Army Warrant Officer Class 1 Salary 2026/27: OR-9 Take-Home
Warrant Officer Class 1 is OR-9, the most senior non-commissioned rank, held as Regimental Sergeant Major and equivalent appointments. Pay in 2026/27 runs from £64,704 to £68,982 across six increment levels, a narrower band than any rank below it. Figures include X-Factor and the 3.6% award accepted on 9 June 2026.
Typical pay & take-home
- OR9-04, supplement 1
- £65,802
- Typical range
- £64,704–£68,982
- Take-home at median
- £48,723 England, no pension applied — use the salary calculator for your scheme.
At the median for this profession, you earn about 69% above the UK full-time median (£39,039), placing you in the top 17% of UK earners.
See exact take-home for £65,802 →
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 warrant officer class 1 (or-9) pay
The OR-9 band is unusually tight: £4,278 separates the bottom increment from the top of the highest supplement, against £13,634 between £51,615 and £65,249 at OR-7. Progression has largely run its course by this rank.
Trade supplement barely applies here. Supplements 1, 2 and 3 pay identically at every OR-9 increment except one, and only supplement 4 pays more - £68,982 against £67,201 at the top increment.
Because the Armed Forces pension is non-contributory, there is no member contribution to reduce adjusted net income. A WO1 on £64,704 is therefore over the £60,000 High Income Child Benefit Charge threshold on base pay alone, where a police or NHS equivalent on the same gross would have a contribution pulling them under it.
X-Factor is already included in every figure.
Career progression
- Staff Sergeant (OR-7): £51,615 to £65,249.
- Warrant Officer Class 1 (OR-9): £64,704 to £68,982.
- Late Entry commission as Captain (OF-2): £54,716 to £64,852.
- Major (OF-3): £68,624 to £81,960.
Frequently asked questions
- What does a Warrant Officer Class 1 take home 2026/27?
- On the £64,704 bottom of the range, take-home is about £48,086 a year or £4,007 a month, after Income Tax and National Insurance and with no pension deduction. At the £68,982 top it is about £50,567.
- Does a WO1 pay the High Income Child Benefit Charge?
- On base pay alone, yes, for anyone with children. The threshold is £60,000 of adjusted net income and the whole OR-9 range is above it. There is no pension contribution to bring the figure down, because the Armed Forces scheme is non-contributory - which is why a WO1 is affected where an NHS or police equivalent on the same gross often is not.