Military Pay Raise Calculator2027 Military Pay Raise by Rank: 7-6-5% Plan vs 3.6%
The 2027 military pay raise is 7% for E-1 to E-5, 6% for E-6 to O-3 and 5% for O-4 and above under the President’s August 26, 2026 pay plan, effective January 1, 2027, unless Congress enacts the Senate’s flat 3.6% in the final NDAA. Enter your pay grade and years of service to see your exact 2027 monthly basic pay, raise and drill pay under every scenario.
Built on the official 2026 DFAS basic pay tables, the President’s plan (House Document 119-189) and CRS report IN12706.
Your 2027 raise
An E-5 over 6 years goes from $4,110.00 to $4,397.70 a month in basic pay on January 1, 2027.
Every scenario side by side
Your 2027, month by month
| Month | Grade | Years band | Basic pay |
|---|
E-5 pay by years of service
What this means for you
Where the 2027 military pay raise stands
Military basic pay rises every January 1 by a formula in 37 U.S.C. § 1009 that tracks private-sector wage growth (the Employment Cost Index). For 2027 that formula gives 3.6%. The law also lets the President send Congress an alternative plan before September 1, and Congress can override either one through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
- April 2026The FY2027 budget request proposes a tiered “7-6-5” raise instead of the 3.6% formula.
- July 22, 2026The House passes its FY2027 NDAA (H.R. 8800) with the 7-6-5 tiers. The Senate Armed Services Committee’s bill carries a flat 3.6%.
- August 26, 2026The President sends Congress an alternative pay plan (House Document 119-189) setting 7% for E-1 to E-5, 6% for E-6 to O-3 and 5% for O-4 and above, effective January 1, 2027.
- TodayNo final NDAA has been signed. If Congress passes nothing different, the 7-6-5 plan applies on January 1, 2027. If the final NDAA sets another rate, use the Custom % option above.
- January 1, 2027New rates take effect and appear on your first January LES.
Sources: CRS Insight IN12706; House Document 119-189; MOAA. We re-check this section whenever Congress acts.
2027 raise by pay grade group
| Pay grades | 7-6-5 plan | Senate / formula | Example: plan raise per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 to E-5 (junior enlisted) | 7% | 3.6% | E-4 over 4: +$267.00 |
| E-6 to E-9 (NCOs and senior enlisted) | 6% | 3.6% | E-7 over 12: +$350.10 |
| W-1 to W-5 (warrant officers) | 6% | 3.6% | W-2 over 8: +$363.00 |
| O-1 to O-3 and O-1E to O-3E | 6% | 3.6% | O-3 over 6: +$464.10 |
| O-4 to O-6 (field grade) | 5% | 3.6% | O-5 over 18: +$585.60 |
| O-7 to O-10 (general and flag) | 5%, capped | 3.6%, capped | Most cells held at the $18,999.90 cap |
The plan names “E-6 to O-3”; warrant officers and O-1E to O-3E sit inside that band. Treat those rows as our reading until DFAS publishes the 2027 table.
2027 military pay chart: projected monthly basic pay for common ranks
Computed from the official 2026 DFAS table with the same engine as the calculator. These are projections, not an official DFAS 2027 table.
| Grade & years | 2026 (DFAS) | 2027 plan | 2027 at 3.6% | Plan raise / mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 · 2 or less yrs | $2,407.20 | $2,575.80 | $2,493.90 | +$168.60 |
| E-2 · 2 or less yrs | $2,697.90 | $2,886.60 | $2,795.10 | +$188.70 |
| E-3 · over 2 yrs | $3,015.00 | $3,226.20 | $3,123.60 | +$211.20 |
| E-4 · over 3 yrs | $3,482.40 | $3,726.30 | $3,607.80 | +$243.90 |
| E-5 · over 4 yrs | $3,946.80 | $4,223.10 | $4,089.00 | +$276.30 |
| E-5 · over 6 yrs | $4,110.00 | $4,397.70 | $4,257.90 | +$287.70 |
| E-6 · over 8 yrs | $4,612.80 | $4,889.70 | $4,779.00 | +$276.90 |
| E-7 · over 12 yrs | $5,591.70 | $5,927.10 | $5,793.00 | +$335.40 |
| E-8 · over 16 yrs | $6,448.20 | $6,835.20 | $6,680.40 | +$387.00 |
| E-9 · over 20 yrs | $8,105.10 | $8,591.40 | $8,397.00 | +$486.30 |
| W-2 · over 8 yrs | $6,051.00 | $6,414.00 | $6,268.80 | +$363.00 |
| O-1 · 2 or less yrs | $4,150.20 | $4,399.20 | $4,299.60 | +$249.00 |
| O-2 · over 3 yrs | $6,272.40 | $6,648.60 | $6,498.30 | +$376.20 |
| O-3 · over 6 yrs | $7,737.00 | $8,201.10 | $8,015.40 | +$464.10 |
| O-4 · over 10 yrs | $9,420.00 | $9,891.00 | $9,759.00 | +$471.00 |
| O-5 · over 18 yrs | $11,713.80 | $12,299.40 | $12,135.60 | +$585.60 |
| O-6 · over 22 yrs | $14,112.90 | $14,818.50 | $14,621.10 | +$705.60 |
How to calculate your 2027 military pay raise
- Find your pay gradePick it from the list. Officers commissioned with more than 4 years of enlisted or warrant service should choose O-1E, O-2E or O-3E.
