Pay by grade / O-6
O-6 PAY IN 2026
Base pay, BAS and BAH for O-6, from the official 2026 tables. Every figure below is published, not estimated.
What an O-6 actually receives each month
Three things make up most military pay, and only one of them shows up in the headline number.
| Component | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Base pay, entering the grade | $8,751.30 | Rises with years of service, see the ladder below |
| BAS | $328.48 | Officer rate, same nationwide, not taxed |
| BAH, typical duty station | $3,051.00 | Set entirely by duty station ZIP, not taxed |
| Roughly per month | $12,130.78 | Mid-range station, with dependents, base pay entering the grade |
BAH is the swing factor. The same O-6 can receive $1,839.00 or $8,136.00 depending only on where they are stationed.
O-6 base pay by years of service
| Time in service | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2 years | $8,751.30 | $105,015.60 |
| Over 2 years | $9,613.80 | $115,365.60 |
| Over 3 years to 4+ years | $10,245.00 | $122,940.00 |
| Over 6 years | $10,284.30 | $123,411.60 |
| Over 8 years | $10,725.00 | $128,700.00 |
| Over 10 years to 12+ years | $10,783.50 | $129,402.00 |
| Over 14 years | $11,396.40 | $136,756.80 |
| Over 16 years | $12,479.70 | $149,756.40 |
| Over 18 years | $13,115.40 | $157,384.80 |
| Over 20 years | $13,751.10 | $165,013.20 |
| Over 22 years | $14,112.90 | $169,354.80 |
| Over 24 years | $14,479.20 | $173,750.40 |
| Over 26 years to 28+ years | $15,188.70 | $182,264.40 |
| Over 30 years to 40+ years | $15,408.30 | $184,899.60 |
Longevity raises are automatic on the anniversary of your pay entry base date. If yours did not move when it should have, that is a checkable error.
O-6 BAH across the country
Across all 338 military housing areas, the 2026 BAH rate for O-6 ranges this widely:
| Housing area | With dependents | Without |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest: YOUNGSTOWN, OH | $1,839.00 | $1,665.00 |
| Typical: EASTERN PANHANDLE, WV | $3,051.00 | $2,523.00 |
| Highest: WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY | $8,136.00 | $6,633.00 |
That is a spread of $6,297.00 a month between the cheapest and most expensive assignment at the same grade. It is also why a stale ZIP after a PCS costs so much.
Other pay grades
E-1E-2E-3E-4E-5E-6E-7E-8E-9W-1W-2W-3W-4W-5O-1EO-2EO-3EO-1O-2O-3O-4O-5O-7O-8O-9O-10