Armed Forces Pay Scales 2026/27: Every Rank and Take-Home
AFPRB pay scales from 1 April 2026 for the Army, Royal Navy and RAF: every rank from Private to General, the four trade supplements for Other Ranks, aircrew supplements, and take-home after tax and NI on a non-contributory pension.
The 2026/27 award
The Armed Forces' Pay Review Body recommended 3.6% on every point of the military salary scales from 1 April 2026, and the Government accepted the recommendations in full. The figures below are therefore the rates in payment rather than a proposal, backdated to 1 April.
One thing to be clear about before reading any of them: X-Factor is already inside these numbers. It is the addition that recognises the demands of Service life against civilian employment, and the published tables are inclusive of it. If you have seen a figure elsewhere with X-Factor added on top, it has been counted twice.
Other Ranks
Other Ranks pay is set by rank, increment level and trade supplement. The supplement is set by the Ministry of Defence for the trade, not chosen, and it moves pay as much as a promotion does at some ranks. The range below spans every increment within the rank.
| NATO rank | Army | Royal Navy | RAF | Supplement 1 | Supplement 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OR-9 | Warrant Officer Class 1 | Warrant Officer Class 1 | Warrant Officer | £64,704 - £67,201 | £66,560 - £68,982 |
| OR-8 | Warrant Officer Class 2 | Warrant Officer Class 2 | - | £56,024 - £60,271 | £63,358 - £65,249 |
| OR-7 | Staff Sergeant / Colour Sergeant | Chief Petty Officer | Flight Sergeant / Chief Technician | £51,615 - £60,271 | £57,830 - £65,249 |
| OR-6 | Sergeant | Petty Officer | Sergeant | £46,022 - £50,598 | £51,024 - £56,611 |
| OR-4 | Corporal | Leading Rate | Corporal | £40,989 - £43,826 | £44,322 - £48,497 |
| OR-3 | Lance Corporal | - | Lance Corporal | £35,310 - £38,553 | £37,407 - £41,164 |
| OR-2 | Private | Able Rating | Leading Aircraftman / Senior Aircraftman | £27,282 - £38,553 | £27,282 - £41,164 |
A Corporal at the top of the scale is on £43,826 on supplement 1 and £48,497 on supplement 4, a difference of £4,671 for the same rank and the same time served.
Officers
Officers have no trade supplements, so each rank is a single scale running from the first increment to the top. The Chief of the Defence Staff is paid on a separate spine, which is a post rather than a rank and is not listed here.
One rank needs a caveat. The printed OF-3 column runs to £90,371, but the report reserves increments OF3-09 to OF3-13 for RAF Engineer Officers, by selection. A Major, a Lieutenant Commander or a Squadron Leader anywhere else in the Services tops out at £81,960, so that is the figure in the table below.
| NATO rank | Army | Royal Navy | RAF | Scale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OF-9 | General | Admiral | Air Chief Marshal | £227,179 - £254,531 |
| OF-8 | Lieutenant General | Vice Admiral | Air Marshal | £181,743 - £210,000 |
| OF-7 | Major General | Rear Admiral | Air Vice-Marshal | £151,825 - £164,054 |
| OF-6 | Brigadier | Commodore | Air Commodore | £137,874 - £143,406 |
| OF-5 | Colonel | Captain | Group Captain | £115,881 - £127,272 |
| OF-4 | Lieutenant Colonel | Commander | Wing Commander | £95,850 - £110,806 |
| OF-3 | Major | Lieutenant Commander | Squadron Leader | £68,624 - £81,960 printed scale continues to £90,371 for RAF Engineer Officers, by selection |
| OF-2 | Captain | Lieutenant | Flight Lieutenant | £54,716 - £64,852 |
| OF-1 | Second Lieutenant / Lieutenant | Sub-Lieutenant | Pilot Officer / Flying Officer | £35,925 - £47,351 |
Take-home by rank
Gross less Income Tax and employee National Insurance, at rest-of-UK rates. Scottish taxpayers pay Scottish rates on the same gross, and the Ministry of Defence operates a mitigation payment for those affected. There is no pension line because there is no member contribution to deduct.
| Rank | Gross | Income Tax | NI | Take-home | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private (OR-2), top of scale | £38,553 | £5,197 | £2,079 | £31,278 | £2,606 |
| Corporal (OR-4), supplement 1 | £43,826 | £6,251 | £2,500 | £35,074 | £2,923 |
| Corporal (OR-4), supplement 4 | £48,497 | £7,185 | £2,874 | £38,437 | £3,203 |
| Sergeant (OR-6), supplement 1 | £50,598 | £7,671 | £3,023 | £39,904 | £3,325 |
| Captain (OF-2), top of scale | £64,852 | £13,373 | £3,308 | £48,172 | £4,014 |
| Major (OF-3), top of scale | £81,960 | £20,216 | £3,650 | £58,094 | £4,841 |
| Lieutenant Colonel (OF-4), top of scale | £110,806 | £33,916 | £4,227 | £72,664 | £6,055 |
Accommodation, food and CILOCT charges come out of net pay separately. They are charges, not tax reliefs, so they reduce what reaches the bank without changing any of the figures above.
