ADF Ranks and Pay Scales 2026 — Army, Navy & RAAF Salary by Rank
A Private, Seaman or Aircraftman in the Permanent Forces earns $79,096 to $126,292 a year depending on pay grade, and a newly commissioned officer from $87,091. Recruits are paid $60,517 during basic training. Every figure is from the ADF Pay and Conditions Manual, effective 6 November 2025.
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Permanent Forces salaries effective 6 November 2025, from PACMAN. These are base salaries only — allowances such as the ADF Military Factor and location allowances can be paid on top and are not included.
ADF Ranks and Pay: Army, Navy and RAAF Rank List
The Defence Force pays one salary table across all three services, so each row below puts the Army rank, the Navy rank and the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) rank of the same standing side by side, most senior first. The range runs from the lowest pay grade and increment to the highest published for that rank, effective 6 November 2025. Where only one service has a rank (Staff Sergeant and Lance Corporal are Army ranks) the other columns show a dash. Click through for army ranks and pay, navy ranks and pay and air force ranks and pay.
ADF rank list: Army, Navy and Air Force ranks with yearly salary range
Army rank
Navy rank
RAAF rank
Lowest salary
Highest salary
Colonel
Captain
Group Captain
$186,934
$248,376
Lieutenant Colonel
Commander
Wing Commander
$159,440
$220,780
Major
Lieutenant Commander
Squadron Leader
$130,007
$193,476
Captain
Lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
$106,257
$179,912
Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Flying Officer
$91,778
$156,316
Second Lieutenant
Acting Sub-Lieutenant
Pilot Officer
$87,091
$145,493
Service Warrant Officer (the senior warrant officer of each service)
$169,795 a year
Warrant Officer Class 1
Warrant Officer
Warrant Officer
$117,408
$169,795
Warrant Officer Class 2
Chief Petty Officer
Flight Sergeant
$109,733
$158,815
Staff Sergeant
—
—
$106,734
$153,925
Sergeant
Petty Officer
Sergeant
$97,575
$148,091
Corporal
Leading Seaman
Corporal
$86,966
$137,047
Lance Corporal
—
—
$81,612
$128,802
Private Proficient
Able Seaman
Leading Aircraftman
$80,341
$127,530
Private
Seaman
Aircraftman
$79,096
$126,292
Recruit in basic recruit training (all services)
$60,517 a year
One-star ranks and above (Brigadier, Commodore, Air Commodore and the generals, admirals and air marshals above them) are not in these tables, because they are paid under separate arrangements we have not read. Salary is before allowances; see what this page does not show.
How ADF pay works: rank, pay grade and increment
ADF salaries are set by the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal and published in the ADF Pay and Conditions Manual (PACMAN). Three things decide your salary:
Rank — the same scale applies across the services, so a Navy Petty Officer, an Army Sergeant and an Air Force Sergeant are paid from one table.
Pay grade (1 to 10) — set by your employment category, your job. PACMAN Schedule B.11 places every category at a pay grade; technical and specialist trades sit higher.
Increment — a step within the rank. PACMAN lists the increments for each rank; the rules for moving between them are in PACMAN Chapter 3.
Take-home uses 2026–27 resident tax rates with the low income tax offset and the 2% Medicare levy, and no HECS-HELP. A member entitled to full free medical treatment under Defence arrangements may be exempt from all or half of the Medicare levy depending on their dependants, so we also show the figure with the levy fully exempted. Check any salary exactly with the take-home pay calculator.
The Service Warrant Officer — the senior warrant officer position — is paid $169,795 a year (Schedule B.10).
Recruit and trainee pay
ADF trainee salary rates
Training stage
Yearly salary
Take-home
Normal entry recruit during basic recruit training
$60,517
$50,724
Initial category, trade or employment training — first 6 months
$69,162
$56,510
Initial category, trade or employment training — 6 to 12 months
$72,621
$58,863
Initial category, trade or employment training — 12 months or more
$76,079
$61,213
Officer cadets, ADFA and university-sponsored trainees are paid from separate rows of Schedule B.13, which depend on the entry scheme and year of study; see PACMAN Schedule B.13.
Full ADF pay scales by increment and pay grade
Yearly salary, Permanent Forces. Columns are pay grades 1 to 10; rows are increments, highest first.
