GS Pay Scale 2026: Federal Salary Tables, Locality Pay, and TSP & FERS Retirement Calculator
The 2026 General Schedule includes a 1% across-the-board base pay increase effective January 11, 2026, with locality pay rates unchanged from 2025 levels.1 Your GS grade and step are not just a number on your LES — they determine the size of the agency TSP match you can capture each pay period, the percentage of salary you need to contribute to hit the 2026 TSP limit, and the High-3 average salary that locks in your FERS pension for the rest of your life. This guide provides the complete 2026 tables and an interactive calculator connecting your grade, step, and locality to your retirement numbers.
- Base increase: 1% across-the-board, effective January 11, 2026 (first full biweekly pay period)
- Locality pay: All 58 locality areas frozen at 2025 percentages
- Locality range: 17.06% (Rest of U.S.) to 46.34% (San Jose–San Francisco)
- GS-15 cap: Executive Schedule Level IV ($197,200) limits pay in high-locality areas1
- 2026 TSP limits: $24,500 regular; $32,500 at age 50–59; $35,750 at age 60–63 (super catch-up)3
2026 Base GS Pay Scale (Before Locality)
These are the federal base rates before any locality adjustment is applied. Your actual take-home reflects base + locality. Step 1 and Step 10 are from OPM Salary Table 2026-GS; Step 5 is interpolated (GS within-grade increases are evenly spaced dollar amounts within each grade).2 Use the calculator below to compute your exact step with locality applied.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 5 (approx.) | Step 10 | WGI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $22,584 | $25,100 | $28,248 | $629 |
| GS-2 | $25,393 | $28,309 | $31,953 | $729 |
| GS-3 | $27,708 | $31,404 | $36,024 | $924 |
| GS-4 | $31,103 | $35,251 | $40,436 | $1,037 |
| GS-5 | $34,799 | $39,439 | $45,239 | $1,160 |
| GS-6 | $38,791 | $43,963 | $50,428 | $1,293 |
| GS-7 | $43,106 | $48,854 | $56,039 | $1,437 |
| GS-8 | $47,738 | $54,102 | $62,057 | $1,591 |
| GS-9 | $52,727 | $59,759 | $68,549 | $1,758 |
| GS-10 | $58,064 | $65,804 | $75,479 | $1,935 |
| GS-11 | $63,795 | $72,303 | $82,938 | $2,127 |
| GS-12 | $76,463 | $86,659 | $99,404 | $2,549 |
| GS-13 | $90,925 | $103,049 | $118,204 | $3,031 |
| GS-14 | $107,446 | $121,774 | $139,684 | $3,582 |
| GS-15 | $126,384 | $143,236 | $164,301 | $4,213 |
WGI = within-grade increase (fixed dollar amount per step within each grade). Step 5 values are interpolated. Step 1 and Step 10 from OPM Salary Table 2026-GS. Verify exact step values at opm.gov.
2026 Locality Pay Areas
Locality pay is an additional percentage on top of your base GS salary. Your total salary = base × (1 + locality%). The table below covers seven major areas with confirmed 2026 percentages and GS-12/GS-13 Step 1 reference salaries. For all 58 locality areas, see OPM's full locality pay table list.2
| Locality Area | Locality % | GS-12 Step 1 | GS-13 Step 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rest of U.S. (RUS) | 17.06% | $89,508 | $106,437 |
| Chicago–Naperville (CHI) | 30.86% | $100,059 | $118,984 |
| Seattle–Tacoma (SEA) | 31.57% | $100,602 | $119,630 |
| Washington–Baltimore–Arlington (DCB) | 33.94% | $102,415 | $121,785 |
| Los Angeles–Long Beach (LA) | 36.47% | $104,349 | $124,085 |
| New York–Newark (NY) | 37.95% | $105,481 | $125,431 |
| San Jose–San Francisco (SF) | 46.34% | $111,896 | $133,060 |
CHI, SEA, DCB Step 1 values confirmed from OPM HTML locality tables; LA GS-13 confirmed from OPM; remaining values computed as base × (1 + locality%). GS-15 salary is capped at $197,200 (Executive Schedule Level IV) in areas where the formula exceeds the cap.
Your GS Salary and TSP: The Match Math
The TSP agency match formula delivers up to 5% of your basic pay as free retirement savings: a 1% automatic contribution regardless of what you contribute, plus a dollar-for-dollar match on the first 3% and 50 cents on the dollar for the next 2%. To capture all of it, you must contribute at least 5% of salary. At a GS-13 Step 5 in the DC locality (~$138,000), that is $6,900 per year in agency contributions — permanently lost if you contribute below the threshold. Across a career, the compounding effect of capturing versus forfeiting the full match is typically more than $150,000.
