How much does an O-9 make per month in 2026?

An O-9 is paid $18,999.90 per month in basic pay at the 2 or less step in 2026, and a maximum of $18,999.90 per month. Basic pay is only one part of military compensation; housing (BAH) and food (BAS) allowances are paid on top of it.

How much does an O-9 make per year in 2026?

Basic pay for an O-9 runs from $227,998.80 per year at the 2 or less step to $227,998.80 per year at the top rate of $18,999.90 per month. Basic pay is taxable; BAH and BAS allowances are not, and they are paid in addition to these amounts.

When does O-9 basic pay stop increasing?

It does not rise with years of service at all: the O-9 rate is $18,999.90 per month at every years-of-service step in the 2026 table, so the only ways pay grows are promotion, an annual raise set by Congress, or special pays.

Why is O-9 pay the same at every year of service?

The computed table rate for O-9 passes the statutory cap at every year of service, so the payable rate is the cap itself: $18,999.90 per month, the Level II Executive Schedule rate for 2026. The official table prints the rate from the Over 20 step.

O-9 Basic Pay Rates 2026

Basic pay for pay grade O-9 in 2026 starts at $18,999.90 per month at the 2 or less step, and tops out at $18,999.90 per month ($227,998.80 per year). Basic pay is the taxable core of military pay, set by pay grade and years of service only; housing and food allowances are paid on top of it.

2026 basic pay table for O-9

The full official 2026 table for pay grade O-9, at every years-of-service step the table publishes. Steps marked n/a have no published rate, because the grade cannot be held that early in a career.

Years of service	Monthly basic pay	Annual basic pay
2 or less	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 2	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 3	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 4	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 6	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 8	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 10	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 12	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 14	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 16	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 18	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 20	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 22	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 24	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 26	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 28	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 30	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 32	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 34	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 36	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 38	$18,999.90	$227,998.80
Over 40	$18,999.90	$227,998.80

The O-9 rate does not change with years of service: it is $18,999.90 per month at every step in the 2026 table.

About the O-9 grade

Rank titles: Lieutenant General (Army, Air Force, Space Force, Marine Corps), Vice Admiral (Navy and Coast Guard).

O-9 is a three-star general or flag officer grade. The computed table rate passes the statutory cap at every year of service, so an O-9 is paid the Executive Schedule Level II cap of $18,999.90 per month throughout. The official table prints the rate from the Over 20 step; the cap makes the same amount payable at every step.

The statutory pay cap

By law (37 U.S.C. 203), monthly basic pay for officers at pay grades O-7 through O-10 cannot exceed the rate for Level II of the Executive Schedule, $18,999.90 per month in 2026, and basic pay for O-6 and below cannot exceed the Level V rate of $15,408.30 per month. Allowances such as BAH and BAS and special pays are not counted against either cap.

Source and how to verify: rates on this page are the official 2026 monthly basic pay rates from Schedule 8 of Executive Order 14368, "Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay" (December 18, 2025), effective January 1, 2026, published at whitehouse.gov and paid by the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). EveryCalc republishes them for convenience; your Leave and Earnings Statement and your service finance office are the official record of your own pay.

Basic pay for other grades

Enlisted

E-1 basic pay (starts at $2,407.20 per month, top rate $2,407.20)
E-2 basic pay (starts at $2,697.90 per month, top rate $2,697.90)
E-3 basic pay (starts at $2,836.80 per month, top rate $3,198.00)
E-4 basic pay (starts at $3,142.20 per month, top rate $3,815.40)
E-5 basic pay (starts at $3,342.90 per month, top rate $4,421.70)
E-6 basic pay (starts at $3,401.10 per month, top rate $5,267.70)
E-7 basic pay (starts at $3,932.10 per month, top rate $7,067.40)
E-8 basic pay (starts at $5,656.50 per month, top rate $8,067.30)
E-9 basic pay (starts at $6,910.20 per month, top rate $10,729.20)

Warrant officers

W-1 basic pay (starts at $4,056.60 per month, top rate $7,010.10)
W-2 basic pay (starts at $4,621.80 per month, top rate $7,714.20)
W-3 basic pay (starts at $5,223.30 per month, top rate $9,162.60)
W-4 basic pay (starts at $5,719.80 per month, top rate $10,653.60)
W-5 basic pay (starts at $10,169.70 per month, top rate $13,308.30)

Commissioned officers

O-1 basic pay (starts at $4,150.20 per month, top rate $5,222.40)
O-2 basic pay (starts at $4,782.00 per month, top rate $6,617.70)
O-3 basic pay (starts at $5,534.10 per month, top rate $9,004.20)
O-4 basic pay (starts at $6,294.60 per month, top rate $10,509.90)
O-5 basic pay (starts at $7,295.40 per month, top rate $12,394.80)
O-6 basic pay (starts at $8,751.30 per month, top rate $15,408.30)
O-7 basic pay (starts at $11,540.10 per month, top rate $17,242.20)
O-8 basic pay (starts at $13,888.50 per month, top rate $18,999.90)
O-10 basic pay (starts at $18,999.90 per month, top rate $18,999.90)

Prior-enlisted officers

O-1E basic pay (starts at $5,222.40 per month, top rate $6,484.50)
O-2E basic pay (starts at $6,484.50 per month, top rate $7,663.50)
O-3E basic pay (starts at $7,382.70 per month, top rate $9,609.60)

See the full index of 2026 military basic pay charts, estimate total pay with the military pay calculator, look up housing rates on the 2026 BAH rates by location pages, or check the 2026 VA disability rates by rating.