Junior Troops Get Targeted Military Pay Raise
The Department of Defense implemented a targeted pay raise for enlisted service members in the pay grades of E-1 through E-4, effective April 1, 2025. This increase targets early in their military careers, a demographic that has reportedly shown higher attrition rates in recent years.
Stripes.com reports DoD officials felt “a need to ensure that the compensation for junior enlisted personnel remains competitive with civilian sector wages and adequately reflects the demands and sacrifices of military service.”
The exact pay increase depends on variables such as time in grade and time in service; the average pay raise is between 5 and 8 percent above the previous level. Financial issues have been a key factor in retention, especially for first-termers.
Here’s a look at the military pay chart for junior troops showing the 1 April 2025 targeted military pay raise:
You can view the new pay charts at the Defense Finance and Accounting Agency’s official site. Pay raises are automatically applied to the monthly paychecks of eligible service members.
The Department of Defense has also been exploring other quality of life improvements. There have been attempts to address housing shortages, improve access to childcare, and enhance spouse employment opportunities.
But there have been issues along the way. The federal government’s failure to approve an annual budget forces military planners to rely on continuing resolutions to fund military operations, which means that no new initiatives can be financed.
The targeted pay increase is intended to offset some of the financial pain junior troops face in an era when inflation, recession, and mass federal layoffs loom in the headlines.
Some feel the targeted pay raise is not intended to be a one-time fix but part of a strategy addressing the well-being and retention of military personnel. But until the era of continuing resolutions ends and the government can fund military quality-of-life programs fully, many questions remain.
Read next: Active Duty Military Benefits Guide
About the author
Editor-in-Chief Joe Wallace is a 13-year veteran of the United States Air Force and a former reporter/editor for Air Force Television News and the Pentagon Channel. His freelance work includes contract work for Motorola, VALoans.com, and Credit Karma. He is co-founder of Dim Art House in Springfield, Illinois, and spends his non-writing time as an abstract painter, independent publisher, and occasional filmmaker.
