How to become a chief petty officer
Chief petty officer is pay grade E-7, and reaching it works differently from every advancement below it. For E-4 through E-6 the Navy-wide exam plus a point score decides the outcome. For chief, passing the exam only makes you board eligible.
The route
Enlist and qualify in a rating, advance to E-4, E-5 and E-6 through the Navy-wide exam and performance marks. For E-7, sit the exam, then go before a CPO selection board that reviews your whole service record against quotas. Selectees complete CPO 365 Phase II before pinning. Realistically this is 10 to 14 years of service.
Time in rate
Set annually by NAVADMIN. For the FY-24 boards the time-in-rate date meant roughly three years as an E-6. Early-promote waivers exist, and where granted the evaluation supporting the waiver must be provided to the board.
What catches people out
The switch in mechanism is the whole point, and it is why the Navy treats making chief as joining a different community rather than getting a pay rise. A board of chiefs and officers picks from the record; a high exam score alone does not advance you.
Chief petty officer salary in the US Navy
Chief is E-7. Reaching it is where enlisted pay starts compounding: E-7 at ten years is $5,300.40 and at twenty $6,245.70, and the senior and master chief grades continue above that. The gap between E-6 and E-7 at the same years of service is roughly $500 a month, which is why the selection board matters financially as well as professionally.
| Grade | ≤2 yrs | Over 4 | Over 8 | Over 12 | Over 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-1 | $2,407.20 | flat | flat | flat | flat |
| E-4 | $3,142.20 | $3,658.50 | $3,815.40 | — | — |
| E-5 | $3,342.90 | $3,946.80 | $4,299.90 | $4,421.70 | — |
| E-6 | $3,401.10 | $4,068.90 | $4,612.80 | $5,043.30 | $5,267.70 |
| E-7 | $3,932.10 | $4,673.10 | $5,135.70 | $5,591.70 | $6,245.70 |
These are basic pay only. They exclude the Basic Allowance for Housing, which varies by duty station and dependants, the Basic Allowance for Subsistence, and any special or incentive pays. Both allowances are untaxed, so total compensation is meaningfully higher than the table shows — comparing a military figure against a civilian salary is not comparing like with like.
Source: DFAS 2026 Basic Pay tables, effective 1 January 2026. $2,407.20 is the E-1 rate after four months of service.
Is this the right role for you?
This guide covers how to get in. Whether you should is a different question. Gyfted's career quiz works from how you actually operate — how you handle pressure, structure and other people — rather than from a job title you have already picked.
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