2020 Military Pay Charts – Officer & Enlisted Pay Scales (3.1% Raise)

Congress voted in a 3.1% pay raise for the 2020 calendar year. The 3.1 percent cost-of-living pay increase for military members is the largest increase in 10 years. This pay raise also applies to members of the Reserves and National Guard. You should see this pay raise in the first paycheck of the year, which should arrive in the January 15th paycheck.

You can compare this to the 2019 military pay charts to see how much of a raise you received from last year, or compare it to the proposed 2021 military pay charts.

Military pay dates:

Military paychecks go out on the 1st and 15th of the month with the exception of weekends and holidays. Paychecks are sent on the prior business day if the payday falls on a weekend or holiday. Here are links to the current military pay dates:

• Military Pay Dates
• Retired Military Pay Dates

2020 Military Pay Scale – Officers, Prior Enlisted Officers, & Warrant Officers

Here are the proposed pay scales listed in dollars per month for enlistees, officers, and warrant officers. Keep in mind, these charts only include basic military pay, and do not include non-taxable allowances such as BAH or BAS.

Commissioned officers are on the pay grades from O-1 through O-10, Prior-Enlisted Officers are O-1E through O-3E, and Warrant Officers are W-1 through W-5.

2020 Officer & Warrant Officer Pay Charts – 0 Years – 10 Years

2020 Officer & Warrant Officer Pay Charts – 12 Years – 26 Years

2020 Officer & Warrant Officer Pay Charts – 28 Years – 40 Years

Officer Pay Notes

1. Basic pay is limited to the rate of basic pay for level II of the Executive Schedule in effect during calendar year 2020, which is $16,441.80 per month for officers at pay grades O-7 through O-10. This includes officers serving as Chairman or Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Chief of Staff of the Army, Chief of Naval Operations, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Commandant of the Coast Guard, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, or commander of a unified or specified combatant command (as defined in 10 U.S.C. 161(c)).

2. Basic pay for O-6 and below is limited by Level V of the Executive Schedule in effect during Calendar Year 2020 which is: $13,341.60.

3. Creditable service to be taken into account for purposes of this table is active service as an enlisted member or as a warrant officer or as both an enlisted member and a warrant officer, in the case of a commissioned officer on active duty who is paid from funds appropriated for active-duty personnel; or a commissioned officer on active Guard and Reserve duty. Effective November 24, 2003, creditable service to be taken into account for purposes of this table in the case of a commissioned officer is service as an enlisted member or as a warrant officer, or as both an enlisted member and a warrant officer, for which more than 1,460 points have been credited to the officer for the purposes of title 10, U.S.C. § 12732(a)(2). a commissioned officer on active Guard and Reserve duty. Effective November 24, 2003, creditable service to be taken into account for purposes of this table in the case of a commissioned officer.

Prior enlisted officers may be eligible for a higher pay rate based on time in service and other criteria. The pay scale offers the following note:

*Applicable to O-1 to O-3 with at least four years & one day of active duty or more than 1460 points as a warrant and/or enlisted member. See Department of Defense Financial Management Regulations (DoDFMR) for more detailed explanation on who is eligible for this special basic pay rate.

2020 Pay Scale – Enlisted Members

Enlisted members are in the pay grades from E-1 through E-9.

2020 Enlisted Pay Charts – 0 Years – 10 Years

2020 Enlisted Pay Charts – 12 Years – 26 Years

2020 Enlisted Pay Charts – 28 Years – 40 Years

Enlisted Pay Notes

The senior enlisted advisors for each branch of the service may be eligible for a higher pay rating than the E-9 scale for their respective years in service. These positions include, the Sergeant Major of the Army Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard, Senior Enlisted Advisor of the JCS, or Senior Enlisted Advisor Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief of the National Guard Bureau.

Basic pay for these roles is $8,844.30.

About Post Author

Ryan Guina

Ryan Guina is The Military Wallet’s founder. He is a writer, small business owner, and entrepreneur. He served over six years on active duty in the USAF and is a current member of the Illinois Air National Guard.

Ryan started The Military Wallet in 2007 after separating from active duty military service and has been writing about financial, small business, and military benefits topics since then. He also writes about personal finance and investing at Cash Money Life.

Ryan uses Personal Capital to track and manage his finances. Personal Capital is a free software program that allows him to track his net worth, balance his investment portfolio, track his income and expenses, and much more. You can open a free Personal Capital account here.

Featured In: Ryan’s writing has been featured in the following publications: Forbes, Military.com, US News & World Report, Yahoo Finance, Reserve & National Guard Magazine (print and online editions), Military Influencer Magazine, Cash Money Life, The Military Guide, USAA, Go Banking Rates, and many other publications.

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