The short answer
A newly qualified defence forces enlisted personnel starts on €33,636 a year. After 7 years of service you reach the top of the scale on €40,851. Allowances for promoted posts and, for some teachers, qualifications are paid on top of these figures.
Figures from Rates of Pay for Enlisted Personnel of the Permanent Defence Force, effective 1 February 2026. Take-home is for a single person with standard credits, after income tax, USC, PRSI and ASC.
About the date of these figures
These are the rates the Department of Defence published with effect from 1 February 2026, and they are the most recent Defence Forces scales we can reach. A further 1% general increase applied to all public servants on 1 June 2026 under the Public Service Agreement 2024-2026, and the Department has published revised scales for that date which are not currently accessible. The figures below therefore sit roughly 1% below the current rates. We have not applied that increase ourselves, because estimating a published figure is exactly what makes salary sites unreliable. This page is updated as soon as the June document can be read.
What point of the scale am I on?
This is where most salary pages get it wrong. Your point is not always the same as your years of service, because one of the two scales carries incremental skips. Pick your situation:
The full pay scale, every point
Private 3 Star, Seaman First Class
The entry rank. Military Service Allowance of €166.98 a week is paid on top of every point, bringing total weekly pay from €813.83 at point 1 to €952.58 at point 7.
| Point | Per week | Gross / year | Take-home / year | Take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €646.85 | €33,636 | €28,563 | €2,380 |
| 2 | €674.15 | €35,056 | €29,483 | €2,457 |
| 3 | €699.33 | €36,365 | €30,332 | €2,528 |
| 4 | €720.07 | €37,444 | €31,031 | €2,586 |
| 5 | €735.99 | €38,271 | €31,567 | €2,631 |
| 6 | €745.28 | €38,755 | €31,880 | €2,657 |
| 7 | €785.60 | €40,851 | €33,239 | €2,770 |
Take-home assumes a single person with the personal and employee tax credits, no other income, and ASC at pre-2013 scheme rates. Your main superannuation contribution is deducted separately and depends on your scheme.
Corporal, Leading Seaman
Military Service Allowance of €166.98 a week on top, giving total weekly pay of €970.88 to €1,016.40.
| Point | Per week | Gross / year | Take-home / year | Take-home / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | €803.90 | €41,803 | €33,855 | €2,821 |
| 2 | €819.00 | €42,588 | €34,364 | €2,864 |
| 3 | €834.27 | €43,382 | €34,879 | €2,907 |
| 4 | €849.42 | €44,170 | €35,389 | €2,949 |
Two things to read carefully here. First, the Department publishes these as weekly rates, so the annual and take-home columns are our own arithmetic at 52 weeks, not an official annual figure. Second, the scale points are basic pay only: Military Service Allowance is paid on top and is set out for each rank above, so the annual columns understate what is actually received by roughly €8,700 or €9,200 a year depending on rank. These scales reflect the Commission on the Defence Forces recommendations that removed the requirement to mark time and pay the full rate of Military Service Allowance from the first three years of service.
What you earn in each year of your career
On the private 3 star scale you move up one point for each year of satisfactory service, with no skipped points. That means 7 years of service to reach the top.
| Years of service | Your point | Gross salary |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | Point 1 | €33,636 |
| Year 2 | Point 2 | €35,056 |
| Year 3 | Point 3 | €36,365 |
| Year 4 | Point 4 | €37,444 |
| Year 5 | Point 5 | €38,271 |
| Year 6 | Point 6 | €38,755 |
| Year 7 | Point 7 | €40,851 |
Progression is automatic on your incremental date as long as your service is satisfactory. Time spent on a career break or otherwise out of service pushes your incremental date back.
What comes off your salary
Four deductions apply before your pay reaches your account, and one of them is specific to the public service.
Income tax, USC and PRSI
The same as any employee. Income tax at 20% up to €44,000 for a single person and 40% above, USC in bands from 0.5% to 8%, and PRSI at 4.2%.
ASC, the public service extra
The Additional Superannuation Contribution. Nothing on the first €34,500, then 3.33% to €60,000 and 3.5% above for Single Scheme members. Pre-2013 scheme members pay 10% and 10.5% on the same bands. It reduces your income tax but not your USC or PRSI.
One thing to be aware of: the take-home figures on this page include ASC but not your main superannuation contribution, which is charged separately and depends on which pension scheme you joined. Your actual net pay will be somewhat lower. We show ASC because its rates are published and identical for everyone, while the main contribution varies.
Questions people ask most
How much does a soldier earn in the Irish Defence Forces?
What is Military Service Allowance?
How much does a Corporal earn in the Defence Forces?
How much does a Sergeant earn in the Defence Forces?
What is the highest enlisted rank pay in the Defence Forces?
Why are Defence Forces rates shown per week?
Do Defence Forces members pay ASC?
What does a Defence Forces recruit earn during training?
Are these the current Defence Forces pay rates?
Is there a separate scale for personnel who joined after 2013?
Where these figures come from
Every euro figure on this page is taken from the official circulars below, not from salary surveys or crowd-sourced averages. Last checked 2026-08-13.
- Rates of Pay for Enlisted Personnel of the Permanent Defence Force, with effect from 1 February 2026, Department of Defence
- Defence Forces rates of pay, Óglaigh na hÉireann
- Additional Superannuation Contribution (ASC): rates and thresholds, Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation
More public sector pay: