What is the current federal GS pay scale

1. What the 2026 GS pay scale actually is — the official mechanics

OPM published the 2026 Salary Table (2026‑GS) showing annual rates by GS grade and step that reflect a 1% General Schedule increase to basic pay, effective the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2026, and available on the OPM website’s salary tables and General Schedule pages ^{[1] [3]}. The GS system continues to consist of 15 grades (GS‑1 through GS‑15) and normally 10 steps within each grade; base pay is determined by grade and step and is then adjusted for locality in most duty stations except where locality was frozen for 2026 ^{[4] [5]}.

2. Locality pay and special rates — what changed and what stayed the same

For 2026 OPM applied the 1% base increase while leaving locality percentage adjustments unchanged from 2025 — commonly described as a “base‑only” raise — meaning the locality multipliers in each designated locality area remain at 2025 levels and so an employee’s total pay change depends on how much of their pay is locality versus base ^{[2] [6] [7]}. Separately, the administration and OPM implemented special rate pay tables that provide an additional targeted raise (3.8% total in several references) for certain law enforcement roles, using special salary rate authority to address recruitment and retention for frontline LEOs ^{[2] [8] [3]}.

3. Where to find the tables and how to read them

The official 2026 GS base pay table and locality tables are published on OPM.gov under the Salaries & Wages section and the General Schedule 2026 pages; those pages include Salary Table 2026‑GS (annual rates by grade and step) and separate locality tables and LEO locality guidance for grades GS‑3 through GS‑10 where applicable ^{[1] [3] [9]}. Independent sites such as FederalPay, FedSmith, FederalWeek and others republished the same OPM numbers and offered calculators and locality lookup tools, but the authoritative source remains OPM ^{[10] [2] [5]}.

4. Conflicting reports and political context — what to watch for

Some outlets and aggregators reported higher percentage figures (examples include headlines suggesting 4.6% or 4.7% base increases) or mixed math in early coverage, but those figures conflict with OPM’s final tables that reflect the 1% base increase and frozen locality pay; such discrepancies typically stem from preliminary proposals, misreading of total‑compensation vs. base increases, or mixing special LEO increases into headline averages ^{[11] [12] [13]}. The decision to freeze locality while granting a modest base increase is politically salient — sources tie it to the White House’s proposed pay adjustments and priorities such as targeted boosts for law enforcement, a framing that benefits proponents of selective pay targeting while frustrating those who argue for broader locality relief ^{[14] [8]}.

5. Practical impact for federal employees and open limits in reporting

Practically, a GS employee’s paycheck change in 2026 depends on their grade/step and duty station: base pay rose 1%, locality multipliers did not increase, and eligible LEOs may receive extra special‑rate adjustments; exact dollar amounts for every grade and locality are available in OPM’s 2026 salary and locality tables but individual take‑home changes also depend on benefits, deductions, and agency implementation timing ^{[1] [6]}. Reporting is limited to published tables and analysis; this review does not invent agency‑specific pay actions or local bargaining outcomes beyond what OPM and the cited reporting provide ^{[9] [10]}.