2026 Federal GS Pay Raise Confirmed at 1%, Plus the Fight Over 2027 Federal Pay

The General Schedule (GS) pay scale sets base pay for roughly 1.5 million civilian federal employees. This page tracks confirmed raises and the latest proposals for each year. The 2026 raise is confirmed at 1%. The 2027 picture is wide open — Trump’s budget proposes a freeze, Congress has offered a 4.1% counter, and the final call won’t come until late December 2026.

2027 GS Pay Raise: Freeze Proposed vs. 4.1% FAIR Act

The Trump administration’s FY2027 budget, submitted to Congress in spring 2026, was notable for what it didn’t include: any civilian pay raise. An Office of Management and Budget spokesperson confirmed that under the proposal, civilian federal workers would receive no pay increase in January 2027.

That’s a sharp contrast with what the military is getting. The 2027 defense bill calls for a raise of 3.6% to 7% for service members depending on rank — which would create one of the largest gaps between military and civilian federal pay in modern history.

The FAIR Act Counter-Proposal: 4.1%

In response, lawmakers introduced the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act (H.R. 7480 / S. 3823), led by Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) in the House and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) in the Senate. The FAIR Act would provide:

• 3.1% across-the-board base pay increase
• 1.0% average locality pay adjustment
• 4.1% total average increase effective January 2027

The FAIR Act has been reintroduced in various forms for years and has never passed as standalone legislation. As of early July 2026, it remains at the introduced stage in committee, and House GOP leadership has been non-committal — one lawmaker characterized the standoff simply as “that’s politics.” The realistic path to a 2027 raise runs through the annual spending process and a presidential executive order, not the FAIR Act itself.

What Each Scenario Would Mean in Dollars

The table below shows the impact on base pay (Step 1) at common GS grades, using 2026 confirmed figures as the baseline. Locality pay is on top of these amounts and varies by area.

Base pay only, excludes locality pay. FAIR Act column reflects 3.1% base raise only.

For context: a federal law enforcement officer (e.g., ICE, DEA) on the GS pay scale received an additional 3.8% in 2026, matching the military’s raise. Whether that exception continues in 2027 has not been addressed in any proposal yet.

Key Dates to Watch

The 2027 pay outcome follows a predictable calendar:

• August 31, 2026: Deadline for the President to submit an “alternative pay plan” letter to Congress outlining any deviation from the statutory pay adjustment formula.
• Fall 2026: Congressional appropriations activity could add or block a civilian pay raise in spending legislation.
• December 2026: Presidential executive order typically issued, locking in January 2027 pay rates.

I’ll update this page as each of these milestones passes. Subscribe here to get notified when the 2027 rate is finalized.

2026 GS Pay Raise: 1% Under Trump

Despite real fears of a full pay freeze, the Trump administration proposed a 1% across-the-board base pay increase for 2026 via its alternative pay plan submission to Congress. Locality pay was kept unchanged from 2025 levels. The raise took effect January 2026.

An exception applied to certain federal law enforcement personnel — including ICE agents — who received an additional 3.8%, bringing their total raise in line with the 2026 military pay raise.

For a federal employee earning $60,000/year, the 1% raise adds $600/year — about $46/month before taxes.

2026 GS Base Pay Table (Annual, by Grade and Step)

Salary Table 2026-GS — Incorporating the 1% General Schedule Increase, effective January 2026. Excludes locality pay.

Source: OPM Salary Table 2026-GS. For locality pay adjustments (which can add 15%–35%+ depending on your metro area), see the full locality tables at OPM.

How to Read This Table: 3 Examples

Example 1: Finding your base pay (GS-7, Step 1 — entry-level analyst). If you’re starting as a GS-7 federal employee, find row “7” and column “Step 1.” Your 2026 base pay is $43,106/year. That’s before locality pay, which is added based on where you work. In Washington D.C., the locality rate is 33.26%, adding $14,335 — bringing your total adjusted pay to approximately $57,441. You’ll automatically move to Step 2 ($44,543) after one year of satisfactory performance.

