Short answer: a recruit takes home $790 a month from 1 July 2025, and it goes up as you rank up and depending on your vocation.
NS pay is called an allowance, not a salary. Two things decide it: your rank and your vocation.
Monthly allowance by rank
These are the rates from 1 July 2025. Each figure already includes the minimum $75 vocation allowance (more on that below).
| Rank | Monthly allowance |
|---|---|
| Recruit / Private | $790 |
| Lance Corporal | $815 |
| Corporal | $865 |
| Corporal First Class | $910 |
| Specialist Cadet Trainee | $885 |
| Third Sergeant | $1,130 |
| Second Sergeant | $1,235 |
| Officer Cadet | $1,085 |
| Second Lieutenant | $1,340 |
| Lieutenant | $1,530 |
- You start as a Recruit in BMT, then rank up over your two years. See the full ranks guide.
- Specialists (SCS) and officers earn more once they're posted out, which is part of why command school pays off over the two years.
Last verified: May 2026. Sources: MINDEF allowance factsheet (Mar 2025) and CMPB monthly allowance.
Vocation allowance
Your vocation adds an allowance on top of your rank. The table above already bakes in the $75 minimum, so if you're in a combat or higher-risk vocation, you earn more than the figures shown.
| Tier | Examples | Vocation allowance |
|---|---|---|
| Service / technical | clerk, storeman, technician | $75 |
| General combat | most combat vocations | $225 |
| Higher-risk combat | infantry, armour, aircrew, combat medic, seagoing | $300 |
| Specialised high-risk | commando, naval diver, CBRE | $500 |
So on top of the rank table, add the difference:
- General combat: about +$150
- Higher-risk combat: about +$225
- Specialised high-risk: about +$425
Combat allowance was folded into vocation allowance back in March 2020, so this one number covers it.
Other money on top
Your allowance isn't the only cash you can get.
- IPPT incentives: up to $500 for gold, $300 silver, $200 pass with incentive, once you're posted to your unit (not during BMT or command school). See the IPPT guide.
- Marksmanship: an incentive if you shoot marksman at your range.
- Field and overseas: extra allowances during certain exercises and overseas deployments.
What this means for saving
NS is the cheapest two years you'll ever live. Most of your food and lodging is covered, so the allowance is close to pure savings if you're disciplined.
- Read the saving money guide for a full plan.
- See financial advice for what to do with what you save.
Even on a recruit's allowance, setting aside a fixed amount each month adds up to a real sum by the time you ORD.