PCS Move

Promotion Timeline Calculator

AR 600-8-19 · AFI 36-2502 · MCO 1400 · CIM 1000.2C

When are you eligible for your next promotion? TIS and TIG requirements by service.

E-4 → E-5 eligibility

Jun 12, 2027

10 more months until you meet minimum requirements

⚡ BTZ window OPEN — you can be considered below-the-zone

TIS needed

2 years 10 months

TIG needed

10 months

Type

Competitive

Authority: Army (AR 600-8-19). SGT: primary zone 34 months TIS / 10 months TIG; secondary zone 16 months TIS / 4 months TIG (semi-centralized board, points).

Your service and rank

= 2 years

= 6 months

Eligibility breakdown

Time in Service

2 years (current) · 2 years 10 months (needed)

Short by 10 months

Time in Grade

6 months (current) · 10 months (needed)

Short by 4 months

Below-the-Zone (BTZ) window

BTZ TIS

2 years · 1 year 4 months

BTZ open ✓

TIS vs TIG — what's the difference?

Time in Service (TIS): Your total active military service time, counted from the date you entered active duty. All service branches use this. TIS continues to accumulate continuously regardless of promotion or assignment changes.

Time in Grade (TIG): The amount of time you've held your CURRENT paygrade since your last promotion. TIG resets to 0 each time you're promoted. Some promotions require both minimum TIS AND minimum TIG simultaneously.

For an E-4 who was promoted 12 months ago and has 24 months total service: TIS = 24 months, TIG = 12 months. To make E-5 in the Army (primary zone 34 months TIS and 10 months TIG), the soldier already has enough TIG but is short on TIS. The requirement satisfied last controls the eligibility date — they need 10 more months of TIS.

Service-by-service overview

All services share the basic structure of MINIMUM TIS + MINIMUM TIG, but the specific numbers and competitive processes differ:

  • Army (AR 600-8-19): Promotion to PV2, PFC, and SPC is automatic on attaining eligibility — the commander may deny it before the eligibility date. E-5/E-6 semi-centralized board with promotion points against monthly cutoff scores. E-7/E-8/E-9 HRC centralized board (MILPER messages).
  • Air Force / Space Force (AFI 36-2502): E-1 to E-3 on time-in-grade alone (6 months to Amn, 10 months to A1C). SrA (E-4) is a fully qualified promotion at 36 months TIS + 20 months TIG, or 28 months TIG alone — whichever occurs first. WAPS testing starts at E-5. Below-the-Zone for SrA at 30 months TIS / 14 months TIG.
  • Marines (MCO 1400.31D, MCO P1400.32D): Composite Score system for promotion to Cpl and Sgt (rifle + PFT + CFT + proficiency/conduct marks + TIG + TIS + bonus points, MCO P1400.32D para 2501). Composite scores are computed quarterly; the CMC announces cutting scores per MOS. E-6+ centralized board.
  • Navy: Navy-Wide Advancement Exam (NWAE) + rate quota. Advancement is quota-controlled and varies by rating. Selection board for Chief (E-7) and above.
  • Coast Guard (CIM 1000.2C): Service-Wide Exam (SWE) competition for advancement to E-5 through E-8; active-duty E-9 selections go through the Master Chief Advancement Panel (COMDTINST M1000.2C Ch. 5).

Below-the-Zone (BTZ) — accelerated promotion

Some services offer BTZ promotion windows for top performers to be considered BEFORE meeting the standard minimum TIS/TIG. The most well-known is the Air Force/Space Force Senior Airman BTZ. AFI 36-2502 para 2.3.1 defines it as a one-time consideration six months prior to the fully qualified phase point in para 2.2.1 — so 30 months TIS / 14 months TIG, against the standard 36 months TIS / 20 months TIG. The Army has a secondary zone for E-4 to E-5 at 16 months TIS / 4 months TIG.

Two Air Force caveats. Members eliminated from ROTC or the Academy who were given credit toward their date of rank are not eligible for below-the-zone consideration. And A1Cs who received an adjusted date of rank for previous service are not BTZ-eligible either — they instead make SrA after 28 months time in grade, provided they also have one year on extended active duty (AFI 36-2502 para 2.3.4.4.2).

BTZ is competitive and quota-limited — Air Force central base board quotas are distributed at 15 percent of the time-in-grade/time-in-service eligible population (AFI 36-2502 para 2.3.5). Non-selection carries no penalty: an Airman not selected BTZ is still promoted at the standard fully qualified phase point (which requires no board), and an Army Soldier not selected in the secondary zone remains eligible in the primary zone.

Waivers and exceptions

Minimum TIS and TIG can sometimes be reduced under special circumstances:

  • Commander / promotion-authority waivers: Can advance some junior enlisted promotions by 2 to 6 months. In the Army the waiver floors are PV2 at 4 months TIS, PFC at 6 months TIS / 2 months TIG, and SPC at 18 months TIS / 3 months TIG (AR 600-8-19 para 2-2b). Regular Army waiver promotions are also capped by unit allocation percentages (para 2-3).
  • Overturned reductions: In the Army, a Soldier restored to a grade after a successful appeal of the reduction gets the original grade entry date — the TIG clock — back (AR 600-8-19 para 1-17).
  • STEP: The Air Force Stripes for Exceptional Performers program lets commanders promote a limited number of exceptional performers to SSgt or TSgt outside the normal promotion cycle (AFI 36-2502 para 2.9).
  • Accelerated advancement: Navy Recruit Training Command may advance the top 10 percent of each recruit-training graduating class — and training-school commanding officers their top "A" school graduates — to E-2/E-3 with time-in-rate requirements waived (MILPERSMAN 1430-010).

