grades, GS-1 to GS-15
United States federal pay
US federal GS pay: grade, step and duty station.
A concise guide to the 2026 General Schedule, including grades, within-grade steps, locality pay and special rates.
Pay system at a glance
Start with the structure, then check the employer and place.
Currency: USD2026 OPM tables
steps in every grade
sets the locality area
How the scale works
Grade and progression
1
Grade describes the position
A vacancy identifies its GS grade or grade range. Moving to a higher grade is a promotion, not a normal step increase.
2
Step describes position within a grade
Each grade has steps 1 through 10. The same grade and step can pay differently after locality or special-rate rules are applied.
3
Within-grade increases have conditions
For eligible permanent employees, waiting periods are 52 weeks at steps 1-3, 104 weeks at steps 4-6 and 156 weeks at steps 7-9, with acceptable performance and other requirements.
Why two salaries can differ
Employer, place and coverage
Locality pay
Most covered employees use the locality table for their official worksite, not simply their home address.
Special rates
Certain occupations and locations use an approved special-rate schedule when it produces the higher applicable entitlement.
Other federal pay systems
Senior Executive Service, Federal Wage System and other schedules are outside this GS guide.
Newest verified update
Effective January 2026
Use the 2026 OPM table for the official worksite
The 2026 base schedule incorporates a 1% General Schedule increase. OPM says the 2026 locality-area boundaries are the same as in 2025.
Before using a figure
Checks that make the number useful.
- Coverage: not every US federal employee is paid under the General Schedule.
- Progression: step increases depend on eligibility, service and acceptable performance.
- Special rates: apply OPM's comparison rules instead of simply adding a special rate to locality pay.
- Actual pay: check locality, special-rate coverage and statutory caps before using the base table.
Official sources only
Verify the current rate at source
These links lead to the government or EU authority responsible for the structure, current table or employment framework.
OPM General Schedule overviewGrades, steps, promotions and the relationship between base, locality and special rates.OPM 2026 General Schedule tablesCurrent base and locality pay tables for calendar year 2026.OPM 2026 locality-area definitionsAuthoritative geographic definitions for official worksites.OPM within-grade increasesEligibility conditions and waiting periods for steps 1 through 10.
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