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2026 GS Pay Calculator

Select a grade, step and locality area for the 2026 annual, biweekly and hourly rate.

2026 annual pay

$61,722

GS-9 step 1 · Rest of U.S.

Per hour

$29.57

Biweekly

$2,365.82

GS base rate

$52,727

Worldwide GS base rate
$52,727
Locality payment (17.06%)
+ $8,995
Locality rate of pay
$61,722

Figures are annual rates before deductions and exclude locality-independent additions such as law enforcement availability pay, premium pay and most special rate tables other than 001M.

Built on OPM Salary Table 2026-GS, effective , with the 1% general schedule increase applied.

How locality pay works

A General Schedule salary is not one number but two. The base rate is set nationally for each of the 15 grades and 10 steps. On top of that sits a locality payment, a percentage that varies by where the job physically is, intended to keep federal pay competitive with local labour markets.

There are 58 locality pay areas in 2026: 55 named metropolitan areas, the State of Alaska, the State of Hawaii, and Rest of U.S. for everywhere else. The percentage ranges from 17.06% in Rest of U.S. to 46.34% in San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA, so the same grade and step can differ by tens of thousands of dollars depending only on duty station.

One consequence catches people out: locality follows the official worksite, not the employee. Taking a remote role assigned to a low-locality duty station pays the low-locality rate even if you live in an expensive city.

The pay cap that flattens the top grades

Locality-adjusted basic pay is capped at the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule — $197,200 in 2026 — under 5 U.S.C. 5304(g)(1). In 2026 this caps 97 of roughly 8,700 locality cells. The practical effect is that a GS-15 step 10 in San Francisco and a GS-15 step 10 in New York are paid the same, because both calculations land above the ceiling.

The special rate table most calculators leave out

Nationwide special rate table 001M applies to all General Schedule occupations at any worksite in the United States where the locality rate would otherwise fall below the special rate. In practice it governs GS-1 through GS-4, where it supersedes about 80% of locality cells.

This is not a rounding difference. Rest of U.S. GS-1 step 1 calculates to $26,437 as a locality rate, but the payable rate is $35,048 — $8,611 higher. OPM’s own GS calculator does not apply the rule and instead prints a warning note under the result, which is why figures for the lowest grades vary between tools. The calculator above applies it.

2026 GS base pay table

Worldwide base rates before any locality payment. Use the calculator above to add locality for a specific duty station.

2026 General Schedule base rates of pay by grade and step, excluding locality payment
GradeStep 1Step 2Step 3Step 4Step 5Step 6Step 7Step 8Step 9Step 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

Source: OPM Salary Table 2026-GS. Hourly rates use the 2087-hour federal work year.

Sources

4 of 4 references are official U.S. government publications. Pay tables and hiring rules change — each link shows when we last verified it.

  1. [1]Salary Table 2026-GS — General Schedule base rates of pay — U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Verified .
  2. [2]2026 locality pay area salary tables — U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Verified .
  3. [3]Nationwide special rate table 001M, effective January 2026 — U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Verified .
  4. [4]Salary Table No. 2026-EX — Executive Schedule rates — U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Verified .

Common questions

How is GS pay actually calculated?
Two components. First the worldwide GS base rate for your grade and step, published by OPM in Salary Table 2026-GS. Then a locality payment expressed as a percentage of that base, set for the locality pay area containing your official worksite. The locality rate is the base multiplied by one plus the locality percentage, rounded to the nearest dollar. Hourly pay is the annual figure divided by 2087, the number of work hours in a federal year.
Why does this calculator show more than OPM's for GS-1 through GS-4?
Because of nationwide special rate table 001M. That table covers every General Schedule employee whose official worksite is in the United States and whose locality rate at their grade and step would otherwise fall below the special rate. For GS-1 through GS-4, roughly 80 percent of locality cells are superseded by it in 2026. OPM's own GS calculator does not apply the rule; it prints a note beneath the result instead. The largest gap is Rest of U.S. GS-1 step 1, where the locality rate is $26,437 but the payable rate is $35,048 — a difference of $8,611.
Which locality pay area am I in?
The one containing your official worksite, not your home. There are 58 areas: 55 named metropolitan areas, the State of Alaska, the State of Hawaii, and Rest of U.S., which covers everywhere in the 50 states, D.C. and the territories that is not inside a named area. Every GS position falls into exactly one. If you telework, your official worksite is normally the agency location you are assigned to, which can differ from where you sit.
Is there a maximum GS salary?
Yes. Locality-adjusted GS basic pay cannot exceed the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule, which is $197,200 in 2026, under 5 U.S.C. 5304(g)(1). This bites at the top of GS-15 in high-locality areas, and in the highest-paying areas it reaches into GS-14. When the cap applies, employees in different localities can be paid identically despite different locality percentages.
When do these rates take effect?
The 2026 rates take effect on the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after 1 January 2026, which is January 11, 2026. They incorporate the 1 percent general schedule increase. Your first paycheque of the calendar year may still be at the prior year's rate depending on where the pay period falls.
Does this include overtime, premium pay or bonuses?
No. The figures are annual rates of basic pay before deductions. They exclude overtime, premium pay, law enforcement availability pay, physicians comparability allowance, recruitment or retention incentives, and special rate tables other than the nationwide 001M table. They also exclude the value of federal benefits, which is a substantial part of total compensation.