2026 Military Pay Charts

10/10/25 Update: Amid a government shutdown, the U.S. Senate approved the NDAA for 2026. The version will now be reconciled with the House’s version, which passed in September, as lawmakers work to combine the bills into a compromise.

Important to Note: The White House has called for a budget of more than $1 trillion; however, both the Senate and House plans come in under $925 billion.

The passage of the NDAA means that the government shutdown would soon pivot into a partial shutdown, as the military and related operations would regain funding.

7/30/25 Update: The House Armed Services Committee and Senate Committee on Armed Services have approved their versions of the defense spending bill. The committee reviews follow the White House’s budget proposal, which is calling for a 3.8% military pay raise for all servicemembers.  

We also have a bit of an update on the BAH outlook. Both versions of the NDAA that passed through committee in each chamber call for the DoD to use a pilot program that would affect how it is calculated. Currently, BAH rates are determined by rank and zip code. So we’re definitely going to keep an eye out for that program and try to learn more details about how it would determine allowances.

Key Takeaways

• The White House proposal for the Department of Defense (DoD) comes to $1.01 trillion, a historic high.
• The proposal to Congress calls for A 3.8% military pay increase in 2026.
• The White House and Congress are from the same party, so it’s likely the budget process will come with fewer obstacles and will be signed earlier this year.

2026 Military Pay Charts [Proposed]

The following charts will show what the proposed 3.8% increase would look like for all servicemembers in all branches.

Officers and Warrant Officers with up to 11 Years of Service

Officers and Warrant Officers with 12 to 25 Years of Service

Officers and Warrant Officers with 26 to 40 Years of Service

Officers serving in combat zones receive special pay privileges. Those ranking 0-1 and above can eliminate portions of their pay from taxes due to the dangerous nature of their role. You can calculate your full paycheck by adding your “hostile fire or imminent danger” pay to your basic pay rate. 

Prior Enlisted Officer Pay Qualifications

Notably, officers who are prior enlisted may receive an increased pay rate based on their time spent in service, among other specifications. Consult the Department of Defense’s Financial Management Regulations for more in-depth information regarding pay rates. 

Enlisted Members with up to 11 Years of Service

Enlisted Members with 12 to 25 Years of Service

Enlisted Members with 26 to 40 Years of Service

Impact of the Pay Increase

So what would that 2026 pay increase look like in your take home pay per month?

Military Pay Dates

Fortunately, the military follows a consistent pay schedule from year to year, with paychecks typically issued on the 1st and 15th of each month, except when these dates fall on weekends or holidays.

Want a peek at exactly when you can expect your paycheck throughout the year? Here are the Military Pay Dates for Active-Duty Paychecks.          

Previous Military Pay Raises

Budget Timeline

Lawmakers are now looking through the budget request. The biggest thing that needs to happen is talks about what in the White House’s proposal lawmakers will sign off on, and what they won’t. Fortunately for the military community, pay raises are rarely disputed, so it’s easy to fathom that this pay raise, maybe a few tenths of a percentage point one way or the other, will be what servicemembers see in 2026.

Usually, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is signed in the late summer or early fall. I’d believe that is still a fair expectation for this year since both the White House and Congress are controlled by the same party. Even if the two weren’t the same party, the NDAA is usually the easiest budget bill to pass Congress because supporting the troops and their pay is a bipartisan effort.

Initial Budget Insights

Earlier this spring, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth tweeted that the budget would exceed $1 trillion, marking a first in U.S. history. This latest proposal from the White House shows that it was true.

Timeline

Typically, this part of the budget process is the least painful for the White House and lawmakers, as both sides tend to prioritize the country’s defense. Also in the White House’s favor this year, Congress has a Republican majority, so they’ll likely run into very little pushback on budgetary issues related to defense. 

I’d expect a budget deal on defense, known as the NDAA, to be signed by the fall at the very latest this year. 

BAH and BAS Increases

This latest proposal doesn’t include any requests for Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) or Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) increases. This projection will be even more difficult to predict. For perspective, the last proposal for the 2025 defense budget called for a 4.5% increase to both. However, BAH rates increased by 5.4%, while BAS rose by only 1.2%. 

So, it’s hard to really figure out what lawmakers will emphasize this time. It would even be easier to possibly predict if both allowances had decreased or increased, because we could get an idea of how lawmakers value each allowance. 

Final Point

The first years of a new administration can often be challenging to predict in terms of military pay increases, primarily because defense priorities may differ from those of previous administrations. The 3.8% increase is the starting point; I suspect it will be close to the end point. Now we just have to see what lawmakers decide to vote on and pass.

I’ll be updating this content as frequently as new developments emerge in budgetary talks, so be sure to bookmark this page or check back periodically for updates. I will also ensure that this is sent out in our newsletter.

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