Pay grades

E-5: sergeant and petty officer second class

The first noncommissioned grade in the Army and the Air Force. Titles, insignia, the role of the team leader, and the 2026 pay row.

E-5: rank in each service, insignia and 2026 pay

Used for the 2026 basic pay only.

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Army, E-5 · Enlisted

Sergeant (SGT)

Noncommissioned officer

Army Sergeant insignia
Sergeant
Marine CorpsSergeant (Sgt)
NavyPetty Officer Second Class (PO2)
Air ForceStaff Sergeant (SSgt)
Space ForceSergeant (Sgt)
Coast GuardPetty Officer Second Class (PO2)
2026 basic pay, over 4 years$3,946.80 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-5

E-5 is the fifth enlisted pay grade and the start of the noncommissioned ranks in the Army and the Air Force. The Army, the Marine Corps and the Space Force call it sergeant (SGT in the Army, Sgt in the Marine Corps and Space Force), the Air Force staff sergeant (SSgt) and the Navy and Coast Guard petty officer second class (PO2). The Department of War chart notes that "an Army sergeant, an Air Force staff sergeant and a Marine corporal are considered NCO ranks". The Army describes its sergeants as first-line leaders who typically lead a team, four Soldiers in its unit table. Basic pay at E-5 in 2026 starts at $3,342.90 a month and rises to $4,421.70 at over twelve years of service, where the row ends. The Air Force title is the source of most confusion: an Air Force staff sergeant is an E-5, an Army staff sergeant an E-6.

What is a promotion worth in basic pay?

E-5 to E-6, over 4 years

+$122.10 / mo

E-5$3,946.80
E-6$4,068.90
Over a year+$1,465

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

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

Two staff sergeants, two grades

"Staff sergeant" is E-5 in the Air Force and E-6 in the Army and the Marine Corps. The Space Force, which took most Air Force titles, uses sergeant at E-5 and keeps technical sergeant at E-6. Anyone comparing a résumé, a military record or a news story should read the pay grade, not the title. The tool below converts any rank to the other services.

What is this rank called in another service?

Air Force Staff Sergeant (SSgt) in the Army

Sergeant

Pay gradeE-5
GroupNoncommissioned officer
AbbreviationSGT

Equivalence follows the pay grade, the rule the services use between them.

Compare every rank side by side →

Where E-5 pay stops

The E-5 row climbs from $3,342.90 to $4,421.70 and then holds for the rest of the table, from over twelve to over forty years. The services cap how long a member can stay at a grade, but those limits come from their own personnel rules, not from the pay table. The next grade, E-6, starts at $3,401.10. The Army unit sizes page shows where the sergeant sits in the chain from team to corps.

E-5 in the six services

Department of War rank chart, read on November 1, 2026.
ServiceRankAbbreviationInsignia
ArmySergeantSGTArmy Sergeant
Marine CorpsSergeantSgtMarine Corps Sergeant
NavyPetty Officer Second ClassPO2Navy Petty Officer Second Class
Air ForceStaff SergeantSSgtAir Force Staff Sergeant
Space ForceSergeantSgtSpace Force Sergeant
Coast GuardPetty Officer Second ClassPO2Coast Guard Petty Officer Second Class

E-5 basic pay in 2026, by years of service

DFAS basic pay table effective January 1, 2026: E-5 rates, shown where they change.
Years of serviceMonthly basic payOver 12 months
2 or less$3,342.90$40,115
Over 2$3,598.20$43,178
Over 3$3,775.80$45,310
Over 4$3,946.80$47,362
Over 6$4,110.00$49,320
Over 8$4,299.90$51,599
Over 10$4,395.30$52,744
Over 12$4,421.70$53,060

Questions people ask

What is E-5 called in each branch?

Army: Sergeant; Marine Corps: Sergeant; Navy: Petty Officer Second Class; Air Force: Staff Sergeant; Space Force: Sergeant; Coast Guard: Petty Officer Second Class. 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-5 of one service ranks with a E-5 of any other.

What is the annual basic pay of E-5 in 2026?

Twelve months at the first rate of the E-5 row make $40,115, and twelve months at the top of the row $53,060. At over 4 years of service, a common point for the grade, the year comes to $47,362. These are amounts before tax, without allowances, special pays or bonuses.

How much is E-5 basic pay in 2026?

From $3,342.90 a month at 2 or less years of service to $4,421.70 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-4

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

E-6

Staff Sergeant (Army, Marines), Petty Officer First Class, Technical Sergeant (Air Force, Space Force).

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