- Pick your years of serviceUse cumulative service from your Pay Entry Base Date, not time in grade. Add the PEBD under Advanced to catch a longevity step during 2027.
- Choose a scenarioThe 7-6-5 Plan is the default law today. Switch to Senate 3.6% or enter the final NDAA rate with Custom %.
- Read the LES-style resultSee the monthly and annual raise, each paycheck, drill pay for Guard and Reserve, and total pay with BAS and your BAH.
The formula we use
Why round to $0.30? Every rate on the DFAS basic pay table is a multiple of 30 cents, so one day’s pay (1/30 of a month) works out to whole cents. We round each projected rate to the nearest $0.30 to match that pattern. The caps are the 2026 Executive Schedule limits in 37 U.S.C. § 203; we carry them into 2027 because the Executive Schedule is not set for 2027 yet.
Worked example: An E-5 with over 6 years of service earns $4,110.00 a month on the 2026 table. Under the plan: $4,110.00 × 1.07 = $4,397.70 (already a multiple of $0.30, so no rounding), a raise of +$287.70 a month or +$3,452.40 a year. At 3.6%: $4,110.00 × 1.036 = $4,257.96, which rounds to $4,257.90, or +$147.90 a month. The plan is worth $1,677.60 more over the year.
2027 drill pay: what a drill weekend pays
Guard and Reserve members get the same percentage raise. One drill period pays 1/30 of the monthly basic pay for your grade and years, and a standard weekend is four drill periods.
| Grade & years | 1 drill 2026 | 4 drills 2026 | 4 drills 2027 plan | 4 drills 2027 at 3.6% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-4 · over 3 yrs | $116.08 | $464.32 | $496.84 | $481.04 |
| E-5 · over 4 yrs | $131.56 | $526.24 | $563.08 | $545.20 |
| E-6 · over 8 yrs | $153.76 | $615.04 | $651.96 | $637.20 |
| E-7 · over 12 yrs | $186.39 | $745.56 | $790.28 | $772.40 |
| O-3 · over 6 yrs | $257.90 | $1,031.60 | $1,093.48 | $1,068.72 |
Military pay raise history, 2020 to 2027
| Year | Basic pay raise | How it was set |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3.1% | ECI formula |
| 2021 | 3.0% | ECI formula |
| 2022 | 2.7% | ECI formula |
| 2023 | 4.6% | ECI formula |
| 2024 | 5.2% | ECI formula |
| 2025 | 4.5% + junior enlisted boost | ECI formula plus an extra 10% for E-1 to E-4 (and targeted E-5 increases) from April 1, 2025 |
| 2026 | 3.8% | ECI formula, FY2026 NDAA |
| 2027 | 7 / 6 / 5% or 3.6% | President’s plan (current default) or final NDAA |
Source: CRS Defense Primer: Military Pay Raise (IF10260).
What the basic pay raise does not change
Housing and food allowances are reset separately every January from local rent data and USDA food costs. Enlisted BAS is $476.95 and officer BAS $328.48 a month in 2026. Our tool holds both at 2026 levels.
Retirees and veterans get a cost-of-living adjustment tied to inflation each December, not the active-duty raise. Your retired pay base, though, grows with every raise you get while serving.
Mistakes to avoid
The pay table runs on total years of service from your PEBD, not how long you have held your current rank.
Until the NDAA is signed, plan your 2027 budget on the lower 3.6% figure and treat anything above it as a bonus.
