ADF Pay Scales 2026: Army, Navy and Air Force Salary by Rank

ADF pay scales set a salary for every rank, pay grade and increment across the Army, Navy and Air Force. Since 6 November 2025 a Private (Navy Seaman, Air Force Aircraftman) earns $79,096 to $126,292 depending on pay grade, a Captain $106,257 to $179,912, and a Colonel up to $248,376. After tax that is about $2,427 a fortnight for a Private on pay grade 1, with 16.40% employer super on top. The next rise, 3% from 5 November 2026, is agreed in principle but not yet formally determined.

Updated 2026-10-03 · Defence military salary tables from 6 November 2025 · ATO 2026–27 tax

ADF pay calculator

Private PG1 take-home per fortnight$2,426.61$63,265 a year from $79,096 gross · rates from 06/11/2025

Base salary	$79,096
Hourly rate (ordinary)	$40.45
Gross per fortnight	$3,033.81
Income tax	$14,249
Medicare levy	$1,582
Take-home a year	$63,265
Employer super (16.40%)	$12,972

Take-home $63,265 80.0%
Income tax $14,249 18.0%
Medicare $1,582 2.0%

Your result is ready

Pay grade is set by your trade or employment category (1 = lowest, 10 = highest). Hourly figures use a notional 37.5-hour week: ADF members have no ordinary hours. Take-home assumes no HECS-HELP and private hospital cover; Military Factor and other allowances are extra.

Other ranks pay scale (soldiers, sailors, aviators)

Army rank	Navy · Air Force	Salary range	Take-home / fortnight
Recruit (basic training)	Same in all three Services	$60,517–$76,079	$1,946–$2,348
Private	Seaman · Aircraftman / Aircraftwoman	$79,096–$126,292	$2,427–$3,658
Private (Proficient)	Able Seaman · Leading Aircraftman / Leading Aircraftwoman	$80,341–$127,530	$2,459–$3,690
Lance Corporal	Army only	$81,612–$128,802	$2,492–$3,723
Corporal	Leading Seaman · Corporal	$86,966–$137,047	$2,632–$3,933
Sergeant	Petty Officer · Sergeant	$97,575–$148,091	$2,909–$4,191
Staff Sergeant	Army only	$106,734–$153,925	$3,147–$4,328
Warrant Officer Class 2	Chief Petty Officer · Flight Sergeant	$109,733–$158,815	$3,226–$4,442
Warrant Officer Class 1 – Tier A	Warrant Officer · Warrant Officer	$117,408–$166,648	$3,426–$4,625
Warrant Officer Class 1 – Tier B	Warrant Officer · Warrant Officer	$134,419–$169,795	$3,870–$4,699
Warrant Officer Class 1 – Tier C	Warrant Officer · Warrant Officer	$156,144–$169,795	$4,379–$4,699
Regimental Sergeant Major of the Army	Warrant Officer of the Navy · Warrant Officer of the Air Force	$169,795	$4,699

Officer pay scale

Army rank	Navy · Air Force	Salary range	Take-home / fortnight
Officer Cadet	Midshipman · Officer Cadet	$47,168–$76,763	$1,605–$2,366
Second Lieutenant	Acting Sub-Lieutenant · Pilot Officer	$87,091–$145,493	$2,635–$4,130
Lieutenant	Sub-Lieutenant · Flying Officer	$91,778–$156,316	$2,757–$4,383
Captain	Lieutenant · Flight Lieutenant	$106,257–$179,912	$3,135–$4,936
Major	Lieutenant Commander · Squadron Leader	$130,007–$193,476	$3,754–$5,242
Lieutenant Colonel	Commander · Wing Commander	$159,440–$220,780	$4,457–$5,797
Colonel	Captain · Group Captain	$186,934–$248,376	$5,100–$6,358
Brigadier	Commodore · Air Commodore	$282,677–$290,217	$7,056–$7,209
Major General	Rear Admiral · Air Vice-Marshal	$316,619–$332,277	$7,746–$8,064
Lieutenant General	Vice Admiral · Air Marshal	$478,781–$567,525	$11,042–$12,846

Ranges run from the lowest pay grade at increment 0 to the highest pay grade at the top increment. Officer cadets at ADFA are paid $47,168 in first year; officer trainees without a degree start on $69,365. Medical, dental, legal, chaplain and aviation officers have separate specialist schedules.

How ADF pay grades and increments work

Pay depends on rank, pay grade (set by your employment category/trade – pay grade 1 is the lowest, 10 the highest) and increment (time in rank).
Private, Private (Proficient), Lance Corporal and Staff Sergeant have one pay point per pay grade; Corporal and Sergeant have increments 0–2, WO2 and WO1 Tier A increments 0–1.
Increment 0 is paid on promotion (payslips show it as increment 1); you move to the next increment on your incremental date, usually after 12 months in rank, subject to performance.
A change in your trade's pay grade, or a general WRA pay rise, does not change your incremental date (PACMAN Ch 3 Pt 2 Div 3).
Private → Private (Proficient) on completing trade training/proficiency requirements; promotion to Corporal and above is competitive and course-based.
Recruits are paid trainee rates (Schedule B.13) during basic training and initial employment training before moving to the Private scale.

