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Army First LieutenantO-2 Commissioned Officer, U.S. Army |
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Army Ranks » First Lieutenant Rank • 1LT Pay • 1LT Rank History • Promotion Information
O-2 First Lieutenant -
Commissioned Officer -
U.S. Army Ranks
First Lieutenant Army Military Ranks
| Class | Commissioned Officer |
| Abbr. | 1LT |
| Title | Lieutenant (last name) |
| Paygrade |
O-2 (DoD Paygrade) OF-2 (NATO Code) |
| Basic Pay | $4,409/mo |
First Lieutenant is the second junior commissioned officer rank after Second Lieutenant, and is generally awarded as an automatic promotion to Second Lieutenants who have served for 18 to 24 months. First Lieutenants may serve as the Platoon Leader of a specialized weapons platoon, or as the executive officer of a company consisting of 70 to 250 soldiers. Some officers receiving a promotion to First Lieutenant may receive a further promotion to higher ranks with more leadership responsibility.
First Lieutenant is the 20th rank in the United States Army , ranking above Second Lieutenant and directly below Captain. A first lieutenant is a Commissioned Officer at DoD paygrade O-2, with a starting monthly pay of $4,409.
How do you become a First Lieutenant?
A First Lieutenant is most often promoted from Second Lieutenant (2LT), although promotion from lower paygrades may occur with sufficient display of leadership and experience. Click here to learn more about promotion to First Lieutenant.
What is the proper way to address a First Lieutenant?
The correct way to address a First Lieutenant named Mr. Weber is "Lieutenant Weber", or written as 1LT Weber. In formal situations, a First Lieutenant should always be addressed by their full rank.
How much does a First Lieutenant earn?
Basic pay for an entry-level First Lieutenant with 2 or less years of experience is $4,408.50 per month.
A First Lieutenant receives an automatic raise to their basic pay every one to two years. Basic pay is only a small percentage of a First Lieutenant's final compensation package.
In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Army First Lieutenant may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including hostile fire pay, education allowance, and more.
For full details on the Army's First Lieutenant compensation and retirement plan, visit the 2024 Army First Lieutenant Pay Chart. A full table of the Army's current paygrades are available at the Army Pay Chart.
Military Occupational Specialties for Army's O-2 First Lieutenant
 | Field Surgeon
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 | Army Judge Advocate General's Corps Attorney
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 | Veterinary Clinical Medicine
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 | Otolaryngologist
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 | Chaplain
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To learn more about Military Occupational Specialties, see our complete list of MOS job titles.
Equivalent Ranks to the Army's O-2 First Lieutenant
To learn more about the Army's rank structure, see our complete list of Army ranks.
The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a First Lieutenant is paid under the General Schedule payscale. For more details, see this Army rank to GS grade conversion table 
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To see a list of military medals and decorations that can be earned by servicemembers in the Army and other branches of the military, see our list of military decorations and medals.