The 3.8% Raise Is Here
On December 18, 2025, President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 into law. That means every service member got a 3.8% bump to base pay starting January 1, 2026.
This is the largest military pay raise since 2016. If you looked at your January LES and noticed your base pay went up, this is why. Let's break down what it actually means in dollars.
What It Looks Like by Rank
Here are some real numbers so you can see the difference.
E-3 with 2 years of service: Your base pay went from $2,271.76 to $2,358.23 per month. That's an extra $86.47 every month, or about $1,037 more per year before taxes.
E-5 with 4 years of service: Base pay jumped from $2,924.11 to $3,035.22 per month. That's $111.11 more per month. Over a year, that's $1,333 extra in your pocket.
E-7 with 10 years of service: You went from $4,554.30 to $4,727.36 per month. That's a $173.06 monthly increase, or $2,076.72 more per year.
O-3 with 6 years of service: Officers saw significant increases too. An O-3 at the 6-year mark is looking at roughly $230 more per month.
The raise applies across the board. Every rank, every pay grade. If you're in uniform, you got it.
BAS Also Went Up
Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) increased as well. BAS is tied to the USDA food cost index, not the pay raise percentage, so it moves on its own schedule.
For 2026, enlisted BAS is $476.95 per month. Officers get $328.48 per month. That's a bump from last year's rates.
Remember, BAS is not taxable. It goes straight into your pocket for food costs. If you're living in the barracks and eating at the DFAC, your unit might be collecting a meal deduction. Check your LES to make sure the numbers line up.
BAH Increased Too
Basic Allowance for Housing went up an average of 4.2% nationally for 2026. But BAH varies by location, rank, and dependency status, so your specific increase could be higher or lower.
Some areas like Hawaii and San Diego saw increases above 5%. Other areas stayed closer to the national average. Look up your specific BAH rate on our BAH calculator to get your exact number.
How to Check Your LES
Your Leave and Earnings Statement is the single source of truth. Here is where to look:
- Block 1 (Base Pay): This should show your new 2026 base pay. If it still shows the 2025 amount, give it one more pay period. DFAS sometimes takes a cycle to update, and they will backpay you.
- Block 4 (BAS): Should show $476.95 for enlisted or $328.48 for officers.
- Block 9 (BAH): Should reflect your 2026 BAH rate based on your duty station ZIP code, rank, and dependency status.
If something looks wrong, talk to your finance office. Don't wait. Pay issues get harder to fix the longer you sit on them.
What About Taxes?
Base pay is taxable. BAH and BAS are not. So your actual take-home depends on your tax situation, SGLI deductions, TSP contributions, and any other allotments.
The 3.8% raise is on base pay only. Your allowances moved separately based on their own formulas.
How the Raise Compounds Over Time
If you're planning on staying in for 20 years, this raise matters more than you think. Future pay raises build on top of this one. Your high-3 retirement calculation uses your highest 36 months of base pay. A bigger base now means a bigger retirement later.
Same goes for TSP matching under BRS. If you're contributing a percentage of base pay, a higher base means more dollars going into your TSP and more matching from DoD.
Calculate Your Exact Pay
Want to see your full 2026 compensation? Base pay plus BAH plus BAS, all in one place. Use our military pay calculator to get your personalized breakdown.
Plug in your rank, years of service, duty station ZIP code, and dependency status. You will see exactly what you should be earning this year. Compare it to your LES and make sure everything matches.
Your pay is your pay. Know your numbers.