United States Army - W-4 Chief Warrant Officer 4
Yearly Base Pay $60,149 - $112,036
|
Monthly Base Pay $5,012.40 - $9,336.30
|
Hourly Base Pay *
$31.33 - $58.35
|
Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 - Rank Details

Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4)
Classification | Warrant Officer |
---|---|
Abbreviation | CW4 |
NATO Code | WO-4 |
Service | United States Army |
Address | Mr. (last name) or Chief (last name) |
What are a Chief Warrant Officer 4's Responsibilities?
After CW3, the next level of the Warrant Officer ranks is Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4). CW4's stand even more experienced tactical and technical experts in their specific military craft than CW3's.
CW4's are also recognized as more capable leaders and perhaps the most knowledgeable technical experts in their chosen craft in the units in which they serve.
Soldiers holding the rank of CW4 serve at unit levels from battalion to brigade to division to corps and in some cases in levels above corps, such as combatant command or forces command.
With a level of technical and tactical expertise matched by no one in the Army save other soldiers of their rank and surpassed only by soldiers holding the rarely awarded rank of CW5, CW4's are rare in the Army and invaluable to its functioning.
The duties and responsibilities that they discharge include serving as technical experts and leaders, systems managers, sustainment providers and experts, systems and unit integrators, advisors, and maintainers.
As they attain even more experience and expertise while serving in the grade of CW4, soldiers bearing this rank learn to focus on integrating efforts across the Army (i.e. Infantry, Armor, Aviation, etc.), which operations are known as combined, and across the military (i.e. Army, Navy, Air Force, etc.), which operations are known as joint.
What is a Chief Warrant Officer 4's Paygrade?
A Chief Warrant Officer 4 is considered a Warrant Officer, with a paygrade of W-4. The civilian equivalent of this military rank is roughly GS-8 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.
On this page you can learn more about a Chief Warrant Officer 4's payscale, the process of becoming a Chief Warrant Officer 4, and the history of the rank in the United States Army.
Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Pay Calculator
Starting pay for a Chief Warrant Officer 4 is $5,012.40 per month, with raises for experience resulting in a maximum base pay of $9,336.30 per month. You can use the simple calculator below to see basic and drill pay for a Chief Warrant Officer 4, or visit our Army pay calculator for a more detailed salary estimate.
Use the slider below to calculate the basic pay and drill pay for a W-4 Chief Warrant Officer 4 at varying years in his or her military career.
2 or less years
Over 40 years
Equivalent Ranks to an Army Chief Warrant Officer 4
A Chief Warrant Officer 4 is a Warrant Officer, with a military paygrade of W-4. The civilian equivalent of this military rank is roughly GS-8 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.
The table below lists the equivalent ranks of an Army Chief Warrant Officer 4, and their insignia, in the other four branches of the United States' Armed Services.