2026 GS GRADE
2026 GS-6 Pay Scale
The 2026 GS-6 base salary ranges from $38,791 at Step 1 to $50,428 at Step 10 before any applicable locality adjustment.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-6 | $38,791 | $40,084 | $41,377 | $42,670 | $43,963 | $45,256 | $46,549 | $47,842 | $49,135 | $50,428 |
Official base data: OPM Salary Table 2026-GS.
Understanding GS-6 pay
GS-6 is one of the 15 grades in the General Schedule. For 2026, the national base table places GS-6 Step 1 at $38,791 and Step 10 at $50,428. These are base rates before any applicable locality adjustment, special rate, or other pay rule.
Within GS-6, the difference between Step 1 and Step 10 is $11,637, or about 30% of the Step 1 base rate. Step 5 is $43,963. Looking at the actual step values is more useful than assuming every step adds the same fixed dollar amount.
A GS-6 employee normally uses the same grade nationwide, but the scheduled salary can differ by duty station because OPM publishes separate locality tables. To estimate a locality-adjusted rate, first confirm GS-6, then the employee’s step, and finally the official OPM locality pay area that contains the duty station.
The next grade above GS-6 is GS-7. Its 2026 Step 1 base rate is $43,106. A promotion, however, is governed by federal pay-setting rules, so the promoted salary should not be calculated simply by jumping to Step 1 of the next grade.
For comparison, GS-5 Step 10 has a 2026 base rate of $45,239. Comparing neighboring grades helps show why grade and step must both be known when evaluating a position or promotion.
Locality pay should not be chosen only from a familiar city name. OPM locality areas can cover multiple counties and jurisdictions. An employee working near a metropolitan area may fall under that named locality or under Rest of U.S., depending on the official duty station.
Some federal employees use schedules other than the ordinary GS locality table. Special salary rates and certain law-enforcement schedules can produce different figures. The values on this page therefore serve as the standard 2026 GS base reference for GS-6, not a guarantee of any individual employee’s final salary.
For budgeting, annual pay can be converted to monthly, biweekly, or approximate hourly equivalents with the calculator. Those conversions are planning figures; actual take-home pay depends on taxes, retirement, insurance, deductions, premium pay, work schedule, and other employee-specific factors.