What does an Army Lieutenant take home 2026/27?

On the £35,925 first increment, take-home is about £29,386 a year or £2,449 a month, after Income Tax and National Insurance and with no pension deduction. At the £47,351 top of the OF-1 range it is about £37,612.

Why is the first pay point so much lower than the second?

The AFPRB publishes the OF-1 scale as increment levels rather than as a rate per rank, and OF1-01 at £35,925 sits £7,023 below OF1-02 at £42,948. That gap is the largest single step anywhere on the OF-1 scale; every later step is £1,468 or less.

Army Lieutenant Salary 2026/27: OF-1 Take-Home

OF-1 covers both Second Lieutenant and Lieutenant, the first two commissioned ranks. Pay in 2026/27 runs from £35,925 at the first increment level, OF1-01, to £47,351 at the fifth, OF1-05. Figures include X-Factor and the 3.6% award accepted on 9 June 2026.

Typical pay & take-home

OF1-03: £44,415
Typical range: £35,925–£47,351
Take-home on that salary: £35,498 England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.

At £44,415, you earn about 14% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you between the 50th percentile (£39,039) and the 75th percentile (£54,009) of UK full-time earnings.

See exact take-home for £44,415 →

The AFPRB scales after the 3.6% award, with the four trade supplements for Other Ranks and take-home on a non-contributory pension: Armed forces pay scales 2026/27, every rank →

What influences army lieutenant (of-1) pay

The first increment is a step apart from the rest. OF1-01 pays £35,925 and OF1-02 pays £42,948 - a £7,023 jump, far larger than any later step on the OF-1 scale.

Officers have no trade supplements, so a Lieutenant on a given increment is paid one figure regardless of arm or corps.

The scale crosses the £50,270 higher-rate threshold nowhere - even the top increment stays inside the basic rate band, so the whole rank is taxed at 20% at the margin.

X-Factor is already included. The Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 is non-contributory, so take-home is gross less Income Tax and National Insurance only.

Career progression

First increment level (OF1-01): £35,925.
Levels 2 to 5 (OF1-02 to OF1-05): £42,948 to £47,351.
Captain (OF-2): £54,716 to £64,852.
Major (OF-3): £68,624 to £81,960.

Frequently asked questions

What does an Army Lieutenant take home 2026/27?: On the £35,925 first increment, take-home is about £29,386 a year or £2,449 a month, after Income Tax and National Insurance and with no pension deduction. At the £47,351 top of the OF-1 range it is about £37,612.
Why is the first pay point so much lower than the second?: The AFPRB publishes the OF-1 scale as increment levels rather than as a rate per rank, and OF1-01 at £35,925 sits £7,023 below OF1-02 at £42,948. That gap is the largest single step anywhere on the OF-1 scale; every later step is £1,468 or less.

All UK professions →

Sources

Armed Forces' Pay Review Body, Fifty-Fifth Report 2026, Appendix 1
ONS - ASHE 2025 Table 14.7a, annual pay by SOC 2020 occupation (occupational pay)
ONS — Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (UK full-time median and percentiles)
HMRC — Rates and thresholds 2026/27
Our full methodology & calculation sources →