This is how much the UK Armed Forces pays – and it’s just gone up

UK Armed Forces personnel are receiving an above-inflation pay rise of 3.6%, taking the average salary across the services to around £45,710.

The increase is worth roughly £1,650 a year on the average military salary and will be backdated to 1 April 2026, the Ministry of Defence said.

It marks the third consecutive year that Armed Forces personnel have received an above-inflation pay award, following a 4.5% rise in 2025 and a 6% rise in 2024. According to the department, the latest award means most personnel have received a cumulative pay increase of 14.1% since July 2024.

The government said it had accepted the recommendations of the independent Armed Forces Pay Review Body in full.

For those starting out, pay for non-commissioned ranks will rise by nearly £1,000 a year to £27,282, an increase the Ministry of Defence said would benefit around 14,250 of its most junior personnel. Starting pay for junior officers will rise by £1,250 to £35,926.

The department said the uplift ensures that the most junior sailors, soldiers and aviators who choose a full-time career in the Armed Forces continue to receive the National Living Wage.

Beyond base salaries, the package includes a 3.6% rise in targeted payments for specialist skills and roles, along with a retention payment for Royal Navy submariners aimed at addressing recruitment and retention pressures in that specialist area.

Nursing specialists will also benefit from the introduction of a Nursing Professionals’ pay spine and an increased Golden Hello, intended to attract direct entrants into specialisms with workforce capability gaps.

Defence Secretary John Healey said the award recognised the role played by service personnel. “As demands on defence rise, we ask more of our personnel. This third inflation-busting pay award recognises their dedication and skill, and demonstrates this government’s commitment to renew the nation’s contract with those who serve,” he said.

A focus on retention

Healey added that the government had inherited “a deep recruitment and retention crisis, with targets set and missed every year for 14 years,” and said better pay, housing and conditions were being delivered through increased defence investment.

Chief of the Defence Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said pay formed part of a wider package of support. “Pay, accommodation, family support and welfare are all part of the support that helps ensure that our people are ready for whatever we ask of them,” he said.

The Ministry of Defence said the award sits alongside other measures, including action to buy back and renew 36,000 military family homes, a new childcare scheme reimbursing early years costs for eligible forces families in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by up to £6,000 per year per child, and the establishment of the first independent Armed Forces Commissioner.

The department said the latest personnel figures showed early signs of progress, with the total strength of the UK Armed Forces standing at 183,410, up by 1,510 over the past year.

More people are now joining than leaving, it said, meaning numbers are increasing for the first time in several years.

The government said it is backing the Armed Forces with the largest sustained increase in defence spending since the end of the Cold War, with spending set to reach 2.6% of GDP from 2027.

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