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Army Sergeant First ClassE-7 Noncommissioned Officer, U.S. Army |
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Army Ranks » Sergeant First Class Rank • SFC Pay • SFC Rank History • Promotion Information
E-7 Sergeant First Class -
Noncommissioned Officer -
U.S. Army Ranks
Sergeant First Class Army Military Ranks
| Class | Noncommissioned Officer |
| Abbr. | SFC |
| Title | Sergeant (last name) |
| Paygrade |
E-7 (DoD Paygrade) OR-7 (NATO Code) |
| Basic Pay | $3,625/mo |
A Sergeant First Class (SFC) is the first senior non-commissioned officer, and is most commonly assigned the role of Platoon Sergeant to serve as chief advisor and assistant to the Platoon Leader. An SFC usually has 15-18 years of Army experience, and may be in command of as many as 40 soldiers in a rifle platoon or 18 soldiers and 4 tanks in an armor platoon.
Sergeant First Class is the 8th rank in the United States Army , ranking above Staff Sergeant and directly below Master Sergeant. A sergeant first class is a Noncommissioned Officer at DoD paygrade E-7, with a starting monthly pay of $3,625.
How do you become a Sergeant First Class?
A Sergeant First Class is most often promoted from Staff Sergeant (SSG), although promotion from lower paygrades may occur with sufficient display of leadership and experience. Click here to learn more about promotion to Sergeant First Class.
What is the proper way to address a Sergeant First Class?
The correct way to address a Sergeant First Class named Mr. Jones is "Sergeant Jones", or written as SFC Jones. In formal situations, a Sergeant First Class should always be addressed by their full rank.
How much does a Sergeant First Class earn?
Basic pay for an entry-level Sergeant First Class with 2 or less years of experience is $3,624.90 per month.
A Sergeant First Class receives an automatic raise to their basic pay every one to two years. Basic pay is only a small percentage of a Sergeant First Class' final compensation package.
In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Army Sergeant First Class may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including clothing allowance, housing allowance, personal money allowance, and more.
For full details on the Army's Sergeant First Class compensation and retirement plan, visit the 2024 Army Sergeant First Class Pay Chart. A full table of the Army's current paygrades are available at the Army Pay Chart.
Military Occupational Specialties for Army's E-7 Sergeant First Class
 | Air Traffic Control (ATC) Operator
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 | Musician
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 | Computer/Detection Systems Repairer
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 | Prime Power Production Specialist
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 | PATRIOT System Repairer
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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 E-7 Sergeant First Class
To learn more about the Army's rank structure, see our complete list of Army ranks.
The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a Sergeant First Class 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.