Pay grades
W-4: chief warrant officer 4
Senior-level warrant officers and the top warrant grade of the Coast Guard. Titles, insignia and 2026 pay.
W-4: rank in each service, insignia and 2026 pay
Army, W-4 · Warrant officer
Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4)
Chief warrant officer, commissioned
| Marine Corps | Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CWO4) |
| Navy | Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CWO4) |
| Air Force | warrant officer |
| Space Force | no rank at this grade |
| Coast Guard | Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CWO4) |
| 2026 basic pay, over 16 years | $8,619.90 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-4W-4 is the fourth warrant officer pay grade, chief warrant officer 4: CW4 in the Army and CWO4 in the Marine Corps, the Navy and the Coast Guard, for which it is the highest warrant grade. The Army calls its CW4s "senior-level experts in their chosen field" who support battalion, brigade, division, corps and higher operations and "typically have special mentorship responsibilities for other warrant officers". They also advise commanders on warrant officer matters. Basic pay at W-4 in 2026 ranges from $5,719.80 a month with two years or less of service, to $10,653.60 over 30 years. Over twenty years, the most common range for the grade, the rate is $9,228.90, above an O-4 with the same years, and the gap grows with service.
What is a promotion worth in basic pay?
W-4 to W-5, over 16 years
No rate for one grade
| W-4 | $8,619.90 |
| W-5 | no rate |
| Over a year | n/a |
Same years of service in both grades, 2026 DFAS table.
Ranks and pay tables read by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
Mentor of the warrant corps
The CW4 is where the Army expects warrant officers to look after the corps itself: mentoring younger warrant officers and advising the commander on them. The insignia of each service are shown in the table below.
What is a promotion worth in basic pay?
W-3 to W-4, over 16 years
+$954.00 / mo
| W-3 | $7,665.90 |
| W-4 | $8,619.90 |
| Over a year | +$11,448 |
Same years of service in both grades, 2026 DFAS table.
Pay rows that end late
The W-4 row keeps rising to over 30 years. Over twenty years, a CW4 draws $-1,281.00 more a month than an O-4 with the same service. The warrant officer page compares the five grades.
W-4 in the six services
| Service | Rank | Abbreviation | Insignia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Army | Chief Warrant Officer 4 | CW4 | |
| Marine Corps | Chief Warrant Officer 4 | CWO4 |  |
| Navy | Chief Warrant Officer 4 | CWO4 |  |
| Air Force | warrant officer (titles not on the chart) | ||
| Space Force | no rank at this grade | ||
| Coast Guard | Chief Warrant Officer 4 | CWO4 |
W-4 basic pay in 2026, by years of service
| Years of service | Monthly basic pay | Over 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| 2 or less | $5,719.80 | $68,638 |
| Over 2 | $6,152.10 | $73,825 |
| Over 3 | $6,328.50 | $75,942 |
| Over 4 | $6,502.20 | $78,026 |
| Over 6 | $6,801.90 | $81,623 |
| Over 8 | $7,098.00 | $85,176 |
| Over 10 | $7,398.00 | $88,776 |
| Over 12 | $7,848.30 | $94,180 |
| Over 14 | $8,243.70 | $98,924 |
| Over 16 | $8,619.90 | $103,439 |
| Over 18 | $8,928.60 | $107,143 |
| Over 20 | $9,228.90 | $110,747 |
| Over 22 | $9,669.60 | $116,035 |
| Over 24 | $10,032.00 | $120,384 |
| Over 26 | $10,445.40 | $125,345 |
| Over 30 | $10,653.60 | $127,843 |