Australian Army Pay Scales (2025–2026)
Comprehensive 2025–2026 Australian Army salary orientation: Military Salary by rank and pay group, the PACMAN Lieutenant checksum ($111,517), and 16.4% ADF Super — without adding a retired Service Allowance on top.
1. Indicative Australian Army Military Salary matrix
Orientation amounts only. Confirm the cell in PACMAN. Super is 16.4% of Military Salary in this model; net is Stage 3 PAYG plus 2% Medicare (no HECS).
| Army rank | PACMAN schedule | What to read |
|---|---|---|
| Recruit / Trainee | Trainee / other ranks | Trainee rates — not the Private PG cell. |
| Private (PTE) / Lance Corporal | Other Ranks | Rank column → increment → pay grade (PG 1–10). |
| Corporal (CPL) / Sergeant (SGT) | Other Ranks | Same spine as Navy Leading Seaman / Petty Officer equivalents. |
| Warrant Officer Class 2 / Class 1 | Other Ranks | Senior soldier cells; still not the officer schedule. |
| Lieutenant (LT) — official checksum | Officers | $111,517 Military Salary at pay grade 4, increment 1 (PACMAN, rates from 6 November 2025). 16.4% ADF Super on that salary is about $18,289 (not cash). Stage 3 PAYG plus 2% Medicare is roughly $25,300, leaving about $86,200 net before HECS or field allowances. |
| Captain / Major / Lieutenant Colonel | Officers | Same Officers table, different rank block and increment. Do not add Service Allowance on top. |
2. Australian Army salary is Military Salary, not base plus Service Allowance
The Defence salary tables list Military Salary. From 13 May 2021 the Tribunal rolled Service Allowance into salary. Rows above are orientation cells for Army titles. They are not a substitute for the PDF. Confirm against DFRT Determination 2 of 2017 (Salaries), last consolidated 13 April 2026.
For the cluster query ADF pay scales, start at the ADF pay directory. This Army page owns Australian army salary and Army rank titles (PTE, CPL, SGT, LT, CAPT, MAJ, LTCOL).
3. Worked example: Army Lieutenant, pay grade 4, increment 1
PACMAN’s public how-to uses a Permanent Forces Lieutenant (LT) in the Army column, increment 1, pay grade 4: $111,517. That is the figure to reconcile against any third-party “army pay scales” chart. Estimated 16.4% ADF Super on that salary is about $18,289 (not cash). Stage 3 PAYG plus the 2% Medicare levy on $111,517 is roughly $25,300, leaving about $86,200 net before HECS, salary sacrifice, or field allowances.
If a recruiter quote is thousands below $111,517 for that exact cell, they are probably quoting a lower pay grade, a Reserve daily rate, or a trainee rate — not a missing Service Allowance.
4. 16.4% ADF Super versus the 12% civilian guarantee
ADF Super employer contributions are typically 16.4% of ordinary time earnings. The civilian Superannuation Guarantee is 12.0% from 1 July 2025. Super does not appear as take-home cash. Model net pay with the take-home pay calculator after you have the PACMAN cell. Housing (DHA / rent allowance) and free medical cover change household cost, not the salary grid.
5. Rank progression and when to open the ranks page
Other-rank promotion (PTE → LCPL → CPL → SGT → WO2 → WO1) and officer promotion (LT → CAPT → MAJ → LTCOL) move you to a new rank block. Pay-grade movement inside a rank is a different axis. If you hold a Navy or Air Force title, convert it on the tri-service ranks page before you read the Army column.
6. Pay groups PG 1 to PG 10 (other ranks)
Other-rank Military Salary is not “one number per rank.” PACMAN’s Other Ranks schedule is a matrix: rank × increment × pay grade. Pay grades 1 through 10 generally track trade skill, specialist qualifications, and some employment categories. Two Corporals in the same unit can sit on different PG cells if one is a specialist technician and the other is a generalist. Officers do not use that other-rank PG grid — they use the Officers schedule. Mixing a soldier PG with an officer rank is the usual way a forum table goes wrong.
Increment is time-in-rank / competency advancement on the same rank block. Promotion is a new rank block. A Lance Corporal stepping to Corporal is not the same event as a Corporal moving from PG 3 to PG 4. Read both axes.