Waivers are not embedded in this calculator. Talk to your career counselor or first sergeant if you believe you qualify for a TIS or TIG waiver.

After eligibility — what determines promotion?

Meeting minimum TIS/TIG just makes you ELIGIBLE for consideration. Actual promotion depends on:

  • Evaluations (EPB / NCOER / FITREP) — the core of the record that centralized boards score
  • Board scoring — for centralized boards (Army E-7+, AF E-8+, etc.), board members score and rank-order the eligible records
  • Quota / vacancy — even outstanding records can be passed over if the rate/MOS has no vacancy
  • Awards and decorations — earn promotion points in point-based systems (e.g., Army promotion points, AR 600-8-19 Table 3-5)
  • PT scores, weapons quals, professional development — varies by service
  • Education / PME completion — required for many senior NCO promotions (SNCOA, etc.)
  • Disciplinary history — Article 15s, LOCs, civilian arrests can disqualify or delay

Promotion vs increased basic pay

Even without promotion, your basic pay automatically increases at TIS milestones built into the DFAS pay table: over 2 years, over 3 years, over 4 years, over 6 years, etc. These "longevity raises" happen within a paygrade.

At the senior NCO / senior officer level, longevity raises within a single paygrade can be substantial — on the 2026 table an E-7 over 22 years ($6,475.20/month) earns about 26% more than an E-7 over 8 years ($5,135.70/month).

Use the Basic Pay tables to look up the exact rate for your current rank + TIS, and the Promotion Pay Raise calculator to see the raise for your next promotion.

FAQ

Promotion timeline — frequently asked questions

What is the difference between TIS and TIG?
Time in Service (TIS) is your total active military service time from the date you entered active duty. Time in Grade (TIG) is the time you have held your CURRENT paygrade since your last promotion — TIG resets to 0 with each promotion. Most promotions require both minimum TIS AND minimum TIG. The requirement satisfied last controls when you become eligible.
Are these requirements the same across all services?
No — each service has its own promotion regulation: Army (AR 600-8-19), Air Force/Space Force (AFI 36-2502), Marines (MCO 1400.31D and P1400.32D), Navy (rate-based with NWAE testing), Coast Guard (CIM 1000.2C). The basic TIS/TIG structure exists in all services but the exact numbers and competitive processes (board vs test vs composite score) differ substantially.
What is Below-the-Zone (BTZ) promotion?
BTZ allows top performers to be considered for promotion BEFORE meeting standard minimum TIS/TIG. The best known is the Air Force/Space Force Senior Airman BTZ: AFI 36-2502 para 2.3.1 defines it as a one-time consideration six months before the fully qualified phase point in para 2.2.1, so 30 mo TIS / 14 mo TIG against the standard 36 mo TIS / 20 mo TIG. Army has a secondary (accelerated) zone for E-4 to E-5 at 16 mo TIS / 4 mo TIG. BTZ is highly competitive — failing BTZ does NOT block standard promotion later.
I meet the minimum TIS/TIG. Am I promoted?
Not automatically (except for some lower enlisted grades). Meeting the minimum makes you ELIGIBLE. Actual promotion depends on: evaluations (EPB/NCOER/FITREP), board scoring (centralized boards), quota/vacancy in your MOS/AFSC/rate, awards, PT scores, PME completion, and disciplinary history. Talk to your career counselor for service-specific guidance.
Can TIS or TIG be waived?
Yes, in some cases. Commander/promotion-authority waivers can advance some junior enlisted promotions by 2 to 6 months — in the Army the waiver floors are PV2 at 4 mo TIS, PFC at 6 mo TIS / 2 mo TIG, and SPC at 18 mo TIS / 3 mo TIG (AR 600-8-19 para 2-2b), and Regular Army waiver promotions are further capped by unit allocation percentages (para 2-3). Reductions can preserve original TIG if reversed. Some services run accelerated-advancement programs (e.g., the Navy advances top recruit-training and "A" school graduates with time-in-rate requirements waived, MILPERSMAN 1430-010). Talk to your S-1/G-1 or first sergeant about specific waiver eligibility.
Do I still get a raise without promotion?
Yes — basic pay automatically increases at TIS milestones built into the DFAS pay table (over 2 yrs, 3 yrs, 4 yrs, 6 yrs, 8 yrs, 10 yrs, etc.). At senior NCO/officer levels, these longevity raises can be substantial. Use the Basic Pay tables on this site to look up your exact rate for current rank + TIS.
Where can I find current promotion data for my MOS/AFSC/rate?
Service-specific: Army HRC (MILPER messages and monthly SGT/SSG cutoff scores); Air Force AFPC; Navy MyNavy HR / BUPERS (NWAE quotas); Marines HQMC (cutting scores announced by the CMC per MOS); Coast Guard CG-1 (Human Resources). Each service publishes recurring cutoff/cut-score messages with current rates and quotas.

Keep going

Next steps

Basic Pay Tables

Look up your basic pay by rank and TIS

Promotion Pay Raise

Calculate dollar raise on next promotion

SRB Calculator

Reenlistment bonus by zone

Leave Calculator

Plan leave around promotion windows

AR 600-8-19 · AFI 36-2502 · MCO 1400.31D / P1400.32D · CIM 1000.2C

Results are estimates. Always verify with your finance office.