Enlisted pay
E-3 Basic Pay (2026)
An E-3 is paid $2,836.80 a month in basic pay with 2 or less years of service, rising to $3,198.00 a month from over 3 years of service, under the DFAS enlisted pay table effective January 1, 2026. Below is every rate DFAS publishes for E-3, 22 steps by cumulative years of service.
- 2 or less years
- $2,836.80
- a month, the first step
- Over 40 years
- $3,198.00
- a month, the last published step
- BAS, enlisted
- $476.95
- a month, DFAS Enlisted column
E-3 pay table
E-3 monthly basic pay by years of service
E-3 rates by cumulative years of service, as DFAS publishes them. “12 months at this rate” is 12 times the monthly rate.
| Years of service | Monthly basic pay | 12 months at this rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or less | $2,836.80 | $34,041.60 |
| Over 2 | $3,015.00 | $36,180.00 |
| Over 3 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 4 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 6 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 8 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 10 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 12 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 14 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 16 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 18 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 20 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 22 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 24 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 26 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 28 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 30 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 32 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 34 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 36 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 38 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
| Over 40 | $3,198.00 | $38,376.00 |
Sources
- 1.DFAS: Basic Pay - Enlisted (opens in a new tab)
Defense Finance and Accounting Service; page updated January 12, 2026. Internet Archive copy (opens in a new tab)
- 2.DFAS: Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) (opens in a new tab)
Defense Finance and Accounting Service; page updated December 19, 2025. Internet Archive copy (opens in a new tab)
Last reviewed against DFAS's tables on .