Pay grades
E-1: the entry pay grade
Almost every enlisted career starts here, in basic training. What an E-1 is called in each service, why most wear no insignia, and the two 2026 pay rates.
E-1: rank in each service, insignia and 2026 pay
Army, E-1 · Enlisted
Private (PV1)
Junior enlisted, usually in training or on a first assignment
| Marine Corps | Private |
| Navy | Seaman Recruit (SR) |
| Air Force | Airman Basic |
| Space Force | Specialist 1 (Spc1) |
| Coast Guard | Seaman Recruit (SR) |
| 2026 basic pay, 2 or less years | $2,407.20 a month |
Same pay grade means the same basic pay in every service. Basic pay only: housing, food and special pays are not included.
Everything about E-1E-1 is the first enlisted pay grade, the one held by nearly every recruit at the start of basic training. The Army and the Marine Corps call it private, the Navy and the Coast Guard seaman recruit, the Air Force airman basic and the Space Force specialist 1. In most services an E-1 wears no rank insignia at all; the Coast Guard is the exception the Department of War chart notes, with a single stripe for its seaman recruit. Pay at this grade has two rates in 2026: $2,225.70 a month during the first four months of active duty, then $2,407.20, a rate that does not grow with years of service because members rarely stay at E-1. In the Army, a private becomes eligible for E-2 after six months of service, according to army.mil.
What is a promotion worth in basic pay?
E-1 to E-2, 2 or less years
+$290.70 / mo
| E-1 | $2,407.20 |
| E-2 | $2,697.90 |
| Over a year | +$3,488 |
Same years of service in both grades, 2026 DFAS table.
Ranks and pay tables read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Why the rate does not change with time
The DFAS table gives E-1 one figure in every column from "2 or less" to "over 40". The grade is a starting point, not a career stage: the services move recruits up as they finish training and build time in service, so the table does not plan for a long stay. The lower rate of $2,225.70 applies only while a member has less than four months of active duty, which covers most of basic training. The tool below shows the standard figure; the calculator on the pay chart page has a switch for the first four months.
Quick check: 2026 basic pay
E-1, 2 or less years
$2,407.20 / mo
| Over a year | $28,886 |
| Lowest rate of the grade | $2,407.20 |
| Highest rate of the grade | $2,407.20 |
DFAS table effective January 1, 2026; basic pay only.
What an E-1 does
The Department of War chart describes E-1 to E-3 as members "in some kind of training status or on their initial assignment": basic training first, then the specialty school that teaches a job, called a military occupational specialty in the Army and the Marine Corps, a rate in the Navy and an Air Force specialty in the Air Force. The Army's own page puts it plainly: the private is "the most junior rank in the Army" and the "primary role is to carry out orders issued to them". The Army adds that recruits with experience or prior military training can start basic training as privates first class, at E-3, and those with a four-year college degree as specialists, at E-4; E-2 is the usual next step for everyone else.
E-1 in the six services
| Service | Rank | Abbreviation | Insignia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | Private | PV1 | |
| Marine Corps | Private | ||
| Navy | Seaman Recruit | SR | |
| Air Force | Airman Basic | ||
| Space Force | Specialist 1 | Spc1 | |
| Coast Guard | Seaman Recruit | SR |
E-1 basic pay in 2026, by years of service
| Years of service | Monthly basic pay | Over 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or less | $2,407.20 | $28,886 |