Federal Pay Raise 2026
Calculate official 2026 General Schedule (GS) civilian salaries, step progressions, and OPM regional locality adjustments. Real-time client-side calculation with zero server latency.
Locality pay applies to duty stations within designated metropolitan economic zones. If your post is outside these zones, select "Rest of U.S."
Understanding the Federal General Schedule (GS) and 2026 Pay Adjustments
The United States federal civil service compensation framework is governed primarily by the General Schedule (GS) pay system, established under the Classification Act of 1949 and modernized by the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act (FEPCA) of 1990 (5 U.S.C. §§ 5301–5307). The GS system covers approximately 1.5 million white-collar civilian employees across hundreds of federal departments, agencies, and regional field offices.
Federal compensation is structured into 15 numeric grades (GS-1 through GS-15), with each grade containing 10 within-grade salary steps. Annual pay changes are determined through statutory recommendations by the Federal Salary Council and the President's Pay Agent, followed by an Executive Order issued annually in late December that establishes exact base rates and locality adjustments for the upcoming calendar year.
Looking to compare your federal compensation against private sector corporate roles? Calculate your equivalencies with our Hourly Rate to Salary Converter or evaluate potential promotion leaps using our Pay Raise Calculator. If you have military service credit or are transitioning from active duty, cross-reference your rank with the Military Pay Raise 2026 Calculator.
Federal Compensation Mathematical Formulas
Salary = Base Pay × (1 + Locality % / 100)Hourly = Total Adjusted Salary ÷ 2,087Biweekly = Hourly Rate × 80Locality $ = Total Salary − Base PayWhy Does the Federal Government Use a 2,087-Hour Divisor?
While the private corporate sector universally assumes 2,080 hours in an annual workyear (40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080), federal civil service payroll is legally mandated under 5 U.S.C. § 5504(b) to divide annual salary by 2,087 hours to derive an employee's hourly wage.
This seven-hour difference arises because a calendar year contains 365 days (or 366 in leap years), which equals 52 weeks plus one extra day (or two extra days in leap years). Over a complete 28-year Gregorian calendar cycle—the time it takes for calendar day patterns to repeat exactly—there are:
- 28 years × 365.25 days = 10,227 total calendar days.
- Accounting for weekend days, exactly 58,436 workdays occur over the 28-year cycle.
- 58,436 workdays × 8 hours/day = 467,488 work hours.
- Dividing 467,488 total work hours by 28 years yields precisely 2,087.028 hours per year.
By rounding this to 2,087 hours, the Office of Personnel Management ensures that federal employees are neither overpaid nor underpaid when their biweekly pay checks (80 hours every two weeks) are distributed across multiple calendar decades.
Worked Calculation Examples Across Benchmark Federal Grades
To understand how locality adjustments and the 2,087 divisor interact in practice, consider three common career benchmarks:
Example 1: Entry-Level Analyst (GS-5, Step 1) in Washington-Baltimore-Arlington (+33.26%)
Base Salary: $33,878.00. Locality Adjustment: $33,878.00 × 33.26% = $11,267.82. Total Adjusted Annual Salary: $45,145.82. Applying the federal 2,087 divisor: $45,145.82 ÷ 2,087 = $21.63/hour. Biweekly Gross Check (80h): $21.63 × 80 = $1,730.40.
Example 2: Mid-Level Program Specialist (GS-9, Step 1) in Rest of U.S. (+16.82%)
Base Salary: $51,328.00. Locality Adjustment: $51,328.00 × 16.82% = $8,633.37. Total Adjusted Annual Salary: $59,961.37. Hourly Rate: $59,961.37 ÷ 2,087 = $28.73/hour. Biweekly Gross Check: $28.73 × 80 = $2,298.40.
Example 3: Senior Technical Lead (GS-13, Step 5) in San Jose-San Francisco (+45.41%)
Base Salary: $100,313.00. Locality Adjustment: $100,313.00 × 45.41% = $45,552.13. Total Adjusted Annual Salary: $145,865.13. Hourly Rate: $145,865.13 ÷ 2,087 = $69.89/hour. Biweekly Gross Check: $69.89 × 80 = $5,591.20.
2026 GS Pay Scale Comparison Table (Step 1 Across Key Metros)
Static pre-computed gross annual earnings comparing unadjusted base pay with three dominant locality areas: Rest of U.S. (16.82%), Washington DC (33.26%), and San Francisco Bay Area (45.41%).
| Grade | Base Pay (Step 1) | Rest of U.S. (16.82%) | Washington DC (33.26%) | San Francisco (45.41%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-5 | $33,878 | $39,576 | $45,146 | $49,262 |
| GS-7 | $41,964 | $49,022 | $55,921 | $61,020 |
| GS-9 | $51,328 | $59,961 | $68,399 | $74,636 |
| GS-11 | $62,102 | $72,547 | $82,757 | $90,303 |
| GS-12 | $74,435 | $86,955 | $99,192 | $108,236 |
| GS-13 | $88,513 | $103,401 | $117,952 | $128,707 |
| GS-14 | $104,596 | $122,189 | $139,385 | $152,093 |
| GS-15 | $123,034 | $143,728 | $163,955 | $178,904 |
Federal GS Pay Raise FAQs
Essential guidance on OPM locality pay tables, the 2,087 statutory divisor, and step increase timelines.
What is the projected 2026 General Schedule (GS) federal pay raise percentage?
The projected 2026 federal civilian pay raise is anticipated between 3.0% and 3.8%, comprising an across-the-board base increase and a differentiated locality pay adjustment under the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act (FEPCA). The final figure is determined by the President's Alternative Pay Plan or by congressional appropriation in the annual Financial Services and General Government spending legislation.
How does OPM locality pay increase base GS salary rates?
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) locality pay increases base General Schedule pay by adding a geographic percentage markup ranging from 16.82% (for Rest of U.S.) up to over 45.41% in high-cost metropolitan areas like San Jose-San Francisco. This locality percentage is multiplied by the employee's GS base salary and added directly to basic pay, which also establishes the basis for federal retirement annuities and life insurance calculations.
What is the difference between a GS Grade step increase and an annual pay raise?
An annual pay raise is an across-the-board adjustment that increases the baseline dollar values of all 15 GS grades simultaneously, whereas a Step increase (Within-Grade Increase, or WGI) is an individual advancement to the next pay step (from Step 1 up to Step 10) based on tenure and satisfactory job performance. Step advancements occur after statutory waiting periods of 1, 2, or 3 years and deliver an additional 2.5% to 3.3% pay boost on top of the annual general pay raise.
Which US metro area has the highest federal locality pay adjustment?
The San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA locality pay area commands the highest federal locality pay adjustment in the United States, with a locality rate exceeding 45.41% above base GS pay. Other top-tier locality areas include Washington-Baltimore-Arlington (33.26%), New York-Newark (36.16%), Los Angeles-Long Beach (35.84%), and Seattle-Tacoma (31.05%).
When does the 2026 federal pay adjustment take effect for civil service employees?
The 2026 federal pay adjustment takes effect on the first day of the first full biweekly pay period of calendar year 2026, which begins in early January 2026. For the vast majority of civilian federal agencies, this pay period starts on the first Sunday of January, with the adjusted salary reflected in the following biweekly paycheck distribution.