What are the OPM 2026 GS and LEO pay tables that determine ICE base salaries?
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Executive summary
The OPM 2026 pay rules that set ICE base salaries are the General Schedule (GS) base pay tables for 2026 plus the Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) pay tables and locality adjustments that apply to federal LEOs, with special LEO base rates for certain GS grades; OPM released those 2026 tables and associated LEO salary tables on its site [1] [2]. The 2026 action incorporated a 1% across‑the‑board GS base increase while locality rates were frozen at 2025 levels, and LEO pay computations use special base rates for GS‑3 through GS‑10 in many locality areas [3] [4].
1. What the GS base tables are and where ICE starts in the math
The General Schedule (GS) base pay tables published by OPM set the foundational annual pay rates by grade and step for civilian federal employees — ICE positions that are covered by the GS system use these base rates before any locality or LEO adjustments are applied [1] [5]. For 2026, OPM’s published GS base pay tables reflect the 1% general increase effective January 2026 as directed by federal pay policy, and those base figures are the starting point for calculating an ICE employee’s base salary [3] [5].
2. How LEO tables change the calculation for ICE law enforcement personnel
Federal law enforcement personnel, including ICE officers classified under the LEO definitions, are subject to separate Law Enforcement Officer pay tables and often higher “special base rates” for GS‑3 through GS‑10 that replace the normal GS locality-adjusted rate when applicable, meaning an ICE LEO’s base pay is the higher of the locality‑adjusted GS rate or the LEO special base rate listed by OPM [2] [4] [6]. OPM explicitly notes that LEO locality rates are computed using special base rates for GS‑3 through GS‑10 under statutory authority, and where special rate tables under other authorities exceed locality rates, the higher special rate applies [4] [2].
3. Locality pay and the 2026 freeze that affects ICE take‑home pay
Locality pay — the percentage added to GS base pay to reflect local labor market differences — is part of the OPM tables, but for 2026 locality percentages were frozen at 2025 levels while the GS base received a 1% increase; that combination is reflected in the 2026 GS and LEO pay tables OPM published [3] [7]. ICE employees’ final pay therefore depends on the locality pay area where they’re stationed as defined by OPM’s 2026 locality pay area definitions, and LEO locality computations can use the special base rates noted above [4] [6].
4. What the published OPM salary tables look like and practical access
OPM publishes a set of HTML and PDF salary tables for each locality and for the LEO variants (examples include REST OF U.S. RUS and locality‑specific PDFs such as BOS, DEN, POR, RCH) that show annual rates by GS grade and step and include LEO special base rates where applicable; these are the authoritative tables used to determine ICE base pay [4] [8] [9] [6]. OPM also provides a GS salary calculator for convenience, though it requires JavaScript, and third‑party aggregators reproduce the OPM tables for lookup — but the OPM pages and PDFs are the official source [10] [5].
5. Exceptions, special rates, and caveats that affect ICE pay
Special rate tables under 5 U.S.C. 5305 or other legal authorities can provide higher pay for certain covered positions and take precedence where applicable, and OPM anticipated releasing or updating special rate tables for certain law enforcement personnel as part of the 2026 process after agency consultation [2] [3]. Reporting and third‑party guides note a law enforcement pay exception and special increases that can raise LEO base pay beyond the generic 1% GS hike, but specific coverage and effective special rates must be confirmed on OPM’s special rate pages or ICE HR guidance because OPM consults agencies when setting those tables [7] [3].
6. Bottom line and limits of available reporting
The determinate documents for ICE base salaries are the OPM 2026 General Schedule base pay tables plus the 2026 LEO salary tables (including locality PDFs and special base‑rate tables) that OPM published online; these tables implement a 1% GS base increase with locality frozen and apply special LEO base rates for GS‑3 through GS‑10 where authorized [1] [3] [4]. This report relies on OPM’s public pages and OPM‑hosted salary PDFs; it cannot substitute for an ICE HR salary determination for an individual employee, nor does it assert any post‑publication changes beyond OPM’s listed 2026 materials [6] [8].