2026 GENERAL SCHEDULE
2026 GS Pay Scale
The 2026 General Schedule base table covers grades GS-1 through GS-15 and Steps 1 through 10. Use this national base-pay table before checking locality pay or another applicable federal salary schedule.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $22,584 | $23,341 | $24,092 | $24,840 | $25,589 | $26,028 | $26,771 | $27,519 | $27,550 | $28,248 |
| GS-2 | $25,393 | $25,997 | $26,839 | $27,550 | $27,858 | $28,677 | $29,496 | $30,315 | $31,134 | $31,953 |
| GS-3 | $27,708 | $28,632 | $29,556 | $30,480 | $31,404 | $32,328 | $33,252 | $34,176 | $35,100 | $36,024 |
| GS-4 | $31,103 | $32,140 | $33,177 | $34,214 | $35,251 | $36,288 | $37,325 | $38,362 | $39,399 | $40,436 |
| GS-5 | $34,799 | $35,959 | $37,119 | $38,279 | $39,439 | $40,599 | $41,759 | $42,919 | $44,079 | $45,239 |
| GS-6 | $38,791 | $40,084 | $41,377 | $42,670 | $43,963 | $45,256 | $46,549 | $47,842 | $49,135 | $50,428 |
| GS-7 | $43,106 | $44,543 | $45,980 | $47,417 | $48,854 | $50,291 | $51,728 | $53,165 | $54,602 | $56,039 |
| GS-8 | $47,738 | $49,329 | $50,920 | $52,511 | $54,102 | $55,693 | $57,284 | $58,875 | $60,466 | $62,057 |
| GS-9 | $52,727 | $54,485 | $56,243 | $58,001 | $59,759 | $61,517 | $63,275 | $65,033 | $66,791 | $68,549 |
| GS-10 | $58,064 | $59,999 | $61,934 | $63,869 | $65,804 | $67,739 | $69,674 | $71,609 | $73,544 | $75,479 |
| GS-11 | $63,795 | $65,922 | $68,049 | $70,176 | $72,303 | $74,430 | $76,557 | $78,684 | $80,811 | $82,938 |
| GS-12 | $76,463 | $79,012 | $81,561 | $84,110 | $86,659 | $89,208 | $91,757 | $94,306 | $96,855 | $99,404 |
| GS-13 | $90,925 | $93,956 | $96,987 | $100,018 | $103,049 | $106,080 | $109,111 | $112,142 | $115,173 | $118,204 |
| GS-14 | $107,446 | $111,028 | $114,610 | $118,192 | $121,774 | $125,356 | $128,938 | $132,520 | $136,102 | $139,684 |
| GS-15 | $126,384 | $130,597 | $134,810 | $139,023 | $143,236 | $147,449 | $151,662 | $155,875 | $160,088 | $164,301 |
Official source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management 2026 GS table .
How to Read the 2026 GS Pay Table
The General Schedule (GS) is the primary pay system used for many federal civilian employees. It contains 15 grades, GS-1 through GS-15, and each grade has 10 salary steps.
To find a salary in the table, first identify the employee’s GS grade and then the employee’s step. For example, a GS-12 Step 5 employee should use the salary where the GS-12 row and Step 5 column intersect.
What GS Grades Mean
A GS grade represents the level of a federal position within the General Schedule. Higher grades generally correspond to positions with greater responsibility, qualifications, experience, or complexity.
Moving from one grade to another is generally associated with a promotion or appointment to a different position. This is separate from moving through the steps within the same grade.
What GS Steps Mean
Each GS grade contains Steps 1 through 10. Steps represent salary progression within the same grade. As an employee advances through eligible step increases, the employee may receive a higher salary while remaining in the same GS grade.
Step progression is different from a promotion. For example, moving from GS-11 Step 4 to GS-11 Step 5 is a step increase, while moving from GS-11 to GS-12 is a grade change.
Base Pay vs. Locality Pay
The salaries in the table above are 2026 General Schedule base-pay rates. Base pay is the national starting point for the GS system and does not include locality pay.
Many federal employees receive locality-adjusted pay based on their official duty station. OPM publishes separate locality tables for designated geographic areas, and those locality tables generally show higher salary amounts than the national base table.
If locality pay applies to a position, use the appropriate 2026 locality pay table rather than treating the national base-pay amount as the final scheduled salary.
How to Find Your 2026 GS Salary
A typical GS salary lookup requires three pieces of information: the employee’s grade, step, and official duty station.
Start with the grade and step shown on the employee’s personnel or position information. Then determine whether the official duty station falls within an OPM locality pay area. If it does, use the matching locality table to find the applicable annual salary.
2026 GS Pay Increase
The 2026 General Schedule base-pay table incorporates the annual federal pay adjustment for the 2026 pay year. Locality-adjusted salary tables are published separately and include the applicable locality adjustment for each pay area.
When comparing one year with another, use the official table for each specific year rather than applying a current percentage to an older salary figure.
Special Salary Rates and Other Pay Schedules
The standard GS base table does not represent every federal pay situation. Some employees may be covered by special salary rates, law-enforcement schedules, special pay systems, or statutory pay limitations.
When a special schedule applies, the employee should use the applicable OPM or agency pay table rather than relying only on the standard GS base-pay table shown above.
Use the GS Pay Table with Other Tools
Use the individual grade pages to review salary ranges for a specific GS level, the locality directory to find geographic pay tables, and the GS pay calculator for quick grade-and-step salary lookups.