If you cross 2, 3, 4, 6 or any even-year mark in 2027, your pay rises again on that anniversary. Add your PEBD to see it.
BAH does not rise with basic pay. A move, a dependency change or the January BAH table is what changes it.
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Each raise lifts your High-3 average. See what it adds to your pension.
2027 military pay raise FAQ
Under the President’s August 26, 2026 pay plan, the 2027 raise is 7% for E-1 to E-5, 6% for E-6 to O-3 and 5% for O-4 and above, effective January 1, 2027. The Senate committee’s NDAA and the standard ECI formula would give 3.6% to everyone. The calculator shows both for your grade and years.
Not completely. The President’s alternative pay plan takes effect on January 1, 2027 unless Congress enacts a different raise. The House NDAA matches the 7-6-5 tiers, the Senate bill has 3.6%, and the final NDAA is usually signed in December. Use the Custom % option if the final number lands in between.
An E-5 with over 6 years of service would go from $4,110.00 to $4,397.70 a month under the 7% plan, or to $4,257.90 under 3.6%. Pick your exact years of service in the calculator for your own figure.
The new rates take effect January 1, 2027, so they show up in your first January paycheck and on your January LES once DFAS runs the first pay cycle of the year.
The plan lists tiers as E-1 to E-5, E-6 to O-3, and O-4 and above. Warrant officers rank between E-9 and O-1, so they fall in the 6% band, and so do prior-enlisted O-1E to O-3E officers. We will confirm this against the official 2027 DFAS table when it is published.
Yes. Drill pay is 1/30 of the monthly basic pay for your grade and years of service for each drill period, so it rises by the same percentage. Switch the calculator to Guard / Reserve to see your 2027 drill weekend and yearly drill pay.
No. BAH is reset each January from local rental costs and BAS from USDA food costs, separately from basic pay. In 2026 BAS is $476.95 a month for enlisted members and $328.48 for officers.
No. Retired pay and VA disability compensation rise by the annual cost-of-living adjustment tied to inflation, not by the active-duty pay raise. The raise does increase the High-3 average of anyone still serving.
By law (37 U.S.C. 1009), basic pay rises each January by the change in the Employment Cost Index for private-sector wages, which is 3.6% for 2027. The President can propose an alternative plan before September 1, and Congress can set any rate in the NDAA.
Probably very little. Basic pay for O-7 to O-10 is capped at Executive Schedule Level II, $18,999.90 a month in 2026, and every O-9 and O-10 cell is already at that cap. Unless the 2027 Executive Schedule rises, those rates stay the same.
Every DFAS monthly basic pay rate is a multiple of $0.30, so a day’s pay (1/30 of the month) is a whole number of cents. We round each projected 2027 rate to the nearest $0.30 to follow that pattern. DFAS’s own table is final if it differs.
No. DexoCalc is independent. Our 2027 figures are projections built from the official 2026 DFAS tables and the percentages in the President’s plan and the Senate bill. Your LES in myPay is the official record of your pay.
Manzoor Ahmad
Calculator developer & web designer · 13+ years in web development and SEO
Last reviewed: October 30, 2026 · Next review: when the FY2027 NDAA is signedI am a pharmacist turned tech geek, and I design, code and test every calculator on DexoCalc myself. I have not served in the military, so this tool does not rely on my opinion. It loads every cell of the official 2026 DFAS pay tables, applies the percentages in the President’s plan and the Senate bill exactly as written, and shows the formula, rounding and caps so you can check every number against your LES.
If your LES and this calculator disagree, the LES wins. Tell me and I will re-check the table.
Sources
- DFAS: 2026 Military Pay Tables
- House Document 119-189: Alternative Plan for Pay Adjustments (Aug 26, 2026)
- CRS IN12706: FY2027 NDAA Military Basic Pay Raise Proposal
- CRS IF10260: Defense Primer, Military Pay Raise
- 37 U.S.C. § 1009: Adjustments of monthly basic pay
- 37 U.S.C. § 203: Rates (pay caps)
- MOAA: House and Senate versions differ on your 2027 raise
- DoD Office of Military Compensation
Disclaimer: DexoCalc is independent and not affiliated with the Department of Defense (Department of War), DFAS or any military branch. 2027 figures are projections from the official 2026 tables and the percentages in pending legislation and the President’s plan; DFAS will publish the official 2027 tables. Your LES is the record of your actual pay.
We update this the day the NDAA is signed
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