No insignia
	Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman	Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy	Fleet/force master chief petty officer	Command master chief petty officer	Master chief petty officer		Command senior chief petty officer	Senior chief petty officer	Chief petty officer		Petty officer first class						Petty officer second class						Petty officer third class				Seaman		Seaman apprentice						Seaman recruit
Uniformed services pay grade	E-9						E-8		E-7		E-6						E-5						E-4				E-3		E-2						E-1
United States Air Force[53] v t																																			No insignia
	Senior enlisted advisor to the Chairman	Chief master sergeant of the Air Force	Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau	Command chief master sergeant	First sergeant	Chief master sergeant	First sergeant	Senior master sergeant	First sergeant	Master sergeant	Technical sergeant						Staff sergeant						Senior airman				Airman first class		Airman						Airman basic
United States Space Force[54] v t	Insignia pending
	Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman		Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force	Chief master sergeant			Senior master sergeant		Master sergeant		Technical sergeant						Sergeant						Specialist 4				Specialist 3		Specialist 2						Specialist 1
U.S. Coast Guard v t
	Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard		Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Reserve	Command master chief petty officer	Master chief petty officer		Senior chief petty officer		Chief petty officer		Petty officer first class						Petty officer second class						Petty officer third class				Seaman		Seaman apprentice						Seaman recruit
Uniformed services pay grade	E-9						E-8		E-7		E-6						E-5						E-4				E-3		E-2						E-1

Note: The Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and NOAA Commissioned Officer Corps consist entirely of commissioned officers and do not use any of the enlisted (or warrant officer) pay grades.

Warrant officer[]

Rank by Branch of Service[1][7]
Uniformed services pay grade	W-5		W-4		W-3		W-2		W-1
United States Army v t
	Chief warrant officer 5		Chief warrant officer 4		Chief warrant officer 3		Chief warrant officer 2		Warrant officer 1
United States Marine Corps v t
	Chief warrant officer 5		Chief warrant officer 4		Chief warrant officer 3		Chief warrant officer 2		Warrant Officer 1
United States Navy v t
	Chief warrant officer 5		Chief warrant officer 4		Chief warrant officer 3		Chief warrant officer 2		Warrant officer 1
U.S. Coast Guard v t
			Chief warrant officer 4		Chief warrant officer 3		Chief warrant officer 2
Uniformed services pay grade	W-5		W-4		W-3		W-2		W-1

Officer[]

Rank by Branch of Service[1][7]
Uniformed services pay grade	Special grade		O-10		O-9		O-8		O-7		O-6		O-5		O-4		O-3		O-2			O-1			Officer candidate
United States Army[50] v t																									Various
	General of the Army		General		Lieutenant general		Major general		Brigadier general		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		First lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Cadet / Officer candidate
United States Marine Corps[51] v t
			General		Lieutenant general		Major general		Brigadier general		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		First lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Midshipman / officer candidate (Various insignia)
United States Navy[52] v t
	Fleet admiral		Admiral		Vice admiral		Rear admiral		Rear admiral (lower half)		Captain		Commander		Lieutenant commander		Lieutenant		Lieutenant (junior grade)			Ensign			Midshipman / officer candidate (Various insignia)
United States Air Force[53] v t
	General of the Air Force		General		Lieutenant general		Major general		Brigadier general		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		First lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Cadet / Officer trainee (Various insignia)
Uniformed services pay grade	Special grade		O-10		O-9		O-8		O-7		O-6		O-5		O-4		O-3		O-2			O-1			Officer candidate
United States Space Force[52] v t
			General		Lieutenant general		Major general		Brigadier general		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		First lieutenant			Second lieutenant			Cadet / Officer trainee (Various insignia)
United States Coast Guard[52] v t																									Various
			Admiral		Vice admiral		Rear admiral		Rear admiral (lower half)		Captain		Commander		Lieutenant commander		Lieutenant		Lieutenant (junior grade)			Ensign			Cadet / officer candidate
United States Public Health Service v t
			Admiral		Vice admiral		Rear admiral		Rear admiral (lower half)		Captain		Commander		Lieutenant commander		Lieutenant		Lieutenant (junior grade)			Ensign
NOAA v t
					Vice admiral		Rear admiral		Rear admiral (lower half)		Captain		Commander		Lieutenant commander		Lieutenant		Lieutenant (junior grade)			Ensign
Uniformed services pay grade	Special grade		O-10		O-9		O-8		O-7		O-6		O-5		O-4		O-3		O-2			O-1			Officer candidate

See also[]

• List of comparative military ranks
• Ranks and insignia of NATO
• General Schedule (US civil service pay scale)
• Military compensation

Notes[]

References[]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.

External links[]

• current and historic pay charts