2024 GS Pay Schedule Now Available — FederalPay just published the official 2024 pay schedules. Click here to use the 2024 GS Calculator.

United States Air Force - O-1 Second Lieutenant

O-1 Second Lieutenant

Yearly Base Pay

$45,914 - $57,776

Monthly Base Pay

$3,826.20 - $4,814.70

Hourly Base Pay *

$23.91 - $30.09

Air Force Second Lieutenant - Rank Details


Second Lieutenant (2d Lt)

Classification Commissioned Officer
Abbreviation 2d Lt
NATO Code OF-1
Service United States Air Force
Address Lieutenant (last name)
What are a Second Lieutenant's Responsibilities?

A second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force is the typical rank bestowed upon newly commissioned officers. It is the lowest officer rank and is equivalent to the rank of ensign in the Navy and Coast Guard. Due to the technical nature of the Air Force, the duties and responsibilities of a second lieutenant greatly vary by career field.

Most second lieutenants in non-rated (non-flying) or intelligence career fields will typically supervise flights as the flight commander or deputy commander. Flight sizes vary by career field but can be as large as a hundred enlisted airmen. Typical career fields were a second lieutenant might find him or herself as the flight commander includes personnel, maintenance, or security forces. These second lieutenants may also work on positions on the squadron, group, and rarely, the wing level as well.

Second lieutenants selected to undergo rated training to become either a pilot, combat systems officers, remotely pilots aircraft officers, or air battle managers will spend the majority of the second lieutenant (and even first lieutenant) days in training. They are more or less full-time students with no command responsibilities until after their training. Students in training will also find themselves with no enlisted airmen to supervise. Other career fields that have training may find themselves in similar situations. This includes intelligence, cyber operations, and special investigations.

Second lieutenants are considered company grade officers (CGO).

What is a Second Lieutenant's Paygrade?

A Second Lieutenant is considered a Commissioned Officer, with a paygrade of O-1. The civilian equivalent of this military rank is roughly GS-7 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.

On this page you can learn more about a Second Lieutenant's payscale, the process of becoming a Second Lieutenant, and the history of the rank in the United States Air Force.

Seal of the Air Force Air Force Second Lieutenant Pay Calculator

Starting pay for a Second Lieutenant is $3,826.20 per month, with raises for experience resulting in a maximum base pay of $4,814.70 per month. You can use the simple calculator below to see basic and drill pay for a Second Lieutenant, or visit our Air Force pay calculator for a more detailed salary estimate.


Basic Pay:

Drill Pay:

n/a Learn more
For an O-1 Second Lieutenant with
years of experience.

Use the slider below to calculate the basic pay and drill pay for an O-1 Second Lieutenant at varying years in his or her military career.

2 or less years

Over 40 years


Equivalent Ranks to an Air Force Second Lieutenant

A Second Lieutenant is a Commissioned Officer, with a military paygrade of O-1. The civilian equivalent of this military rank is roughly GS-7 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.

The table below lists the equivalent ranks of an Air Force Second Lieutenant, and their insignia, in the other four branches of the United States' Armed Services.


** This Document Provided By www.FederalPay.org - The Civil Employee's Resource **
Source: www.federalpay.org/military/air-force/second-lieutenant