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United States Marine Corps - O-4 Major

Yearly Base Pay

$69,638 - $116,269

Monthly Base Pay

$5,803.20 - $9,689.10

Hourly Base Pay *

$36.27 - $60.56

Marine Corps Major - Rank Details


Major (Maj)

Classification Field Officer
Abbreviation Maj
NATO Code OF-4
Service United States Marine Corps
Address Major (last name)
What are a Major's Responsibilities?

A Major is the fourth rank among Officers in the USMC. Majors are usually Battalion Executive Officers, Weapons Company Commanders, or Regimental or Brigade Staff Members. The vast majority of Marines serve in combat roles, which makes their career progression very straightforward, in a constant cycle of learning, leading, and teaching at higher and higher levels.

What is a Major's Paygrade?

A Major is considered a Field Officer, with a paygrade of O-4. The civilian equivalent of this military rank is roughly GS-12 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.

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

Seal of the Marine Corps Marine Corps Major Pay Calculator

Starting pay for a Major is $5,803.20 per month, with raises for experience resulting in a maximum base pay of $9,689.10 per month. You can use the simple calculator below to see basic and drill pay for a Major, or visit our Marine Corps pay calculator for a more detailed salary estimate.


Basic Pay:

Drill Pay:

n/a Learn more
For an O-4 Major with
years of experience.

Use the slider below to calculate the basic pay and drill pay for an O-4 Major at varying years in his or her military career.

2 or less years

Over 40 years


Equivalent Ranks to a Marine Corps Major

A Major is a Field Officer, with a military paygrade of O-4. The civilian equivalent of this military rank is roughly GS-12 under the federal government's General Schedule payscale.

The table below lists the equivalent ranks of a Marine Corps Major, 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/marine-corps/major