Armed forces pay · UK · effective 1 April 2025
Armed forces pay, take-home & pension
How much does a soldier or officer take home?
Armed forces pay starts at £26,334 (Private (new entry)), giving a take-home of about £1,802 a month after income tax, National Insurance and the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 (AFPS 15) contribution. Choose a rank and point below to see your own figure.
Verified 12 August 2026
Your pay & take-home
Pick your rank and pay point. We apply the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 (AFPS 15) contribution, income tax and National Insurance.
Soldier / Other Ranks take-home, broken down
Where the money goes at Private (new entry) (£26,334), using the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 (AFPS 15) rate and 2025/26 income tax and National Insurance:
The package beyond the payslip
Armed forces pay already includes the X-Factor (up to 14.5%), which compensates for the demands of service life. On top of the salary, subsidised accommodation and food, free healthcare, tax-free operational allowances when deployed, and the AFPS pension mean the real value of the package is widely estimated to be substantially more than the headline figure. Our take-home number is deliberately conservative — it counts only the cash salary after tax, NI and the 4.5% pension.
The pension tier rate
The Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015 (AFPS 15) charges a flat 4.5% — one of the lowest employee contribution rates in the UK public sector, reflecting the scheme's non-contributory heritage and the unique demands of service.
Nations
Armed forces pay is UK-wide and identical across the nations — set by the AFPRB, not devolved.
Information, not financial advice. Representative AFPRB 2025/26 pay points; published rates include the X-Factor. Full rank/increment tables are published by the MoD. Take-home excludes the substantial value of subsidised accommodation, food and the AFPS pension. Verified 12 August 2026. How we calculate.