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United States Army - O-2 First Lieutenant

O-2 First Lieutenant

Yearly Base Pay

$52,902 - $73,210

Monthly Base Pay

$4,408.50 - $6,100.80

Hourly Base Pay *

$27.55 - $38.13

Army First Lieutenant - Rank Details


First Lieutenant (1LT)

Classification Commissioned Officer
Abbreviation 1LT
NATO Code OF-2
Service United States Army
Address Lieutenant (last name)
What are a First Lieutenant's Responsibilities?

A First Lieutenant is an officer in the United States Army. As with second lieutenants, officers holding this rank serve either as the leaders of a platoon-sized element (15-50 soldiers) or as staff officers. All first lieutenants hold either one of these types of positions during their time in this rank.

The position of commanding a platoon, known formally as being a platoon leader, is the only job required of a lieutenant to be promoted to the next rank. It is the more prestigious job, and the one for which the Army commissions lieutenants, both second and first, in the first place. Depending on the job or jobs they held as second lieutenants, first lieutenants will spend varying amounts of time as both a platoon leader and a staff officer. Contrary to the rank of second lieutenant, work as a staff officer while a first lieutenant is usually done after receiving command of a platoon in order to allow officers time to prepare to compete for the rank, that of captain.

What is a First Lieutenant's Paygrade?

A First Lieutenant is considered a Commissioned Officer, with a paygrade of O-2. The civilian equivalents of this military rank are roughly GS-8, GS-9 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.

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

Seal of the Army Army First Lieutenant Pay Calculator

Starting pay for a First Lieutenant is $4,408.50 per month, with raises for experience resulting in a maximum base pay of $6,100.80 per month. You can use the simple calculator below to see basic and drill pay for a First Lieutenant, or visit our Army pay calculator for a more detailed salary estimate.


Basic Pay:

Drill Pay:

n/a Learn more
For an O-2 First Lieutenant with
years of experience.

Use the slider below to calculate the basic pay and drill pay for an O-2 First Lieutenant at varying years in his or her military career.

2 or less years

Over 40 years


Equivalent Ranks to an Army First Lieutenant

A First Lieutenant is a Commissioned Officer, with a military paygrade of O-2. The civilian equivalents of this military rank are roughly GS-8, GS-9 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.

The table below lists the equivalent ranks of an Army First 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/army/first-lieutenant