Pay grade E-8: 2026 basic pay

DFAS's 2026 basic pay table lists pay grade E-8, an enlisted grade, at $5,656.50 a month for over 8 years of service (DFAS prints no entry for fewer years of service than that), rising to $8,067.30 a month at over 30 years, the highest figure in the row. Twelve times the monthly rate is 12 × $5,656.50 = $67,878.00 at the low end and 12 × $8,067.30 = $96,807.60 at the high end. The figures are effective January 1, 2026.

Effective . Source: DFAS, Basic Pay – Enlisted, page updated January 12, 2026; captured in a browser (DFAS blocks scripted downloads); capture SHA-256 2b200c337ed9… Source: DFAS, Reserve Component Drill Pay – Enlisted, page updated January 20, 2026; captured in a browser (DFAS blocks scripted downloads); capture SHA-256 2db38b8b414a…

Monthly basic pay by years of service

From Basic Pay – Enlisted, row E-8. The last column is twelve times the monthly rate, with the arithmetic shown; it is not a DFAS figure and leaves out allowances, special pays and taxes.

Years of serviceMonthly basic payTwelve times the monthly rate
Over 85,656.5012 × $5,656.50 = $67,878.00
Over 105,907.0012 × $5,907.00 = $70,884.00
Over 126,061.8012 × $6,061.80 = $72,741.60
Over 146,247.2012 × $6,247.20 = $74,966.40
Over 166,448.2012 × $6,448.20 = $77,378.40
Over 186,811.2012 × $6,811.20 = $81,734.40
Over 206,995.4012 × $6,995.40 = $83,944.80
Over 227,308.3012 × $7,308.30 = $87,699.60
Over 247,481.7012 × $7,481.70 = $89,780.40
Over 267,908.9012 × $7,908.90 = $94,906.80
Over 287,908.9012 × $7,908.90 = $94,906.80
Over 308,067.3012 × $8,067.30 = $96,807.60
Over 328,067.3012 × $8,067.30 = $96,807.60
Over 348,067.3012 × $8,067.30 = $96,807.60
Over 368,067.3012 × $8,067.30 = $96,807.60
Over 388,067.3012 × $8,067.30 = $96,807.60
Over 408,067.3012 × $8,067.30 = $96,807.60

DFAS prints no entry for E-8 below "Over 8" years of service.

E-8: monthly basic pay by years of service, 2026, from $5,656.50 to $8,067.30$0$2.5k$5k$7.5k$10k≤2>2>3>4>6>8>10>12>14>16>18>20>22>24>26>28>30>32>34>36>38>40Over 8 years: $5,656.50 a monthOver 10 years: $5,907.00 a monthOver 12 years: $6,061.80 a monthOver 14 years: $6,247.20 a monthOver 16 years: $6,448.20 a monthOver 18 years: $6,811.20 a monthOver 20 years: $6,995.40 a monthOver 22 years: $7,308.30 a monthOver 24 years: $7,481.70 a monthOver 26 years: $7,908.90 a monthOver 28 years: $7,908.90 a monthOver 30 years: $8,067.30 a monthOver 32 years: $8,067.30 a monthOver 34 years: $8,067.30 a monthOver 36 years: $8,067.30 a monthOver 38 years: $8,067.30 a monthOver 40 years: $8,067.30 a monthYears of service (DFAS column: ≤2, then over N)Monthly basic pay
Monthly basic pay for E-8 by DFAS years-of-service column, 2026; the table above gives the same figures. Columns are equally spaced brackets, not equal spans of years.

Reserve component drill pay

From DFAS's drill pay table: 1 Drill is the monthly rate divided by 30, to the cent, and 4 Drills is four times 1 Drill.

Years of service1 Drill4 Drills
Over 8188.55754.20
Over 10196.90787.60
Over 12202.06808.24
Over 14208.24832.96
Over 16214.94859.76
Over 18227.04908.16
Over 20233.18932.72
Over 22243.61974.44
Over 24249.39997.56
Over 26263.631,054.52
Over 28263.631,054.52
Over 30268.911,075.64
Over 32268.911,075.64
Over 34268.911,075.64
Over 36268.911,075.64
Over 38268.911,075.64
Over 40268.911,075.64

Neighbouring grades

About these figures

FastWages is not affiliated with the Department of Defense, DFAS or any military service. The tables reproduce what DFAS publishes, cell for cell, and are reference data: they are not pay, career or financial advice, and what a member is actually paid depends on facts this site does not know. Nothing on these pages is compared with civilian wages.

Sources

  1. DFAS, Basic Pay – Enlisted (page updated January 12, 2026; capture basic-pay-EM.json SHA-256 2b200c337ed96c98f7c72487347ca77b4d028aadbcec6d47fa10fb45c02b0cab; upstream page 121,019 bytes, SHA-256 19c4b691c5af044e2a88bcd62d2291dbdef1eb383a86a404d92e17988b5e6392)
  2. DFAS, Reserve Component Drill Pay – Enlisted (page updated January 20, 2026; capture drill-pay-E.json SHA-256 2db38b8b414a3bb27ba3e02b17e294974241bd36e9fd55bb925df3d2343e65d7; upstream page 194,223 bytes, SHA-256 e92729e6e3b93d355188eb68e9a18f159ad1265d0a27e5fbfe81b32c45b35d05)
  3. DFAS, Military Pay Tables (index of the pages above)
  4. 37 U.S.C. 203, Rates of basic pay