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United States Coast Guard - O-3 Lieutenant

Yearly Base Pay

$61,225 - $99,612

Monthly Base Pay

$5,102.10 - $8,301.00

Hourly Base Pay *

$31.89 - $51.88

Coast Guard Lieutenant - Rank Details


Lieutenant (LT)

Classification Junior Officer
Abbreviation LT
NATO Code OF-2
Service United States Coast Guard
Address Lieutenant (last name)
What are a Lieutenant's Responsibilities?

The Lieutenant in the Coast Guard is a rank above that of Lieutenant Junior Grade and beneath that of Lieutenant Commander. It is the highest of the junior officer ranks and is equivalent to the rank of captain in the other services. A Lieutenant Coast Guardsman is usually responsible for a group of sailors and petty officers in a division. On board large vessels, the Lieutenant serves as First Lieutenant and may be in charge of a department, such as the deck, with a large component of junior enlisted ranks (E-1 to E-3) completing their 90 days' Temporary Assigned Duty (TAD). Much of the time is occupied in servicing and maintaining, cleaning, organizing and inventorying.

As a junior officer, the Lieutenant's main focus is on developing his or her qualifications in a Coast Guard specialty, while also developing a unique blend of skills suited to a role which is part military and part law enforcement. Most "billets" (occupational openings) available to Lieutenants are in Coast Guard operations. Some are in operational support and yet others in administrative services. Depending on operational needs, a Lieutenant will be posted to an assignment where he or she has an opportunity to develop further skills and competencies.

What is a Lieutenant's Paygrade?

A Lieutenant is considered a Junior Officer, with a paygrade of O-3. The civilian equivalents of this military rank are roughly GS-10, GS-11 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.

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

Seal of the Coast Guard Coast Guard Lieutenant Pay Calculator

Starting pay for a Lieutenant is $5,102.10 per month, with raises for experience resulting in a maximum base pay of $8,301.00 per month. You can use the simple calculator below to see basic and drill pay for a Lieutenant, or visit our Coast Guard pay calculator for a more detailed salary estimate.


Basic Pay:

Drill Pay:

n/a Learn more
For an O-3 Lieutenant with
years of experience.

Use the slider below to calculate the basic pay and drill pay for an O-3 Lieutenant at varying years in his or her military career.

2 or less years

Over 40 years


Equivalent Ranks to a Coast Guard Lieutenant

A Lieutenant is a Junior Officer, with a military paygrade of O-3. The civilian equivalents of this military rank are roughly GS-10, GS-11 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.

The table below lists the equivalent ranks of a Coast Guard 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/coast-guard/lieutenant