Warlike and non-warlike operations — rate by zone and threat level.
Australian Defence Force · Pay Rates
One pay system. Three services.
Choose where to look.
Permanent base rates, allowances, and take-home estimates for Navy, Army, and Air Force — sourced from the official ADF military salary rates currently in force. Pick a service for the full pay table, or compare allowances and benefits below.
- Salary range
- $34,220 – $478,781+
- Super
- 16.4%
- Pay cycle
- Fortnightly
- Latest increase
- +3.4%
Recruit → senior officer
vs 12% civilian SG
26 cycles / year
Effective 6 November 2025
Pick a service
Pay by branch
RAN · Sea
Royal Australian Navy
Seaman → Vice Admiral
- Recruit
- $34,220
- Vice Admiral
- $478,781
- Pay groups
- 29
- Super
- 16.4%
Pay progression→
SMN~$126K
CPO~$159K
WO-N~$170K
VADM~$479K
Service-only allowances
- Sea Going Service Allowance
- Submarine Service Allowance
- District Allowance (remote ports)
View RAN pay scales→
Army · Land
Australian Army
Private → Lieutenant General
- Recruit
- $34,220
- Lieutenant General
- $478,781
- Pay groups
- 31
- Super
- 16.4%
Pay progression→
PTE~$126K
WO2~$159K
RSM-A~$170K
LTGEN~$479K
Service-only allowances
- Field Allowance
- Military Factor Allowance
- District Allowance (remote postings)
View Army pay scales→
RAAF · Air
Royal Australian Air Force
Aircraftman → Air Marshal
- Recruit
- $34,220
- Air Marshal
- $478,781
- Pay groups
- 29
- Super
- 16.4%
Pay progression→
AC/ACW~$126K
FSGT~$159K
WOFF-AF~$170K
AIRMSHL~$479K
Service-only allowances
- Flying Allowance
- Aircrew Continuance Bonus
- District Allowance (remote bases)
View RAAF pay scales→
Pay groups line up across services — a Petty Officer (RAN), Sergeant (Army), and Sergeant (RAAF) all sit at pay grade OR-6. Floor and ceiling figures shown above are pay group summary extremes from the official ADF military salary rates currently in force.
All three services
Same pay grade,
different titles.
Every rank from Navy, Army and Air Force lined up with official abbreviations, descriptions, and salary ranges.
View the full comparison→| Navy | Army | Air Force | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seaman | Private | Aircraftman | OR-2 |
| Able Seaman | Private Proficient | Leading Aircraftman | OR-3 |
| Leading Seaman | Corporal | Corporal | OR-4 |
| Petty Officer | Sergeant | Sergeant | OR-5 |
| Chief Petty Officer | Warrant Officer Class 2 | Flight Sergeant | OR-6 |
+ more ranks on the full page
Estimate
Find your rough pay
Pick a service and a representative rank to preview annual base, take-home, and super. Per-service pages have the full table with every increment and plan code.
You'd be
Corporal
Army · OR-4
Annual base
$86,966
Take-home / yr
$68,349
Super / yr
$14,262
$34,220ADF pay spectrum$478,781
Sits in the lower third of the ADF pay range.
Total package
How ADF compares to a civilian role
Base salary is only half the story. The gap shows up in super, tax-free allowances, and the cost-of-living benefits civilian jobs rarely offer.
Employer super gap
+4.4percentage points
ADF 16.4% vs civilian SG 12%. Compounded over a career, the gap shifts retirement balances by tens of thousands.
Deployed earnings
$0tax on allowance
Deployment allowance is tax-exempt — every dollar lands in your account. Civilian shift work is fully taxed.
Health & housing
Bundled
Free medical & dental for the member; subsidised housing on posting. Civilian roles rarely bundle either.
ADF memberPermanent member
- Employer super
- 16.4%
- Service allowance
- Built into base salary
- Deployment allowance
- Tax-free
- Medical & dental
- Free (member)
- Housing assistance
- Subsidised / posted
- Annual leave
- 20 days + recreation
Comparable civilian roleAPS / private sector
- Employer super
- 12% (SG)
- Service allowance
- —
- Deployment allowance
- —
- Medical & dental
- Out-of-pocket / private cover
- Housing assistance
- Rare
- Annual leave
- 20 days standard
Beyond base salary
Allowances at a glance
A short reference. Exact eligibility, tiers, and rates are set in the ADF Pay and Conditions Manual — the figures below are for orientation only.
Across all services
Conditional · paid when eligible
Remote postings such as Darwin, Townsville, Tindal.
Service-specific
Tied to where you serve
Navy2
Time spent at sea on a posted vessel.
Qualified submariners on submarine postings.
Army2
Paid while exercising or operating in the field.
Compensates the unique demands of military service.
Air Force2
Aircrew performing flying duties — rate by category.
Retention payment for specific aircrew specialisations.
More cross-service detail
Cross-service ranks, descriptions, and pay-grade equivalents on the comparison page.
Considering enlisting?
This page won't recruit you.
We publish the pay tables in a calmer format than the official PDFs. For roles, eligibility, application steps, and what life in the ADF actually looks like, the official sources are below.
Typical path
- 01Pick a service & role
Use the cards above to see pay groups and allowances.
- 02Estimate take-home
Plug a salary into the tax calculator with ADF super pre-considered.
- 03Apply via defencejobs
Application, aptitude, medical and assessment days are run by Defence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Have a question we didn’t answer? Contact us →
How much do you get paid in the ADF?
ADF base salaries range from around $34,220 for a recruit in basic training up to over $478,781 for senior officers, based on the official ADF military salary rates currently in force. Your exact pay depends on rank, increment (time in rank), and service branch. All members also receive 16.4% employer superannuation.
Are ranks equivalent across Navy, Army, and Air Force?
Many permanent pay groups line up across services — for example, Petty Officer (PO) in the Navy maps to Sergeant (SGT) in the Army and Air Force. Army-only rows like Lance Corporal and Staff Sergeant don't have direct equivalents. See the cross-service rank comparison for the full mapping.
Do ADF members pay tax?
Yes — income tax, Medicare levy, and HECS/HELP all apply to base salary. Some allowances such as deployment allowance for overseas service are tax-exempt. Use the tax calculator on this site to estimate your take-home from any ADF salary.
How does ADF super compare to a civilian job?
ADF employer super sits at 16.4%, above the civilian Superannuation Guarantee of 12%. On an $85,000 salary that's an extra approximately $3,740 per year going into super before any salary-sacrifice contributions.
When was the most recent ADF pay increase?
The most recent ADF pay increase was +3.4% under Workplace Remuneration Arrangement 3, effective 6 November 2025. The salary tables on the per-service pages always reflect the rates currently in force.
Does this site include reserves, specialist, aviation, or cyber salaries?
No — this site mirrors the permanent base-rate schedules and trainee schedule B.13 only. Reserve, specialist, aviation, cyber, and Military Factor tables are out of scope and should be checked in the official Pay & Conditions Manual.
Where can I find official ADF recruitment information?
Visit defencejobs.gov.au for official recruitment information, career paths, and application details. For pay and conditions, visit the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal.
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