2026 Reserve and National Guard Drill Pay Chart

What a drill, a drill weekend and a year in the Army Reserve, National Guard or any reserve component pays in 2026, for every pay grade and years of service, with the retirement points each year earns.

Guard and Reserve members are paid 1/30 of the monthly basic pay of their grade and years of service for each drill period, so a four-drill weekend pays 4/30 of a month. In 2026 an E-4 with over 2 years earns $110.10 a drill ($440.40 a drill weekend), an E-5 with over 4 years $131.56 ($526.24), and an O-1 with 2 years or less $138.34 ($553.36). With 48 drills and 14 days of annual training, the E-5’s basic pay for the year is $8,156.72. The Army Reserve, Army and Air National Guard and every other reserve component use the same table. Source: EO 14368 Schedule 8, 37 U.S.C. 206.

Official  Every rate is 1/30 of the 2026 monthly basic pay in Schedule 8 of Executive Order 14368 (effective January 1, 2026), the table DFAS publishes. The drill rule is 37 U.S.C. 206.

• Pay per drill period, every grade
• Drill weekend pay (four drills)
• Drill pay calculator
• Yearly Guard and Reserve pay
• Retirement points

2026 drill pay per drill period, every grade

One drill period (a unit training assembly of at least two hours) pays 1/30 of the monthly basic pay for the member’s grade and years of service (37 U.S.C. 206(a)). The amounts below are the 2026 monthly rates from Schedule 8 of Executive Order 14368 divided by 30, rounded to the cent. Years of service run across: “Over 4” means more than 4 years.

— means the table has no rate for that grade at that service. O-1E to O-3E are officers with over 4 years of enlisted or warrant service. The services’ own pay systems may round each drill before multiplying; differences are a cent or two.

Drill weekend pay 2026 (four drill periods)

Units that meet one weekend a month usually hold four drill periods that weekend: 48 drills a year spread over 12 weekends. The Army Reserve’s commitment is “at least one weekend a month on duty and two weeks a year in training” (U.S. Army); the law sets at least 48 drills and 14 days of training a year for the Ready Reserve (10 U.S.C. 10147) and 48 drills and 15 days for National Guard units (32 U.S.C. 502).

Yearly Guard and Reserve basic pay 2026

48 drill periods plus 14 days of annual training (Reserve) or 15 days (National Guard), at 2026 rates. This is basic pay only; members called to longer active duty are paid the full monthly rate.

Drill pay and reserve retirement points

Each drill also earns one retirement point, each day of active service one point, and membership 15 points a year (10 U.S.C. 12732(a)(2)). A year with at least 50 points counts toward the 20 years a reserve retirement needs (same section; 10 U.S.C. 12731). For the pension itself, points are turned into years by dividing by 360, with drill and membership points counted up to 130 a year (10 U.S.C. 12733), and each year is worth 2.5% of the retired pay base (10 U.S.C. 12739). Retired pay starts at 60, earlier by three months for each 90 days of certain active duty after January 28, 2008 (10 U.S.C. 12731(f)).

Twenty years of 77 points credit 4.28 years of service (77 × 20 ÷ 360), so the pension is 10.69% of the retired pay base. Active-duty tours add a point a day and raise it. Turn a retired pay base into a monthly pension and its tax →

Common questions

How much is Army Reserve drill pay in 2026?

Each drill period pays 1/30 of monthly basic pay: $110.10 for an E-4 with over 2 years, $131.56 for an E-5 with over 4, $138.34 for an O-1 with 2 years or less (EO 14368, 37 U.S.C. 206).

How much does a National Guard drill weekend pay?

A four-drill weekend pays 4/30 of monthly basic pay: $440.40 for an E-4 with over 2 years and $526.24 for an E-5 with over 4 in 2026. The Guard uses the same pay table as every service (DFAS).

How much does a reservist make a year?

With 48 drills and 14 days of annual training, an E-5 with over 4 years earns $8,156.72 in 2026 basic pay; with the National Guard’s 15 days, $8,288.28 (10 U.S.C. 10147, 32 U.S.C. 502).

Is the National Guard pay scale the same as the Army Reserve?

Yes. Drill pay for both is 1/30 of the active-duty monthly basic pay for the same grade and years of service (37 U.S.C. 206), from the one 2026 table (EO 14368).

How many retirement points is a year of drills worth?

48 drills, 15 membership points and 14 training days make 77 points. Twenty such years credit 4.28 years of service, a pension of 10.69% of the retired pay base (10 U.S.C. 12733, 12739).

Sources

• Executive Order 14368, Schedule 8 (2026 basic pay)
• Federal Register: Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay (EO 14368)
• DFAS: Military pay tables
• 37 U.S.C. 206 (drill pay)
• 37 U.S.C. 204 (basic pay on active duty and full-time training)
• DoD Financial Management Regulation, Vol. 7A, ch. 1, 3.2.1 (pay for less than 30 days)
• 10 U.S.C. 10147 (Ready Reserve training: 48 drills, 14 days)
• 32 U.S.C. 502 (National Guard: 48 drills, 15 days)
• U.S. Army: Army Reserve time commitment
• 10 U.S.C. 12731 (reserve retirement: 20 years, age 60)
• 10 U.S.C. 12732 (retirement points)
• 10 U.S.C. 12733 (points to years: 360, the 130-point cap)
• 10 U.S.C. 12739 (reserve retired pay: 2.5% a year)

Monthly rates: JSON. QuantCalc is calculation software, not legal, tax or benefits advice. Last updated November 4, 2026.

Related

2026 military pay chart → Military ranks and pay grades → Military retirement pay calculator → 2027 military pay raise → FERS military buy back →