Canadian Armed Forces Salary 2026
Regular Force pay scales for the Canadian Armed Forces in 2026. CAF members are not unionized and do not have collective bargaining rights; pay is set unilaterally by Treasury Board on the recommendation of the Department of National Defence under Compensation and Benefits Instructions (CBI) Chapter 204. Rates are typically revised once per year with the most recent significant adjustment effective 1 April 2025 reflecting the 2025 catch-up settlement.
~68K
Reg Force
2
Pay scales
$35K–$355K
Salary range
2026
Current rates
CAF — rates set under DND Compensation and Benefits Instructions Chapter 204 (no collective bargaining).
CAF members are not represented by a union. Treasury Board sets pay on DND's recommendation. Rates published as monthly on canada.ca; FedPay annualizes (× 12) for display. STANDARD trade group shown; Specialist 1 / Specialist 2 pay is higher and varies by occupation. Service counts toward the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act pension plan.
Browse CAF Pay Scales
The two main Regular Force pay scales each have a dedicated detail page with rank-by-rank progression.
About CAF Pay Structure
The Canadian Armed Forces operate under two main Regular Force pay scales: NCM (Non-Commissioned Members, Private through Chief Warrant Officer) and OFFR (Officer, Officer Cadet through Lieutenant-General). Both scales follow CBI Chapter 204, which is published by Treasury Board with input from DND. The pay rates published here are for the Standard trade group; CAF maintains higher Specialist 1 and Specialist 2 pay categories for occupations such as aircrew, intelligence operators, special operations forces, and certain technical trades.
Total CAF compensation can exceed published pay materially through allowances: Land Duty Allowance, Sea Duty Allowance, Aircrew Allowance, posting allowances on relocation, and combat or hardship premiums on deployed operations. CAF service counts toward the Canadian Forces Superannuation Act pension plan, which is similar in structure to but separate from the federal Public Service Pension Plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a CAF officer make?
Officer pay ranges from $34,956 at Officer Cadet (subsidized education during RMC or Reserve Entry Training) through $355,428 at Lieutenant-General. Most officers spend significant time at Captain ($106,332–$140,544), which has eleven pay incentives over roughly twelve years. The Chief of the Defence Staff sits above this scale on a separate rate.
Are CAF members unionized?
No. CAF members are not represented by a union and do not have collective bargaining rights. Pay is set unilaterally by Treasury Board under CBI Chapter 204 on the recommendation of DND.
How current are the CAF rates on FedPay?
Last verified against the open.canada.ca CAF pay-scale datasets as of 2026-04-26. The most recent significant rate adjustment was effective 1 April 2025 (the 2025 catch-up settlement). Future adjustments are published as CBI 204 revisions.