Officer pay, prior service
O-3E Basic Pay (2026)
An O-3E is paid $7,382.70 a month in basic pay with over 4 years of service, the first step DFAS publishes for this grade, rising to $9,609.60 a month from over 18 years of service, under the DFAS prior-service officer pay table effective January 1, 2026. Below is every rate DFAS publishes for O-3E, 19 steps by cumulative years of service.
- Over 4 years
- $7,382.70
- a month, the first published step
- Over 40 years
- $9,609.60
- a month, the last published step
- BAS, officers
- $328.48
- a month, DFAS Officers column
O-3E pay table
O-3E monthly basic pay by years of service
O-3E 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Over 4 | $7,382.70 | $88,592.40 |
| Over 6 | $7,737.00 | $92,844.00 |
| Over 8 | $8,125.50 | $97,506.00 |
| Over 10 | $8,375.70 | $100,508.40 |
| Over 12 | $8,788.20 | $105,458.40 |
| Over 14 | $9,137.10 | $109,645.20 |
| Over 16 | $9,336.90 | $112,042.80 |
| Over 18 | $9,609.60 | $115,315.20 |
| Over 20 | $9,609.60 | $115,315.20 |
| Over 22 | $9,609.60 | $115,315.20 |
| Over 24 | $9,609.60 | $115,315.20 |
| Over 26 | $9,609.60 | $115,315.20 |
| Over 28 | $9,609.60 | $115,315.20 |
| Over 30 | $9,609.60 | $115,315.20 |
| Over 32 | $9,609.60 | $115,315.20 |
| Over 34 | $9,609.60 | $115,315.20 |
| Over 36 | $9,609.60 | $115,315.20 |
| Over 38 | $9,609.60 | $115,315.20 |
| Over 40 | $9,609.60 | $115,315.20 |
When DFAS pays this rate
Officers (O-1, O-2 and O-3) with more than 4 years of creditable service
DFAS publishes the O-3E rate in its table titled “Basic Pay - Officers (O-1, O-2 and O-3) with more than 4 years of creditable service”. One condition DFAS sets for these rates in place of the O-1, O-2 and O-3 rates, from the notes to its officer table:
“O-1, O-2, and O-3 rates do not apply to commissioned officers who have been credited with over 4 years (i.e., at least 4 years and 1 day) of active duty service as an enlisted member or as a warrant officer or as both an enlisted member and a warrant officer.”
What DFAS counts as creditable service, in note 3 to this table:
“Creditable service to be taken into account for purposes of this table is active service as an enlisted member or as a warrant officer or as both an enlisted member and a warrant officer, in the case of a commissioned officer on active duty who is paid from funds appropriated for active-duty personnel; or a commissioned officer on active Guard and Reserve duty. Effective November 24, 2003, creditable service to be taken into account for purposes of this table in the case of a commissioned officer is service as an enlisted member or as a warrant officer, or as both an enlisted member and a warrant officer, for which more than 1,460 points have been credited to the officer for the purposes of title 10, U.S.C. § 12732(a)(2).”
DFAS's notes to this table (opens in a new tab) set the full conditions.
Sources
- 1.DFAS: Basic Pay - Officers (O-1, O-2 and O-3) with more than 4 years of creditable service (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 .