When and where will the 2026 federal civilian pay raise percentage be announced and take effect?
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Executive summary
The White House transmitted an Alternative Pay Plan for 2026 to Congress on Aug. 28, 2025 proposing a 1.0% base pay increase for most civilian federal employees, freezing locality pay at 2025 levels, and directing OPM to identify certain law‑enforcement categories for up to a 3.8% raise; those adjustments are slated to take effect in January 2026, with OPM expected to publish final pay tables by late 2025 and special‑rate tables with a tentative effective date of January 11, 2026 [1] [2] [3]. The plan is not final until OPM issues implementing guidance or an executive order and until any Congressional action, so timing and exact coverage can change [4] [5].
1. What was announced, when and where — the White House move
On Aug. 28, 2025 the White House transmitted an Alternative Pay Plan to Congress saying base General Schedule (GS) pay would increase 1.0% in January 2026 while locality pay would be frozen at 2025 levels, and that OPM should determine which law‑enforcement categories receive a larger, military‑matched increase [1] [2] [6].
2. When federal employees should expect the official numbers — OPM and end‑of‑year timing
Multiple agency‑oriented outlets and OPM guidance say the final pay tables and any special rate tables are normally released in December or “by the end of the calendar year,” with OPM indicating tentative special‑rates effective date of January 11, 2026 — meaning employees should look for OPM publications late 2025 for the definitive percentages and coverage [2] [3] [4].
3. When the raises take effect in practice — January 2026 implementation
Sources agree the pay adjustments are to take effect in January 2026 — described variously as the first pay period beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2026, or a GS/special‑rates effective date of Jan. 11, 2026 — and some payroll changes may show up in paychecks in January 2026 even if approvals and tables are finalized late in 2025 [7] [3] [8].
4. What can still change — executive, OPM and Congressional levers
The president’s alternative pay message sets a proposal and instructs OPM to implement special rates, but nothing is final until OPM issues the executive‑level implementation (often an executive order or OPM notice) and Congress could override or alter pay via appropriations or legislation; analysts note that until the usual December implementing action, “nothing will be finalized” [4] [5] [6].
5. Who gets what — headline numbers and disputed coverage
The headline numbers are 1.0% across‑the‑board for most GS employees and a larger 3.8% (total) for certain federal law‑enforcement officers, with locality pay frozen — but OPM is to consult agencies to identify which law‑enforcement categories get the extra increase, so exact eligibility remains to be announced [2] [9] [3].
6. Why the White House used an “alternative” plan — cost and statutory context
The administration framed the alternative plan as a means to avoid much larger formulaic increases under FEPCA that would have produced massive locality jumps (reports cite an 18.88% average locality increase scenario and a 3.3% across‑the‑board figure under the automatic formula), and the president invoked 5 U.S.C. authority to set alternate pay adjustments [10] [1] [11].
7. Practical guidance for employees — when to watch and what to prepare for
Employees should monitor OPM.gov for the final GS and special‑rate tables in December 2025 and expect pay changes to be effective in the first January 2026 pay period (or Jan. 11, 2026 per tentative special‑rate guidance); unions and agency HR/payroll offices are the next likely sources for coverage specifics and payroll timing [2] [3] [4].
Limitations and competing views: reporting across sources is consistent on the White House proposal and the January 2026 effective window, but multiple outlets stress the plan is not final until OPM issues implementing guidance or an executive order and until any Congressional action — a procedural opening that could alter percentages, coverage, or timing [4] [5]. Available sources do not mention any different official announcement dates beyond the late‑2025 OPM release window and the Jan. 2026 effective period; they also do not provide a finalized, agency‑by‑agency list of law‑enforcement categories eligible for the larger raise [3] [4].