Pay grades
W-2: chief warrant officer 2
The grade at which a warrant officer receives a presidential commission. Titles and abbreviations by service, insignia and 2026 pay.
W-2: rank in each service, insignia and 2026 pay
Army, W-2 · Warrant officer
Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2)
Chief warrant officer, commissioned
| Marine Corps | Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2) |
| Navy | Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2) |
| Air Force | warrant officer |
| Space Force | no rank at this grade |
| Coast Guard | Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CWO2) |
| 2026 basic pay, over 6 years | $5,585.40 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 W-2W-2 is the second warrant officer pay grade and the first at which a warrant officer is commissioned. The Department of War chart explains that warrant officers "receive commissions from the president upon promotion to chief warrant officer 2" and from then on "derive their authority from the same source as commissioned officers", while remaining specialists. The title is chief warrant officer 2 in every service that has it: CW2 in the Army, CWO2 in the Marine Corps, the Navy and the Coast Guard, which starts its warrant ladder at W-2. The Army describes its CW2s as "intermediate level technical and tactical experts" at detachment through battalion level. In 2026 the W-2 row runs from $4,621.80 a month to $7,714.20, reached over 24 years of service, where it stops.
What is a promotion worth in basic pay?
W-2 to W-3, over 6 years
+$385.50 / mo
| W-2 | $5,585.40 |
| W-3 | $5,970.90 |
| Over a year | +$4,626 |
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 commission matters
A W-1 serves under a warrant signed by a service secretary; a CW2 holds a commission like a lieutenant. The difference is one of authority, not of pay table: all warrant grades are paid from the same DFAS warrant officer table, and title 37 lists "Chief Warrant Officer, W-2" as a grade of its own. On the chart, the Coast Guard's warrant ladder starts at W-2, the commissioned grade.
How is this rank abbreviated?
Army, W-2
CW2
| Chief Warrant Officer 2 | CW2 |
Abbreviations as printed on the Department of War chart; capitals differ by service.
W-2 pay against the officer table
Over six years of service a CW2 draws $5,585.40 a month in 2026, against $6,617.70 for an O-2 with the same years. The pay grades page explains how the three tables, enlisted, warrant and officer, relate.
W-2 in the six services
| Service | Rank | Abbreviation | Insignia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | Chief Warrant Officer 2 | CW2 | |
| Marine Corps | Chief Warrant Officer 2 | CWO2 |  |
| Navy | Chief Warrant Officer 2 | CWO2 |  |
| Air Force | warrant officer (titles not on the chart) | ||
| Space Force | no rank at this grade | ||
| Coast Guard | Chief Warrant Officer 2 | CWO2 |
W-2 basic pay in 2026, by years of service
| Years of service | Monthly basic pay | Over 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or less | $4,621.80 | $55,462 |
| Over 2 | $5,058.90 | $60,707 |
| Over 3 | $5,193.30 | $62,320 |
| Over 4 | $5,286.00 | $63,432 |
| Over 6 | $5,585.40 | $67,025 |
| Over 8 | $6,051.00 | $72,612 |
| Over 10 | $6,282.60 | $75,391 |
| Over 12 | $6,509.40 | $78,113 |
| Over 14 | $6,787.50 | $81,450 |
| Over 16 | $7,005.00 | $84,060 |
| Over 18 | $7,201.50 | $86,418 |
| Over 20 | $7,437.00 | $89,244 |
| Over 22 | $7,591.50 | $91,098 |
| Over 24 | $7,714.20 | $92,570 |