Aircrew and engineer supplements
The Professional Supplement for aircrew is paid on top of salary by rank and skill level, to all eligible aircrew up to OF6 whatever their current role. It is an annual amount, and at some ranks it is large enough to outweigh a promotion. The report does not settle whether it is pensionable - paragraph 9.11 records the review body asking the Ministry of Defence for its rationale on which pay elements are pensionable - so this page does not state either way.
| Spine | Rank band | Annual supplement |
|---|---|---|
| Main Pay | OF6 | £6,426 |
| Main Pay | OF5 | £15,607 |
| Main Pay | OF4 | £20,312 |
| Main Pay | OF3 | £31,559 |
| Main Pay | OF2 | £19,394 |
| APS1 | OR9 | £17,787 |
| APS1 | OR7 - OR8 | £16,066 |
| APS2 | OR9 | £9,181 |
| APS2 | OR7 - OR8 | £7,459 |
| APS2 | OR4 - OR6 | £5,738 |
The Engineer Professional Recognition Award is different in kind: a one-off lump sum on attaining a professional engineering qualification, and the one place in the report where the rate depends on which Service is paying.
| Service | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| RN/RM | £2,000 | £3,000 | not paid |
| Army | £1,000 | £2,000 | £3,000 |
| RAF | £2,000 | £3,000 | £5,000 |
Why there is no pension deduction
Every other public-sector pay ladder on this site has a member contribution coming out of gross before Income Tax: NHS staff pay a banded rate, teachers pay into the TPS, police into the 2015 scheme, civil servants into alpha. The Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 is the exception. It is non-contributory, so a service person pays nothing towards it and the entire cost sits with the employer.
That has two consequences worth understanding when comparing military pay with a civilian offer. Take-home is a larger share of gross than it would be in any comparable public-sector job, so a like-for-like gross comparison understates military net pay. And because there is no contribution, there is no tax relief on one either, so the marginal rate arithmetic that makes pension contributions cheap for higher earners does not apply.
Related
- By rank: Private, Corporal, Sergeant, Major, Lieutenant Colonel
- Police pay scales and prison officer pay scales, the nearest comparable ladders
- Civil Service pay, for the MoD civilians who work alongside the Services
- Salary calculator for any figure not on this page
Frequently asked questions
What is the Armed Forces pay rise for 2026?
3.6% for everyone in the review body's remit group, from 1 April 2026. The Armed Forces' Pay Review Body recommended it and the Government accepted the recommendations in full, so the recommended figures are the figures in payment, backdated to 1 April.
How much does an Army Corporal earn?
A Corporal (OR-4) is paid between £40,989 and £48,497 depending on increment level and trade supplement. On supplement 1 the top of the scale is £43,826; on supplement 4 it is £48,497. Any single figure quoted for a rank without naming the supplement is only part of the answer.
What is a trade supplement?
Other Ranks sit on one of four trade supplements, set by the Ministry of Defence for their trade rather than chosen by the individual. Supplement 1 is the base and supplement 4 the highest, and the gap between them at the same rank and increment can run to several thousand pounds a year. Officers have no supplements.
Does Armed Forces pay include X-Factor?
Yes. X-Factor recognises the conditions of Service life compared with civilian employment, and the published salary tables are inclusive of it. It is not a separate line added on top, so a page that adds it to these figures has double-counted.
Do service personnel pay pension contributions?
No. The Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 is non-contributory: members pay nothing and the whole cost falls on the employer. That is why the take-home figures on this page deduct only Income Tax and National Insurance, unlike NHS, teacher, police or civil service pay, where a member contribution comes out first.
What does a Major earn after tax?
At the top of the OF-3 scale a Major reaches £81,960, which is about £58,094 a year or £4,841 a month after Income Tax and National Insurance, with no pension deduction. The printed column continues to £90,371, but those increments are reserved for RAF Engineer Officers, by selection, so quoting them as the rank maximum overstates it for almost everyone holding it. Accommodation and food charges are taken from net pay separately and are not tax deductions.