Military pay · grade group
Senior enlisted pay (E-7 to E-9) in 2026
Basic pay of the senior noncommissioned grades, the years at which each row starts and stops, and what these grades mean for a 20-year retirement.
E-7 to E-9 basic pay in 2026
E-8, over 8
$5,656.50
| Per year | $67,878 |
| Before the 3.8% raise (approx.) | $5,449 |
| Per drill (1/30 of a month) | $188.55 |
No E-8 rate at 4 years in the DFAS table; first rate shown.
An E-7 with more than ten years of service earns $5,300.40 a month of basic pay in 2026, an E-8 with more than sixteen years $6,448.20 and an E-9 with more than twenty years $8,105.10, after the 3.8% raise of January 1, 2026. Unlike the junior grades, the senior enlisted tables keep climbing for decades. The E-7 row rises until over 26 years, the E-8 row until over 30 and the E-9 row until over 38, reaching $10,729.20. The rows also start late: DFAS shows no E-8 rate before over 8 years and no E-9 rate before over 10. E-7 is sergeant first class, gunnery sergeant, chief petty officer or master sergeant; E-9 is sergeant major, master gunnery sergeant, master chief petty officer or chief master sergeant. The senior enlisted advisor of each service is paid a single rate, $11,166.90.
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E-7 to E-9 basic pay, 2026
| Years | E-7 | E-8 | E-9 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 or less | $3,932.10 | n/a | n/a |
| Over 8 | $5,135.70 | $5,656.50 | n/a |
| Over 10 | $5,300.40 | $5,907 | $6,910.20 |
| Over 12 | $5,591.70 | $6,061.80 | $7,066.50 |
| Over 16 | $6,000.90 | $6,448.20 | $7,496.10 |
| Over 20 | $6,245.70 | $6,995.40 | $8,105.10 |
| Over 22 | $6,475.20 | $7,308.30 | $8,423.10 |
| Over 24 | $6,598.20 | $7,481.70 | $8,756.70 |
| Over 26 | $7,067.40 | $7,908.90 | $9,267.90 |
| Over 30 | $7,067.40 | $8,067.30 | $9,730.20 |
| Over 34 | $7,067.40 | $8,067.30 | $10,217.40 |
| Over 38 | $7,067.40 | $8,067.30 | $10,729.20 |
Long tables, late steps
The senior enlisted rows are the only enlisted rows that keep rewarding time after twenty years. An E-9 who stays to thirty years earns $9,730.20 instead of $8,105.10 at twenty, and the last step, at over thirty-eight years, brings $10,729.20. Few members get there, because high-year tenure limits time in service for each grade, but the steps between twenty and thirty matter for anyone weighing a few more years against retirement. Each extra year adds to the multiplier as well as to the pay base.
The retirement arithmetic of a senior NCO
| Grade and years at retirement | High-3 (estimate) | BRS (estimate) |
|---|---|---|
| E-7, 20 years | $3,089 | $2,471 |
| E-8, 22 years | $3,847 | $3,078 |
| E-9, 24 years | $5,054 | $4,043 |
| E-9, 30 years | $6,951 | $5,561 |
The estimate is a little high for a member retiring today, because the high-36 average reaches back three years to lower rates, but it shows the scale. Under High-3, each year adds 2.5% of the pay base; under BRS, 2%. The retirement calculator lets you enter your own average and months of service.
What the grades are called
The table is the same for every branch. E-7 is sergeant first class in the Army, gunnery sergeant in the Marine Corps, chief petty officer in the Navy and Coast Guard, master sergeant in the Air Force and Space Force. E-8 is master sergeant or first sergeant in the Army and Marine Corps, senior chief petty officer in the Navy and Coast Guard, senior master sergeant in the Air Force and Space Force. E-9 is sergeant major, command sergeant major or master gunnery sergeant, master chief petty officer, and chief master sergeant.
Housing allowances also rise with these grades, since the DoD prices a larger home for each one; compare a station on the BAH rates page. The E-5 and E-6 page covers the grades below, and the warrant officer page the path many senior NCOs take.
Senior NCO, warrant officer or officer?
Many senior NCOs consider a warrant or a commission around the ten-year mark. The pay tables show what each path is worth at the same seniority, since prior enlisted years count toward the officer and warrant columns.
| Path at 12 years of service | Basic pay per month |
|---|---|
| E-7, staying enlisted | $5,591.70 |
| E-8, after promotion | $6,061.80 |
| W-2, after appointment | $6,509.40 |
| O-2E, commissioned with prior service | $7,458.90 |
The comparison leaves out the length of the remaining career, which differs by path, and the allowances, which rise with grade in all cases. An enlisted member commissioned with more than four years of active enlisted or warrant service is paid at the O-1E to O-3E rates, higher than the regular O-1 to O-3 rates; see the prior enlisted officer page.
Housing at the senior enlisted grades
The with-dependents BAH climbs with each grade. In San Antonio in 2026, an E-7 with dependents receives $2,112 a month, an E-8 $2,121 and an E-9 $2,157; in Honolulu the same grades receive $4,098, $4,302 and $4,518. Members stationed at a recruiting post or a joint headquarters far from a base receive the rate of that ZIP code, which can be very different from the nearest installation.