When does OPM typically announce federal pay plans and locality rates for 2026?

1. Why the timing matters: the calendar rhythm of federal pay rules

Federal pay tables and locality decisions are not ad hoc; they follow a predictable annual cadence: the President (or OPM acting under an alternative pay plan) sets or transmits pay guidance in late summer/early fall and OPM publishes the official GS pay tables and any special rates later in the calendar year, with those tables effective the second pay period in January (OPM’s special‑rate notice says tables will be available by year‑end and that the tentative effective date is January 11, 2026) ^{[2] [1]}.

2. What happened for 2026 and how it shaped the schedule

For 2026 the President transmitted an Alternative Pay Plan on August 28, 2025 that proposed a 1.0% base GS raise and a freeze in locality rates, while directing OPM to create special salary rates for certain law‑enforcement roles; OPM’s public guidance told agencies it expected to publish special‑rate tables by the end of the calendar year with a tentative effective date of January 11, 2026 — signaling OPM would move in December to finalize and publish tables ^{[3] [2]}.

3. OPM’s stated publishing window: “by the end of the calendar year”

OPM’s communications around the 2026 special rates state explicitly that the agency “anticipates releasing the special rate tables by the end of the calendar year” and that those rates would be effective January 11, 2026 — the same effective date as the General Schedule base increase — which establishes the usual December publication expectation ^[2].

4. How locality pay decisions interact with timing and politics

Locality pay is typically the most politically and technically fraught piece because it is tied to wage surveys and the Pay Agent’s recommendations; for 2026 the President proposed freezing locality pay at 2025 levels, a policy transmitted in late August 2025, which narrowed OPM’s December action to publishing tables that applied the proposed freeze rather than calculating new locality percentages ^{[3] [1]}.

5. What OPM must do between transmission and publication

Once a Presidential pay plan is submitted (or Congress acts), OPM consults with agencies to identify categories for special rates, approves those special rates, and then posts the pay tables — steps OPM said it would complete before year‑end for 2026. That agency consultation step (not a mere formality) explains why OPM’s public schedule clusters final publication in December after late‑summer policy decisions ^{[2] [3]}.

6. Practical guidance for federal employees and payroll offices

For 2026 federal payrolls and employees were told to watch for official GS pay tables and special‑rate tables in late 2025; OPM and payroll shops traditionally finalize systems and begin applying new tables with the first mid‑January pay period (OPM indicated a tentative effective date of January 11, 2026) ^{[2] [1]}.

7. Alternative viewpoints and limits of reporting

News outlets and advocacy sites reiterated the December publication expectation and emphasized the President’s August 28, 2025 alternative plan (1% base, locality frozen, some LEOs to get 3.8%), and multiple outlets noted OPM “usually” publishes pay tables in December — but available sources do not specify an exact statutory deadline forcing December publication, only OPM’s stated anticipation for year‑end release ^{[3] [2] [3]}.

8. Bottom line — what to expect next year (and why December is the watch window)

Expect OPM to publish final GS pay tables and any special rate tables in late December following a Presidential pay plan or congressional action, with those new rates effective in mid‑January; for 2026 OPM expressly signaled a year‑end release and a January 11, 2026 effective date for the GS base and the special law‑enforcement rates, after agency consultations ^{[2] [1]}.