| No Rank | Marine Corps PrivateE-1 Junior Enlisted, U.S. Marine Corps |
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Marine Corps Ranks » Private Rank • Pvt Pay • Pvt Rank History • Promotion Information
E-1 Private -
Junior Enlisted -
U.S. Marine Corps Ranks
Private Marine Corps Military Ranks
| Class | Junior Enlisted |
| Abbr. | Pvt |
| Title | Private (last name) |
| Paygrade |
E-1 (DoD Paygrade) OR-1 (NATO Code) |
| Basic Pay | $2,017/mo |
Private is the entry-level rank in the Marine Corps. Unlike the next paygrade of Private First Class, Marine Corps privates wear no rank insignia. Most enlisted Marines begin service as an E-1 Private in Basic Training, and usually receive a promotion to Private First Class after serving for a specified amount of time.
Because their uniforms have a plain black area instead of a rank insignia, privates in the Marine Corps are often informally referred to as "slick sleeves" or "fuzzies" by more experinced marines.
Private is the 1st rank in the United States Marine Corps . A private is a Junior Enlisted at DoD paygrade E-1, with a starting monthly pay of $2,017.
How do you become a Private?
Click here to learn more about promotion to Private.
What is the proper way to address a Private?
The correct way to address a Private named Mr. Jones is "Private Jones", or written as Pvt Jones. In formal situations, a Private should always be addressed by their full rank.
How much does a Private earn?
Basic pay for an entry-level Private with 2 or less years of experience is $2,017.20 per month.
A Private receives an automatic raise to their basic pay every one to two years. Basic pay is only a small percentage of a Private's final compensation package.
In addition to a monthly basic pay salary, a Marine Corps Private may be eligible for multiple types of allowances and bonus pay including education allowance, food allowance, hostile fire pay, and more.
For full details on the Marine Corps' Private compensation and retirement plan, visit the 2024 Marine Corps Private Pay Chart. A full table of the Marine Corps' current paygrades are available at the Marine Corps Pay Chart.
Equivalent Ranks to the Marine Corps' E-1 Private
To learn more about the Marine Corps' rank structure, see our complete list of Marine Corps ranks.
The Government civilian-employee equivalent of a Private is paid under the General Schedule payscale. For more details, see this Marine Corps rank to GS grade conversion table 
.
To see a list of military medals and decorations that can be earned by servicemembers in the Marine Corps and other branches of the military, see our list of military decorations and medals.