GS Pay Scale 2026

The 2026 General Schedule base table runs from $22,584 at GS-1, step 1 to $164,301 at GS-15, step 10. It took effect January 11, 2026 with a 1% increase over 2025, while every locality percentage stayed at its 2025 level. Choose a locality area above the table to see the rates paid there.

How much did the GS pay scale change from 2025 to 2026?

Base pay rose 1.0% for 2026 and locality percentages did not change, so a typical GS salary went up about 1%. In dollars, GS-1 step 1 rose $224, GS-9 step 1 rose $522, GS-13 step 1 rose $900 and GS-15 step 10 rose $1,629. Turn on "Show change from 2025" to see every cell.

The 2026 adjustment comes from Executive Order 14368, signed December 18, 2025, which set a 1.0% across-the-board increase and kept locality payments at 2025 rates. The statutory formula would have produced a larger raise; the President used his authority to set an alternative.

What will the GS pay scale be in 2027?

Under the current proposal, the 2027 GS pay scale would be identical to 2026. The President's alternative pay plan of August 26, 2026 sets the 2027 adjustment at zero for both base pay and locality pay. That plan becomes final only when the President signs the pay Executive Order, usually in late December.

Congress can still set a different figure, and bills proposing a 2027 raise have been introduced. Until the Executive Order appears, treat any 2027 table you see elsewhere as an estimate. When OPM posts official 2027 tables, we will replace this section, the table and the dates together.

How do I read a grade, a step and a locality rate?

Your grade is the level of the job, set by its duties; your step is your position inside that grade's pay range, earned mostly through time and performance. The base table shows grade and step only. Your actual pay is the base rate raised by the locality percentage for the area of your duty station.

There are 58 locality areas in 2026, from Rest of U.S. at 17.06% to San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland at 46.34%. OPM defines each area by county; the definitions are linked below. At the top of the scale, locality rates stop at $197,200, the level IV Executive Schedule rate, which is why some GS-14 and GS-15 cells in high-cost areas repeat the same figure.

Which 2026 locality areas pay the most and the least?

Five areas pay the highest locality percentages in 2026: San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland at 46.34%, New York-Newark at 37.95%, Los Angeles-Long Beach at 36.47%, Houston-The Woodlands at 35.00% and Washington-Baltimore-Arlington at 33.94%. The lowest is Rest of U.S. at 17.06%, which covers any location outside a named area.

Alaska (32.36%) and Hawaii (22.21%) are separate areas. Law enforcement officers at GS-3 through GS-10 receive higher locality rates than the table above, and some occupations are paid from special rate tables; OPM's locality pages explain both.

Can I download or print the table?

Yes. "Download CSV" saves the table you are viewing — base or a chosen locality area — with the source document and effective date in each row. "Print table" produces a one-page version without menus. Both files come from the same data that drives the GS pay calculator, so the numbers always match.

Printed from https://knowyourpension.org/gs-pay-scale/ · Last updated October 29, 2026 · Independent reference. Not affiliated with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management or any federal agency. Estimates only — your official figures come from your agency, your SF-50 and OPM.