Colonel Randall Vance (Ret.)
Senior Military Compensation Analyst & Author
Expertise: Army & Marine Corps pay systems.
Specialization
Active Duty & Reserve Component Pay Tables. Calculates base compensation variations across all service branches, tracks historical pay raises, and analyzes how years of service affect the standard military pay matrices.
Background
Served 26 years in the U.S. Army, finishing his career as a senior financial management officer at the Pentagon. Specializes in the structural evolution of Title 10 military pay laws.
Background as the site provided it. Independent verification of this background is not yet published.
Tips and where they appear
Basic pay depends on grade and years of service, not on branch. Find your grade row, then the column that matches your completed years of service.
On Home (basic pay): Home (basic pay)
Choose the year first. A chart is only correct for the year it names, so check the year before you compare figures.
On Pay charts: Pay charts
Compare 2025 and 2026 by grade and year-of-service column, not by the headline raise. Each column has its own rate.
On 2025 pay chart: 2025 pay chart
Rates step up at each years-of-service threshold. A small change in completed years can move you to a different column.
On 2026 pay chart: 2026 pay chart
A raise percentage is a summary. Check the effective date and the table entry for your own grade and year-of-service column, since that is what your pay uses.
On 2026 pay raise: 2026 pay raise
Pay dates move for weekends and holidays. Plan around the adjusted date on the calendar, not the 1st or 15th.
On 2026 pay dates: 2026 pay dates
When a table is updated, compare one grade across every year-of-service column against the official source before you trust the rest.
On Pay data updates: Pay data updates
Retirement uses your pay history, not only today’s rate. Enter the grade and years of service that match the pay period you are estimating.
On Retirement calculator: Retirement calculator
Drill pay is a share of monthly base pay. Use the grade and years of service you hold now, because they set the base.
On Drill pay calculator: Drill pay calculator
Read the chart as grade (row) by years of service (column). Count completed years, then use the column whose range covers that number.
On How to read a pay chart: How to read a pay chart
Basic pay is one national schedule for every service. This page does not list Army-only special pays, so check those separately.
On Army 2026 pay chart: Army 2026 pay chart
Basic pay is one national schedule for every service. This page does not list Marine Corps-only special pays, so check those separately.
On Marine Corps 2026 pay chart: Marine Corps 2026 pay chart
Base pay steps up at each years-of-service threshold. Check the column for the years you will have completed on the day you need the figure.
On Army rank pay pages: Army E-4, Army E-5, Army E-6, Army E-7, Army O-1, Army O-2, Army O-3
Base pay steps up at each years-of-service threshold. Check the column for the years you will have completed on the day you need the figure.
On Marine Corps rank pay pages: Marine Corps rank pay pages