What E-6 means in each service
One pay grade, five titles. E-6 is Staff Sergeant in the Army, Technical Sergeant in the Air Force, Petty Officer First Class in the Navy and Coast Guard, Staff Sergeant in the Marine Corps, Technical Sergeant in the Space Force. Basic pay is set by pay grade and years of service in a single table for every service (37 U.S.C. § 203), so the figures on this page apply whichever uniform you wear.
Basic pay is the floor, not the paycheck. Most members also draw BAH (or government quarters), BAS, and where it applies special or incentive pay. The RMC calculator adds those and the tax advantage together; the basic pay calculator shows your exact longevity step and the next raise date.
Promotion is the biggest single jump. The promotion pay raise calculator compares this row with the next grade at your years of service, and the promotion timeline shows when that pin-on typically happens.
Other enlisted grades, 2026
Monthly basic pay at the first published years-of-service step shown.