Years of Service

• A primary component of a Marine Corps officer's salary comes from basic pay. A key component of this basic pay is the officer's rank, categorized by pay grade. A second lieutenant is the lowest pay grade available to an officer and is categorized as O-1. An O-1 who has two or fewer years of service, for example, earns a base pay of $2,784 per month, as of December 2010, according to the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, while one with six to eight years of service earns $3,502 per month.
  
  

Years of Service -- Prior Enlisted or Warrant Officers

• Marine Corps second lieutenants who began their careers as enlisted or warrant officer personnel earn a higher base pay than those who began their service as officers, as long as the officer had at least four years and a day of service prior to promotion. For example, a second lieutenant who has 10 to 12 years of service earns a base pay of $3,502 if beginning service as an officer, while one who began as an enlisted person earns $4,020 per month.
  
  

Allowances

• Apart from base pay, Marine Corps second lieutenants also earn a significant portion of their salary and compensation from allowances. For example, second lieutenants earn a basic allowance for housing (BAH), a monthly payment provided to pay for the officer's lodging. BAH allowances are based on whether the officer has dependents and where the officer is posted. A second lieutenant with no dependents stationed in Boston, for example, earns $1,779 per month in BAH, while one stationed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, earns $1,521 per month.
  
  

Special Pay

• Marine Corps second lieutenants are also entitled to bonus pay based on the conditions of their service. For example, aviation officers receive an additional monthly bonus based on the number of years they have served in the aviation field. An O-1 with two or fewer years in aviation earns $125 per month, while one with four to six years of service earns $206 per month.