Warrant Officer Class 1
Warrant Officer Class 1
Warrant Officer Class 1 salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
Tier C
—
—
—
—
—
—
—
$156,144
$162,712
$169,795
Tier B
—
—
—
$134,419
$139,245
$144,452
$150,074
$156,144
$162,712
$169,795
Tier A2
$119,455
$122,679
$126,815
$131,275
$136,098
$141,304
$146,930
$153,002
$159,562
$166,648
Tier A1
$117,408
$120,630
$124,762
$129,230
$134,052
$139,253
$144,881
$150,955
$157,512
$164,598
Other ranks
Chief Petty Officer, Warrant Officer Class 2, Flight Sergeant
Chief Petty Officer, Warrant Officer Class 2, Flight Sergeant salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
1
$111,623
$114,844
$118,979
$123,446
$128,267
$133,473
$139,097
$145,172
$151,730
$158,815
0
$109,733
$112,956
$117,094
$121,557
$126,379
$131,586
$137,211
$143,286
$149,842
$156,929
Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
0
$106,734
$109,956
$114,087
$118,553
$123,376
$128,584
$134,206
$140,278
$146,838
$153,925
Petty Officer, Sergeant, Sergeant
Petty Officer, Sergeant, Sergeant salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
2
$100,898
$104,120
$108,257
$112,718
$117,543
$122,747
$128,371
$134,445
$141,006
$148,091
1
$99,220
$102,443
$106,575
$111,041
$115,864
$121,073
$126,690
$132,767
$139,326
$146,413
0
$97,575
$100,797
$104,930
$109,397
$114,219
$119,427
$125,047
$131,122
$137,681
$144,768
Leading Seaman, Corporal, Corporal
Leading Seaman, Corporal, Corporal salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
2
$89,857
$93,081
$97,212
$101,677
$106,503
$111,706
$117,327
$123,404
$129,959
$137,047
1
$88,398
$91,620
$95,754
$100,219
$105,042
$110,246
$115,871
$121,945
$128,502
$135,586
0
$86,966
$90,189
$94,324
$98,787
$103,607
$108,817
$114,442
$120,514
$127,074
$134,164
Lance Corporal
Lance Corporal salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
0
$81,612
$84,833
$88,963
$93,433
$98,255
$103,459
$109,081
$115,158
$121,713
$128,802
Able Seaman, Private Proficient, Leading Aircraftman
Able Seaman, Private Proficient, Leading Aircraftman salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
0
$80,341
$83,565
$87,700
$92,164
$96,985
$102,194
$107,814
$113,887
$120,448
$127,530
Seaman, Private, Aircraftman
Seaman, Private, Aircraftman salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
0
$79,096
$82,322
$86,453
$90,919
$95,741
$100,947
$106,572
$112,644
$119,203
$126,292
Officers
Captain, Colonel, Group Captain
Captain, Colonel, Group Captain salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
O6-1
$192,318
$197,710
$203,932
$209,323
$215,338
$222,075
$228,844
$236,158
$243,480
$248,376
O6-0
$186,934
$192,324
$198,552
$203,938
$209,953
$216,693
$223,452
$230,777
$238,100
$242,990
Commander, Lieutenant Colonel, Wing Commander
Commander, Lieutenant Colonel, Wing Commander salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
O5-1
$164,718
$170,113
$176,340
$181,730
$187,741
$194,479
$201,244
$208,567
$215,886
$220,780
O5-0
$159,440
$164,832
$171,058
$176,450
$182,462
$189,202
$195,963
$203,286
$210,608
$215,502
Lieutenant Commander, Major, Squadron Leader
Lieutenant Commander, Major, Squadron Leader salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
O4-2
$137,420
$142,811
$149,037
$154,428
$160,440
$167,178
$173,943
$181,265
$188,583
$193,476
O4-1
$133,718
$139,113
$145,336
$150,726
$156,738
$163,481
$170,243
$177,565
$184,887
$189,775
O4-0
$130,007
$135,402
$141,624
$147,014
$153,028
$159,769
$166,532
$173,855
$181,175
$186,067
Lieutenant, Captain, Flight Lieutenant
Lieutenant, Captain, Flight Lieutenant salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
O3-5
$123,850
$129,247
$135,472
$140,861
$146,875
$153,614
$160,378
$167,702
$175,024
$179,912
O3-4
$120,330
$125,724
$131,950
$137,344
$143,354
$150,093
$156,855
$164,176
$171,501
$176,389
O3-3
$116,802
$122,193
$128,418
$133,807
$139,823
$146,563
$153,327
$160,647
$167,970
$172,856
O3-2
$113,290
$118,688
$124,909
$130,298
$136,314
$143,052
$149,813
$157,140
$164,463
$169,351
O3-1
$109,781
$115,172
$121,395
$126,787
$132,802
$139,539
$146,302
$153,622
$160,944
$165,839
O3-0
$106,257
$111,646
$117,869
$123,260
$129,275
$136,012
$142,778
$150,100
$157,417
$162,312
Sub-Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Flying Officer
