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

United States Army - 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

Army Second Lieutenant - Rank Details


Second Lieutenant (2LT)

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

A Second Lieutenant is an officer in the United States Army. Officers holding this rank serve either as the commanders of a platoon-sized element (15-50 soldiers) or as staff officers. All second lieutenants hold both types of positions during their time holding this rank. The former job of commanding a platoon, known formally as being a platoon leader, is the more prestigious position of the two and the one required for officers to move on to the next rank. Second lieutenants will serve in such capacity for anywhere from 12-24 months, usually advancing to the next rank of First Lieutenant during this time. Work as a staff officer is done before receiving command of a platoon in order to prepare the officer for the magnitude of such a task.

While serving in the leadership position of platoon leader, Second Lieutenants have five senior non-commissioned officers (NCO's), one platoon sergeant (E-6 or E-7) and four squad leaders (E-5 or E-6) serving underneath them. Underneath these NCO's, there is a variable amount of junior NCO's (E-4 or E-5) serving in other leadership positions. The rest of the platoon--that is to say the bulk of the platoon--is made of soldiers (E-1 to E-4). The job of the platoon leader is to plan training for the unit, supervise its execution, and lead the unit in all its actions, through the use of orders and disciplined initiative, executed by the NCO's in the platoon on behalf of the platoon leader, a Second Lieutenant.

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 Army.

Seal of the Army Army 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 Army 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 Army 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 Army 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/army/second-lieutenant