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Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty OfficerE-8 Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Coast Guard |
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Coast Guard Ranks » Senior Chief Petty Officer Rank • SCPO Pay • SCPO Rank History
E-8 Senior Chief Petty Officer -
Chief Petty Officer -
U.S. Coast Guard Ranks
Senior Chief Petty Officer Coast Guard Military Ranks
| Class | Chief Petty Officer |
| Abbr. | SCPO |
| Title | Chief Petty Officer (last name) |
| Paygrade |
E-8 (DoD Paygrade) OR-8 (NATO Code) |
| Basic Pay | $5,215/mo |
Senior Chief Petty Officer (SCPO) is the second of the United States Coast Guard's Chief Petty Officer ranks. Like Chief Petty Officers, a Senior Chief Petty Officer is responsible for a variety of administrative and leadership responsibilities in his specialized area, also known as his rating.
Also similar to other Coast Guard sailors, the full rank for a Senior Chief Petty Officer includes his rating; a SCPO specializing as a Quartermaster, for example, would be referred to by his full title of Senior Chief Quartermaster.
Like other Chief Petty Officers, Senior Chief Petty Officers have access to the Chief's Mess and private living quarters and wear a khaki uniform similar to that of a commissioned officer.
Promotion to Senior Chief Petty Officer, however, is different from advancement in the lower ranks. While experience, commanding officer reviews and peer reviews play a large part, advancement to SCPO does not include a scored test.
Instead of a scored test, the leadership skills and performance of the SCPO candidates are evaluated by a board of current Master Chief Petty Officers. Those candidates who meet the stringent requirements for advancement are promoted after approval by the board in March of every year.
Senior Chief Petty Officer is the 8th rank in the United States Coast Guard , ranking above Chief Petty Officer and directly below Master Chief Petty Officer. A senior chief petty officer is a Chief Petty Officer at DoD paygrade E-8, with a starting monthly pay of $5,215.
How do you become a Senior Chief Petty Officer?
A Senior Chief Petty Officer is most often promoted from Chief Petty Officer (CPO), although promotion from lower paygrades may occur with sufficient display of leadership and experience.
To be advanced from CPO to "Senior Chief", the candidate must have attended the Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Academy, with a focus on professionalism, leadership, communications and systems thinking and lifelong learning. Successful advancement typically depends on a variety of factors, including Time in Service (TIS), superior evaluation and examination scores, additional points for awards, and Time in Grade (TIG). These factors help the candidate to secure placement on an advancement list and the higher they score, the higher their placement on the list. As positions open up, candidates at the top of this list are selected.
What is the proper way to address a Senior Chief Petty Officer?
The correct way to address a Senior Chief Petty Officer named Mr. Williams is "Chief Petty Officer Williams", or written as SCPO Williams. In formal situations, a Senior Chief Petty Officer should always be addressed by their full rank.
How much does a Senior Chief Petty Officer earn?
Basic pay for an entry-level Senior Chief Petty Officer with Over 8 years of experience is $5,214.90 per month.
A Senior Chief Petty Officer receives an automatic raise to their basic pay every one to two years. Basic pay is only a small percentage of a Senior Chief Petty Officer's final compensation package.
In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including personal money allowance, hazard pay, and more.
For full details on the Coast Guard's Senior Chief Petty Officer compensation and retirement plan, visit the 2024 Coast Guard Senior Chief Petty Officer Pay Chart. A full table of the Coast Guard's current paygrades are available at the Coast Guard Pay Chart.
Equivalent Ranks to the Coast Guard's E-8 Senior Chief Petty Officer
To learn more about the Coast Guard's rank structure, see our complete list of Coast Guard ranks.
The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a Senior Chief Petty Officer is paid under the General Schedule payscale. For more details, see this Coast Guard rank to GS grade conversion table 
.
To see a list of military medals and decorations that can be earned by servicemembers in the Coast Guard and other branches of the military, see our list of military decorations and medals.