7. Service Allowance $15,411 is the pre-2021 structure
Many third-party “army pay scales” charts still print a base salary plus a flat $15,411 Service Allowance. That was the Permanent Force structure until 13 May 2021. The Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal then rolled Service, Reserve, Trainee and Uniform Allowances into salary so the published cell is Military Salary. DVA’s incapacity policy manual records the same roll-in for Normal Weekly Earnings calculations. Adding $15,411 on top of a 6 November 2025 PACMAN cell double-counts the old allowance.
Remaining allowances (field, maritime, flying, deployment / warlike) still sit in the allowances determination. They can raise fortnightly cash. They are not a second Service Allowance line on the salary grid, and they are not 16.4% super unless they form part of ordinary time earnings under ADF Super rules — confirm against PACMAN Chapter 3 and your payslip, not a blog table.
8. ADF Super 16.4% versus civilian 12% SG
Most Permanent Force members in ADF Super receive a 16.4% employer contribution on ordinary time earnings. The civilian Superannuation Guarantee is 12.0% from 1 July 2025. That gap is one reason an Army package can beat a similarly titled APS or state role on total remuneration even when cash salary looks close. Super is not fortnightly cash. Housing (DHA / rent allowance) and ADF health cover change household cost, not the salary grid.
Estimate PAYG on Military Salary with the take-home pay calculator after you have the PACMAN cell. HELP debt uses the same 2025–26 repayment rates as civilians — see the HECS-HELP guide. Do not use a Fair Work 12% “case study” on this page; that is the civilian guarantee, not ADF Super.
9. Permanent Forces versus Reserves and SERCAT 6
PACMAN’s worked example is a Permanent Forces Army Lieutenant. Reserve daily and retainer rates are different tables. If you are on a flexible service determination (SERCAT 6), PACMAN notes that fortnightly salary is reduced by the value of any non-working days beyond four. Do not apply the $111,517 checksum to a Reserve weekend or a SERCAT 6 roster without reading that reduction rule.
For ADF-wide context (Navy and Air Force titles, the 2023–2026 Workplace Remuneration Arrangement), start at ADF pay scales 2026. Navy-specific rank language lives on Australian Navy ranks and pay; RAAF on Air Force pay scales.
10. How to verify an Army offer or recruiter quote
- Open PACMAN salary (rates effective 6 November 2025) — Officers or Other Ranks.
- Find the Army column for your rank (or convert a Navy/RAAF title on the ranks page first).
- Select increment, then pay grade.
- Treat the cell as Military Salary. Do not add $15,411 Service Allowance.
- Checksum: Army Lieutenant, PG 4, increment 1 = $111,517.
- Add only allowances that still exist in the current determination (field, flying, etc.).
- Model 16.4% ADF Super and Stage 3 PAYG separately.
Primary sources: Defence salary tables, DFRT Determination 2 of 2017 (Salaries) (consolidated 13 April 2026), and the ADF Workplace Remuneration Arrangement 2023–2026. Defence pay enquiries: 1800 333 362.
ADF pay scales directory
Tri-service hub for ADF pay scales 2026, PACMAN how-to, and Navy / Air Force spokes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Official Australian tax, superannuation, and take-home pay guidance grounded in current ATO rulings.
What is Australian Army salary in 2025–2026?
Army salary is Military Salary on the ADF spine: rank + pay grade + increment. PACMAN’s public checksum is a Permanent Forces Army Lieutenant at pay grade 4 with one increment: $111,517. Other ranks and officers read different cells in the same Officers or Other Ranks schedules effective 6 November 2025.
Is the $15,411 ADF Service Allowance still added on top of Army pay?
No for current Permanent Force members. From 13 May 2021 the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal rolled Service Allowance into Military Salary. Indicative tables on this page treat the salary column as Military Salary, not base-plus-allowance.
How do Army pay groups (PG 1 to PG 10) work?
Other-rank pay groups reward trade skill, qualifications, and some specialist streams. Two Corporals can sit on different PG cells. Officers use the officer schedule; do not mix an other-rank PG with an officer rank.
How much superannuation do Australian Army members receive?
Most Permanent Force members in ADF Super receive 16.4% employer contributions — above the 12.0% Superannuation Guarantee that applies to ordinary civilian employment from 1 July 2025.
Does field or deployment pay change the salary table?
No. Field, maritime, flying, and warlike allowances sit in the allowances determination. They can raise fortnightly cash but they are not a second Service Allowance line on the salary grid.
Where is the official Australian Army salary table?
Defence Pay and Conditions (PACMAN) salary page and DFRT Determination 2 of 2017 (Salaries). This page is an orientation layer with estimated tax — confirm the cell in PACMAN before you sign a contract.