The table below shows what percentage of salary is needed to hit the 2026 TSP limit at common GS grades in the DC locality at Step 5 (use the calculator below for any grade, step, and locality).
| Grade & Step (DC Locality) | Salary | 5% Match Min ($/pp) | % to Reach $24,500 | $/pp to Max |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 Step 5 | ~$80,042 | $154 | 30.6% | $942 |
| GS-11 Step 5 | ~$96,843 | $186 | 25.3% | $942 |
| GS-12 Step 5 | ~$116,071 | $223 | 21.1% | $942 |
| GS-13 Step 5 | ~$138,024 | $265 | 17.7% | $942 |
| GS-14 Step 5 | ~$163,104 | $314 | 15.0% | $942 |
| GS-15 Step 5 | ~$181,688 | $349 | 13.5% | $942 |
Biweekly amount to reach the $24,500 regular limit: $942/pp across all salary levels ($24,500 ÷ 26 pay periods). Ages 50–59: $1,250/pp ($32,500 total). Ages 60–63: $1,375/pp ($35,750 total, super catch-up).3 Agency contributions are on top of these employee amounts. Salaries are approximate (DC locality, Step 5, linear interpolation).
Your GS Salary and FERS: The High-3 Connection
Your FERS annuity is calculated as:
1.0% × High-3 average salary × years of creditable service
(or 1.1% if you retire at age 62 or older with 20+ years of service)
The High-3 is the average of your three consecutive highest-paid years, which for most employees means the salary at their final grade and step averaged over the last three pay raises. A one-grade promotion in the final few years of federal service compounds for life: a GS-13 to GS-14 promotion worth ~$20,000/yr in salary adds ~$6,000/yr to the pension of someone retiring at 57 with 30 years of service. Permanently, every year, until death.
Example: a GS-14 Step 10 employee in DC ($187,093) with 30 years of FERS service earns a pension of $56,128/yr using the 1.0% multiplier. At a 5% withdrawal rate, generating that income from a portfolio alone would require over $1.1 million in additional savings. Your GS grade is not just a paycheck decision — it is a retirement-income decision.
For the full pension formula including sick leave credit, MRA+10 penalty, and survivor benefit reductions, see the FERS pension calculation guide and FERS pension present value calculator. To find the best 3-year window from your salary history, use the Federal High-3 Salary Calculator.
GS Pay, TSP & FERS Calculator
Enter your grade, step, locality, and retirement inputs. The calculator outputs your salary with locality, TSP contribution targets, and a FERS pension estimate using your current salary as a High-3 proxy (adjust if you’ve been recently promoted or expect a grade change before retirement).
Get a federal retirement specialist who knows your full picture
Your GS grade sets your FERS pension floor and your TSP match ceiling — but optimizing the full picture requires coordination: TSP contribution strategy, Roth conversion timing in the FERS supplement window before 62, survivor benefit election, and when to claim Social Security given your pension and supplement. A fee-only advisor who specializes in federal employees can model all of it. Free match, no obligation.
Sources
- OPM, Salary Table 2026-GS — Incorporating the 1% General Schedule Increase; effective January 11, 2026. GS-15 salary capped at Executive Schedule Level IV ($197,200) per 5 U.S.C. § 5304(g)(1). Values verified July 2026.
- OPM, 2026 General Schedule Locality Pay Tables — DCB (33.94%), SEA (31.57%), CHI (30.86%), LA (36.47%), NY (37.95%), SF (46.34%), RUS (17.06%) confirmed from OPM HTML salary tables. All 58 locality area percentages unchanged from 2025.
- TSP, TSP Contribution Limits 2026 — $24,500 elective deferral; $8,000 age-50+ catch-up ($32,500 total); $11,250 age 60–63 super catch-up ($35,750 total) per SECURE 2.0 § 109; confirmed via TSP Bulletin 25-3.
- 5 U.S.C. § 8415; OPM, FERS Annuity Computation — 1.0%/1.1% multiplier formula, High-3 average salary definition. Values verified July 2026.
GS pay values verified against OPM Salary Table 2026-GS and locality tables as of July 2026. TSP limits per TSP Bulletin 25-3 and SECURE 2.0 § 109. This page does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice.