Marine Corps Sergeant Major Pay for 2026

E-9 military pay grade

$6,910 entry monthly basic pay

$10,729 top monthly basic pay

Same pay grade across the services. Sergeant Major is the Marine Corps name for pay grade E-9. The same basic-pay table is used across the services at that pay grade. Open the pay-grade page if you want the grade-first view instead.

How to read Sergeant Major pay

Years of service run down the left side of the table. This page uses the Marine Corps rank title, but the numbers are the same published basic-pay rates used for pay grade E-9 across the services.

Start with the service bracket that matches the official pay chart for your career stage. Then read across the row to see the monthly basic pay rate for Marine Corps Sergeant Major. Housing allowance, subsistence, and any special pays sit on top of this table.

Marine Corps Sergeant Major monthly basic pay

Years of service	Sergeant Major E-9
<2	-
Over 2	-
Over 3	-
Over 4	-
Over 6	-
Over 8	-
Over 10	$6,910.20
Over 12	$7,066.50
Over 14	$7,263.60
Over 16	$7,496.10
Over 18	$7,730.70
Over 20	$8,105.10
Over 22	$8,423.10
Over 24	$8,756.70
Over 26	$9,267.90
Over 28	$9,267.90
Over 30	$9,730.20
Over 32	$9,730.20
Over 34	$10,217.40
Over 36	$10,217.40
Over 38	$10,729.20
Over 40	$10,729.20

At the top end, the daily basic-pay equivalent is roughly $357.64, based on 1/30 of monthly basic pay.

Estimate total pay Open E-9 Back to Marine Corps

Pay history for E-9

This history list keeps the same pay grade together across the archive so you can see how monthly basic pay at this rank has moved over time.

2026 $6,910 to $10,729
2025 $6,657 to $10,337
2024 $6,371 to $9,891
2023 $6,056 to $9,402
2022 $5,789 to $8,989
2021 $5,637 to $8,753
2020 $5,308 to $8,242
2019 $5,308 to $8,242

Equivalent ranks in other branches

Basic pay is the same at E-9 across the services. These links show the branch-specific rank titles that sit on the same underlying pay grade.

Army Sergeant Major E-9 Army Command Sergeant Major E-9 Army Sergeant Major of the Army E-9 Navy Master Chief Petty Officer E-9 Navy Command Master Chief Petty Officer E-9 Navy Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy E-9 Air Force Chief Master Sergeant E-9 Air Force Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force E-9 Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer E-9 Coast Guard Command Master Chief Petty Officer E-9 Coast Guard Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard E-9

What this page does and does not show

It shows monthly basic pay for Marine Corps Sergeant Major. It does not include housing allowance, subsistence, special pays, taxes, or deductions.

To add allowances, open the military calculator or the BAH and BAS page.

At the current top step, annual basic pay reaches $128,750.