Example 2: Calculating total pay with locality (GS-12, Step 5 — mid-career IT specialist). A GS-12 at Step 5 has a 2026 base of $86,659. In San Francisco (locality rate ~44.15%), that adds $38,260 in locality pay, for a total of approximately $124,919. In a lower-cost region like the Rest of U.S. locality area (16.82%), the same GS-12 Step 5 employee earns $86,659 + $14,575 = $101,234. Same grade, same step — but nearly $24,000 difference based on location.

Example 3: What the 1% raise actually meant in dollars (GS-11, Step 1). The 2025 GS-11 Step 1 base was $63,163. With the 2026 1% raise, it moved to $63,795 — a difference of $632/year, or about $53/month before taxes. If that employee is in D.C. (33.26% locality), the locality adjustment also ticked up slightly (since it’s a percentage of base), adding another $210/year. Total real-dollar gain from the 1% raise: roughly $842/year — less than a month’s rent in most D.C. neighborhoods.

Subscribe or follow us to get updates as the 2027 pay raise fight develops.

2025 GS Pay Raise: 1.7%

With lower inflation coming into 2025, GS pay scales saw a more modest 1.7% across-the-board base pay increase, confirmed via the White House’s pay adjustments directive. An average 0.3% locality pay boost was added, bringing the total average increase to approximately 2.0% from January 1st, 2025.

The complete 2025 GS salary tables are available at the Office of Personnel Management.

2024 GS Pay Raise: 4.7% (Record Raise)

With persistent inflation and a large Social Security COLA, 2024 GS pay scales saw an across-the-board 4.7% base pay increase — a record raise justified on the basis of keeping pace with private-sector wage growth. An average 0.5% locality pay boost brought the total average increase to 5.2% from January 1st, 2024.

The 2024 pay jump was the largest since 2023 and reflected a broader effort to close the persistent pay gap between federal and private-sector employees.

2023 GS Pay Raise: 4.6% Average

With record-high inflation and an 8.7% Social Security COLA, President Biden confirmed a 4.6% average pay raise for GS employees via executive order, made up of a 4.1% base pay increase and an average 0.5% locality pay adjustment. Effective January 1st, 2023.

2022 GS Base Pay Raise: 2.7% Average

Federal employees on the GS pay scale received a 2.2% across-the-board base pay raise for 2022, with an additional 0.5% locality pay adjustment, totaling a 2.7% average increase effective January 1st, 2022.

2021 GS Pay Raise: 1%

Despite potential freeze fears, Congress approved a 1% raise for GS employees effective January 1st, 2021 — the same level as the 2016–2018 period. Armed service members received a 3% raise in 2021. The 1% fell short in a rising inflation environment.

2020 GS Pay Raise: 3.1%

GS employees saw a 3.1% average raise for 2020, made up of a 2.6% general schedule increase and 0.5% locality pay adjustment. Effective January 1st, 2020 — matching the 2020 military pay raise.

Prior Year GS Pay Raise History

Full historical pay tables by grade and step are available at the OPM salaries and wages page.

Common Issues to Watch Out For

A few things I see people get confused about with GS pay raises every year.

Proposed isn’t the same as enacted. Every year brings competing proposals from Congress, the White House, and federal employee groups. The number that actually shows up in your January paycheck isn’t final until the executive order or appropriations bill is signed, typically in December.

Locality pay varies a lot by area. The base pay raise (1% for 2026) is the same nationwide, but locality pay adjustments differ by metro area and can meaningfully change your real increase.

The law enforcement carve-out is separate. Certain federal law enforcement roles (like ICE) get a different raise tied to the military pay adjustment, not the standard GS base raise.

Military pay raises are decided separately from GS civilian pay, even though the two numbers sometimes move together. A freeze proposal for GS employees doesn’t necessarily mean military pay is frozen too, and vice versa.