Army Staff Sergeant Salary 2026/27: OR-7 Take-Home
Staff Sergeant is OR-7, known as Colour Sergeant in the infantry and equivalent to an RAF Chief Technician and a Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer. Pay in 2026/27 runs from £51,615 to £65,249 across twelve increment levels and four trade supplements, including X-Factor and the 3.6% award accepted on 9 June 2026.
Typical pay & take-home
- OR7-06, supplement 1
- £54,845
- Typical range
- £51,615–£65,249
- Take-home at median
- £42,368 England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.
At the median for this profession, you earn about 40% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you in the top 24% of UK earners.
See exact take-home for £54,845 →
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 staff sergeant (or-7) pay
Twelve increment levels at OR-7, more than any rank below it, so time in rank does most of the work: £51,615 at the bottom and £60,271 at the top on supplement 1.
Trade supplement widens that considerably at this rank. The top increment pays £60,271 on supplement 1 and £65,249 on supplement 4 - a £4,978 gap for the same rank and the same years served.
The published rows are shared with Warrant Officer Class 2, listed as "OR7-12 / OR8-06" and so on, so promotion from Staff Sergeant to WO2 moves you along the same scale rather than onto a new one.
The whole range sits above the £50,270 higher-rate threshold, so every increment and every supplement step is taxed at 40% at the margin.
X-Factor is already included. The Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 is non-contributory, so nothing is deducted for it.
Career progression
- Sergeant (OR-6): £46,022 to £56,611.
- Staff Sergeant (OR-7): £51,615 to £65,249.
- Warrant Officer Class 2 (OR-8): shares the OR-7 upper points.
- Warrant Officer Class 1 (OR-9): £64,704 to £68,982.
Frequently asked questions
- What does an Army Staff Sergeant take home 2026/27?
- On the £51,615 bottom of the range, take-home is about £40,494 a year or £3,375 a month, after Income Tax and National Insurance and with no pension deduction. At the £65,249 top it is about £48,402.
- Is a Warrant Officer Class 2 paid more than a Staff Sergeant?
- Not on a different scale. The AFPRB table lists OR-7 and OR-8 together at the upper increments, so a WO2 on his first increment is on the same figure as a Staff Sergeant several years in. The distinct step comes at Warrant Officer Class 1.