ADF Reserves pay: daily rates (tax-free)

Reservists are paid a daily rate equal to the permanent annual salary for the same rank, pay grade and increment divided by 365. Pay and allowances for part-time Reserve service are exempt income under s 51-5 item 1.4 of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 (not taxed, no PAYG withheld, not entered in your tax return). The exemption does not cover continuous full-time service (CFTS), which is taxed like permanent pay. Some allowances and civilian-employer top-ups are taxable.

Army rank	Navy	Air Force	Daily rate
Private	Seaman	Aircraftman / Aircraftwoman	$216.70–$346.01
Private (Proficient)	Able Seaman	Leading Aircraftman / Leading Aircraftwoman	$220.11–$349.40
Lance Corporal	–	–	$223.59–$352.88
Corporal	Leading Seaman	Corporal	$238.26–$375.47
Sergeant	Petty Officer	Sergeant	$267.33–$405.73
Staff Sergeant	–	–	$292.42–$421.71
Warrant Officer Class 2	Chief Petty Officer	Flight Sergeant	$300.64–$435.11
Warrant Officer Class 1 – Tier A	Warrant Officer	Warrant Officer	$321.67–$456.57
Warrant Officer Class 1 – Tier B	Warrant Officer	Warrant Officer	$368.27–$465.19
Warrant Officer Class 1 – Tier C	Warrant Officer	Warrant Officer	$427.79–$465.19
Second Lieutenant	Acting Sub-Lieutenant	Pilot Officer	$238.61–$398.61
Lieutenant	Sub-Lieutenant	Flying Officer	$251.45–$428.26
Captain	Lieutenant	Flight Lieutenant	$291.12–$492.91
Major	Lieutenant Commander	Squadron Leader	$356.18–$530.07
Lieutenant Colonel	Commander	Wing Commander	$436.82–$604.88
Colonel	Captain	Group Captain	$512.15–$680.48

Trainees: Recruit – basic training $165.80; Private (E) – not yet completed category training / military trade test $189.48; Officer Training Unit – without degree $190.04; Officer Training Unit – with degree $210.31. Twenty days a year as a Private on pay grade 1 is worth $4,334, all of it tax-free. No employer super is paid on tax-free Reserve pay (Defence: ADF Reservists and Superannuation). DFWA has asked the DFRT to review Reserve pay arrangements (Sep 2026).

Military Factor and allowances

Allowance	Amount
Service allowance and uniform allowance	Included in salary
Military Factor (sea, field, flying, paratrooper, special forces, diving…)	$10,964 a year (Tier A) to $60,937 a year (Tier L); $30.03–$166.95 a day
Maritime Crew (seagoing) – Military Factor	Crew B (major fleet unit) Tier B–H; Crew C (minor war vessel) Tier C–K; Crew D/E/F (submarine, MFU + flying, clearance diving) Tier E–L
Field allowance – Military Factor	Field Level 1 = Tier G ($104.71 a day); Field Level 2 = Tier D ($67.37 a day)
Tier Z on-occurrence payments (daily)	e.g. Boarding Party $200.34; Special Duty Level 2 $217.04 / Level 3 $317.21; Deep Dive $550.94; Render Safe $250.43
Language allowance	$1,410 to $14,091 a year
Rent allowance / service residence	Varies
Separation allowance, District allowance, Higher duties allowance	Varies

Military Factor replaced the separate sea-going, field, flying, submarine, paratrooper and special forces allowances in May 2023. Only the highest eligible tier is paid on any day, and recipients get up to 10 extra days of recreation leave a year.

ADF pay rises

From	Increase	Status	Detail
9 November 2023	4.0%	Paid	ADF Workplace Remuneration Arrangement 2023–2026, year 1 (salary and salary-related allowances).
7 November 2024	3.80%	Paid	WRA 2023–2026, year 2 – Defence pay sheet "3.8% salary increase for all ADF effective 07 Nov 24".
6 November 2025	3.40%	Paid	WRA 2023–2026, year 3 – Defence pay sheet "3.4% salary increase for all ADF effective 06 Nov 25". 11.2% over the three years (Defence).
5 November 2026	3.0%	Not yet agreed	Initial one-year WRA 2026–29 offer: 3% from 5 Nov 2026, first paid 19 Nov 2026 (Defence News 13 Aug 2026). DFWA (25 Sep 2026) reports DFRT approval after the 17 Sep 2026 hearing; determination not yet sighted.

ADF rises apply from early November, not 1 July. Superannuation: ADF Super (members who joined from 1 July 2016): Defence contributes 16.4% of super salary every pay day (Defence Act 1903 s 52A; CSC). Older members are in the defined-benefit MSBS or DFRDB schemes, where the employer benefit works differently..

See how Defence pay compares with teacher and nurse salaries.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Private earn in the Australian Army?

$79,096 at pay grade 1 up to $126,292 at pay grade 10, from 6 November 2025. Navy Seamen and Air Force Aircraftmen are paid the same.

Is ADF Reserve pay taxed?

No. Pay for part-time Reserve service is exempt income, so no tax is withheld and you do not declare it. Continuous full-time service is taxed like permanent pay.

When is the next ADF pay rise?

5 November 2026: Initial one-year WRA 2026–29 offer: 3% from 5 Nov 2026, first paid 19 Nov 2026 (Defence News 13 Aug 2026). DFWA (25 Sep 2026) reports DFRT approval after the 17 Sep 2026 hearing; determination not yet sighted.

Sources

Figures are taken from official government publications and were last reviewed on 2026-10-03.