Pay grades

E-3: the last junior grade before E-4

Private first class, lance corporal, seaman, airman first class, specialist 3: one pay grade, three rates in 2026 depending on years of service.

E-3: rank in each service, insignia and 2026 pay

Used for the 2026 basic pay only.

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Army, E-3 · Enlisted

Private First Class (PFC)

Junior enlisted, usually in training or on a first assignment

Army Private First Class insignia
Private First Class
Marine CorpsLance Corporal (LCpl)
NavySeaman (SN)
Air ForceAirman First Class (A1C)
Space ForceSpecialist 3 (Spc3)
Coast GuardSeaman (SN)
2026 basic pay, over 2 years$3,015.00 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-3

E-3 is the third enlisted pay grade, the last of the three the Department of War chart groups as members still in training or on a first assignment. The Army calls it private first class (PFC), the Marine Corps lance corporal (LCpl), the Navy and Coast Guard seaman (SN), the Air Force airman first class (A1C) and the Space Force specialist 3 (Spc3). Unlike E-1 and E-2, its pay rises with service: $2,836.80 a month in 2026 with two years or less, $3,015.00 over two years and $3,198.00 from over three years on, where the row stops growing. In the Army, a PFC may be promoted to specialist after six months in grade and 24 months of service. In the Marine Corps, lance corporal is the last grade before the noncommissioned ranks.

What is a promotion worth in basic pay?

E-3 to E-4, over 2 years

+$288.00 / mo

E-3$3,015.00
E-4$3,303.00
Over a year+$3,456

Same years of service in both grades, 2026 DFAS table.

Open the full pay calculator →

Ranks and pay tables read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources

Three rates in one grade

E-3 is the first grade whose row in the DFAS table changes with time, and it changes fast: the rate climbs twice in the first three years, then holds at $3,198.00. Someone who stays at E-3 for a long time gains nothing more from seniority; promotion is the way up. The tool below lists each step.

When does basic pay rise in this grade?

E-3: rate changes in the 2026 table

3 steps

2 or less$2,836.80
Over 2$3,015.00
Over 3$3,198.00
Open the full pay calculator →

The step before the first leadership grade

In the Marine Corps the next grade, E-4, is corporal, a noncommissioned officer: the Department of War chart notes that "a Marine corporal" is already an NCO, while in the Army and the Air Force that status starts at E-5. A Marine lance corporal is therefore one promotion away from leading Marines, an Army PFC two. In the Navy and the Coast Guard, the step from seaman to petty officer third class makes the sailor a petty officer, the naval equivalent of the NCO.

E-3 in the six services

Department of War rank chart, read on November 1, 2026.
ServiceRankAbbreviationInsignia
ArmyPrivate First ClassPFCArmy Private First Class
Marine CorpsLance CorporalLCplMarine Corps Lance Corporal
NavySeamanSNNavy Seaman
Air ForceAirman First ClassA1CAir Force Airman First Class
Space ForceSpecialist 3Spc3Space Force Specialist 3
Coast GuardSeamanSNCoast Guard Seaman

E-3 basic pay in 2026, by years of service

DFAS basic pay table effective January 1, 2026: E-3 rates, shown where they change.
Years of serviceMonthly basic payOver 12 months
2 or less$2,836.80$34,042
Over 2$3,015.00$36,180
Over 3$3,198.00$38,376

Questions people ask

Is a lance corporal higher than a PFC?

Within the Marine Corps, yes: lance corporal is E-3 and Marine private first class is E-2. Against the Army, they are equal, since an Army PFC is also E-3, paid $2,836.80 a month at the start in 2026. Between services, rank follows the pay grade, so both stand level with a Navy seaman and an Air Force airman first class.

What is E-3 called in each branch?

Army: Private First Class; Marine Corps: Lance Corporal; Navy: Seaman; Air Force: Airman First Class; Space Force: Specialist 3; Coast Guard: Seaman. The title changes with the service; the pay grade, and so the basic pay, does not. Between services, the Department of War chart notes, rank and precedence are determined by pay grade, so a E-3 of one service ranks with a E-3 of any other.

What is the annual basic pay of E-3 in 2026?

Twelve months at the first rate of the E-3 row make $34,042, and twelve months at the top of the row $38,376. At over 2 years of service, a common point for the grade, the year comes to $36,180. These are amounts before tax, without allowances, special pays or bonuses.

How much is E-3 basic pay in 2026?

From $2,836.80 a month at 2 or less years of service to $3,198.00 at the top of the row, under the DFAS table effective January 1, 2026. That is basic pay alone: the housing and food allowances, which most members also receive, are paid on top and depend on location and family.

Look up next

E-2

PV2, Private First Class (Marines), Seaman Apprentice, Airman, Specialist 2: the first stripe and one flat rate.

E-4

Specialist and Corporal (Army), Corporal (Marines), Petty Officer Third Class, Senior Airman, Specialist 4.

Enlisted ranks

E-1 to E-9 in the six services: junior enlisted, NCOs and petty officers, senior NCOs and chiefs.

2026 pay chart

Every 2026 basic pay rate, E-1 to O-10, by years of service, with the calculator and the DFAS notes.

Pay grades explained

E, W and O: what a pay grade is, how it differs from a rank, and why it sets pay in every service.

Official pages behind this page

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Independent publisher of a rank, insignia and basic pay reference for the six US armed forces, built on the Department of War rank chart and the DFAS pay tables

Ranks and pay tables checked on · Editorial policy · Contact

Military ranks and basic pay 2026, read on the Department of War chart and the DFAS tables, last checked on