Sub-Lieutenant, Lieutenant, Flying Officer salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
O2-3
$100,259
$105,647
$111,872
$117,264
$123,270
$130,010
$136,778
$144,101
$151,421
$156,316
O2-2
$97,357
$102,750
$108,973
$114,362
$120,377
$127,117
$133,881
$141,203
$148,526
$153,415
O2-1
$94,508
$99,899
$106,126
$111,517
$117,527
$124,265
$131,030
$138,356
$145,675
$150,567
O2-0
$91,778
$97,168
$103,395
$108,786
$114,798
$121,538
$128,300
$135,620
$142,944
$147,835
Acting Sub-Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant, Pilot Officer
Acting Sub-Lieutenant, Second Lieutenant, Pilot Officer salary by increment and pay grade
Increment
PG 1
PG 2
PG 3
PG 4
PG 5
PG 6
PG 7
PG 8
PG 9
PG 10
O1-1
$89,435
$94,828
$101,055
$106,443
$112,455
$119,196
$125,958
$133,279
$140,603
$145,493
O1-0
$87,091
$92,486
$98,708
$104,099
$110,113
$116,850
$123,618
$130,935
$138,260
$143,150
What this page does not show
Allowances, including the ADF Military Factor and location allowances.
Reserve daily rates (Part 2 of each PACMAN schedule).
Specialist officer structures (medical, dental, legal, chaplain and aviation), senior officers of one-star rank and above, and the nuclear-submariner and cyber warfare salary divisions.
ADF pay questions
A Private in the Permanent Forces earns $79,096 a year at pay grade 1, rising to $126,292 at pay grade 10, under the PACMAN salary rates effective 6 November 2025. Your pay grade depends on your employment category (your job), not just your rank. The Navy (Seaman) and Air Force (Aircraftman) equivalents are on the same scale.
A normal entry recruit is paid $60,517 a year during basic recruit training. During initial trade or employment training the rate is $69,162 for the first 6 months, $72,621 from 6 to 12 months and $76,079 after 12 months (PACMAN Schedule B.13).
Each employment category — Rifleman, Cook, Electrician, Aircraft Technician and so on — is assigned a pay grade from 1 to 10 in PACMAN Schedule B.11. Your salary is set by your rank, your pay grade and your increment within the rank. Two members of the same rank can be paid very differently because of their pay grade.
A newly commissioned officer (Second Lieutenant, Acting Sub-Lieutenant or Pilot Officer) earns from $87,091 a year. A Lieutenant Colonel, Commander or Wing Commander earns $159,440 to $220,780, and a Colonel, Captain (Navy) or Group Captain up to $248,376, depending on pay grade and increment.
Yes. ADF salary is taxed at ordinary resident rates. A member who is entitled to full free medical treatment for all conditions under Defence Force arrangements may be exempt from all or half of the Medicare levy, depending on their dependants — claim it in your tax return. The take-home figures on this page show both cases.
The salary rates on this page are the rates PACMAN lists as effective 6 November 2025. We re-check PACMAN when Defence announces the next increase.
How this page is sourced▼
Every salary was read from the ADF Pay and Conditions Manual (PACMAN), Chapter 3 Part 1, on 23 September 2026. PACMAN states the rates are the “ADF Military Salary – 6 November 2025” rates. The large tables were extracted programmatically from PACMAN and checked against PACMAN’s own published example (Lieutenant, pay grade 4, increment 1: $111,517). Nothing is estimated.
Allowances are not included: PACMAN’s allowance-rate pages could not be read when this page was checked, so we do not publish allowance amounts. Reserve members are paid daily rates, which are not shown.
Last verified: 23 September 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
AB
Anita Bell
Author
Founder & Senior Bookkeeper
Accountancy degree (2015); certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One
Anita Bell earned her accountancy degree in 2015 and has worked as a senior bookkeeper with Prime Bookkeeping for over 5 years. This built her skills in Australian and New Zealand tax legislation and industry regulations. She is certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One, and works with payroll and rostering software including Gusto, Deputy, Tsheets and KeyPay. She has strong experience in hospitality, building and construction, financial services, real estate, ecommerce, and medical and health services.
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