CEF Rates of Pay

The Active Service Pay Book included this table of pay rates for the information of the officers, NCOS, and soldiers of the CEF:

*OFFICERS, ALL ARMS, Per diem.*
Rank.	Pay.	Field Allowance.
Colonel	$6.00	$1.50
Lieut.-Colonel	5.00	1.25
Major	4.00	1.00
Captain	3.00	.75
Lieutenant	2.00	.60
Paymaster	3.00	.75
Quartermaster	3.00	.75
Nursing Sister	2.00	.60
Command pay	1.00
Adjutant in addition to pay of Rank	.50
*WARRANT OFFICERS, N.C.O. and Men, Per diem.*
Warrant Officers	2.00	.30
Quartermaster Sergeant	1.80	.20
Orderly Room Clerks	1.50	.20
Pay Sergeants	1.50	.20
Squadron, Battery or Company Sergeant Major	1.60	.20
Colour Sergeant or Staff Sergeant	1.60	.20
Squadron, Battery or Quartermaster Company Sergeant	1.50	.20
Sergeant	1.35	.15
Corporal	1.10	.10
Bombadier or Second Corporal	1.05	.10
Privates, Gunners, Sappers, etc.	1.00	.10

There were occasions for soldiers of the CEF to be paid extra allowances in addition to their basic pay. Because of this, mention of a daily rate of pay received is not always proof of rank held, and the appointment held by the soldier becomes the other important factor in determining pay as found in pay records included in the service record. The Instructions Governing Organization and Adminstration, 1916 provide the following background:

“The Committee of the Privy Council have before them a report, dated 1st November 1915, from the Minister of Militia and Defence, stating, with reference to Order in Council 2264 of 3rd September 1914, fixing rates of pay for the Canadian Expeditionary Force, that when these rates were under consideration in the Department of Militia and Defence, it was represented that working pay for cooks, tailors, bakers, butchers, motor car drivers, mechanics, smiths, farriers, wheelers and such like, at rates varying from 50¢ to $1.00 a day in addition to the ordinary rate was necessary in order to induce the men of those trades to enlist, and accordingly this extra pay was recommended and approved.”