How to Read the Military Pay Scale

The military pay scale is standardized across all the uniformed services for basic pay. However, different services have different incentive pay programs that the service chiefs have developed to serve the specific needs of the service. For example, the Army provides extra incentive pay to paratroopers on jump status to reflect the hazards of parachute operations, while the Navy provides extra pay for sailors on sea duty. The military pay schedules are arranged by pay grade and years of service, and provide extra pay for officers with more than four years of enlisted service.

• 1

  Download the current Military Pay Chart from the link provided in the Resources section.

• 2

  Choose your pay chart based upon whether the service member in question is on active duty or drilling with a reserve component unit. If the service member is a drilling member of a reserve unit, scroll down the page and use the "Drill Pay" chart. The dollar amounts on this chart are for a single mission unit training assembly, or MUTA. There are typically two MUTAs in a day and four MUTAs in a typical drill weekend.

• 3

  Find the service member's pay grade. This is distinct from a rank -- a captain in the Army is an O-3, for example, while a captain in the Navy is an O-6. A lieutenant in the Army is an O-1 (2nd Lieutenant) or an O-2 (1st Lieutenant), while a Lieutenant in the Navy is an O-3. This is why it is important to refer to pay grades and not ranks when computing pay and benefits.

• 4

  Calculate the number of years of service. For enlisted ranks, this is typically the number of years since the service member entered initial active duty for training. For officer ranks, this is the date the officer was commissioned (for officers holding regular commissions) or the date the officer entered initial active duty for training as an officer, which is typically later than the commissioning date. (Officers with more than four years of enlisted service use a different pay chart.)

• 5

  Cross-index the pay grade with the number of years of experience. This will yield either the pay per MUTA for reserve service members, or the monthly base pay for active duty service members. If the member is an officer with more than four years of enlisted experience, use the ranks with the designator "E."

• 6

  Scroll down to identify special pays and incentive pays that may apply given the service member's duty status, marital and dependent status, job description and location. These figures are typically added to the base pay.