Which specific locality pay areas and step/grade ranges does OPM's Table L018 apply to for DHS/ICE positions in 2026?
Executive summary
OPM’s Special Rate Table L018 is identified in public reporting as a 2026 special-rate table that explicitly lists Department of Homeland Security coverage including ICE positions, and special rates under OPM are used when recruitment or retention problems require pay above standard locality rates [1] [2]. The sources provided do not, however, publish the exact list of locality pay areas nor the precise grade-and-step ranges that Table L018 prescribes for 2026—those specifics must be read on OPM’s official special-rate table page, which is not included in the supplied excerpts [3] [2].
1. What OPM’s “special rate” tables do and why L018 matters
OPM establishes special rate tables under statutory authority when market conditions—higher non‑Federal pay, hard-to-fill locations, or other recruitment/retention problems—justify paying certain positions above the standard locality-adjusted General Schedule or LEO locality rates [2]. Reporting flags Table L018 as one such special table that explicitly includes DHS roles like ICE, meaning covered ICE law enforcement employees whose computed GS/LEO locality pay is below the special rate listed in L018 would be entitled to the higher special rate [1] [3].
2. How LEO locality and special rates interact with special table L018
OPM’s 2026 Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) locality guidance explains that LEOs covered by LEO locality tables receive whichever rate is greater: the locality table rate or an applicable special rate under 5 U.S.C. 5305 (or similar authority) [3]. That framework implies that if Table L018 sets a higher rate for a particular grade and step in a locality than the LEO locality table, the L018 rate would supplant the lower locality rate for eligible DHS/ICE staff [3].
3. What the supplied reporting confirms about L018’s coverage
The supplied reporting explicitly states that L018 “includes ICE positions” in its coverage language and that ICE roles can be covered by OPM special rate tables that pay above standard locality tables [1]. It also notes how LEAP or other law‑enforcement differentials may interact with basic pay for certain criminal investigator roles [1]. These are confirmations of coverage intent, but they do not enumerate the granular pay-area and grade/step mappings.
4. What the supplied reporting does not disclose (and why that matters)
None of the provided snippets include the actual L018 table rows: the specific locality pay-area names (of the 57 locality areas) and the grade/step ranges (for example GS‑X steps Y–Z) to which L018 applies are absent from the excerpts; OPM’s published LEO and GS tables reference that special tables like 001M or others may replace locality rates in particular grade ranges, but the direct L018 matrix is not reproduced here [3] [4]. Consequently, any attempt to list locality areas or grade/step ranges for L018 from these sources would be speculative, and official verification requires consulting OPM’s published L018 special-rate PDF or web page.
5. How to get definitive, authoritative answers
The only authoritative source for exact locality areas and grade/step ranges for Table L018 is OPM’s 2026 special rate documentation—either the “2026 Special Rates for Certain Law Enforcement Personnel” page or the downloadable special-rate table file tied to L018—because OPM publishes both the LEO locality tables and the separate special-rate tables that explicitly list grade/step entries and the geographic scope [3] [2]. The supplied reporting confirms L018’s DHS/ICE relevance but stops short of reproducing the table itself [1] [2].
6. Alternative viewpoints and potential agendas
Advocates and job-posting analyses emphasize that ICE law‑enforcement pay often benefits from special‑rate treatment due to recruitment pressures and the unique nature of duty locations; OPM’s guidance and reports on frozen locality percentages for 2026 (per the 2025 decision referenced) could affect the relative value of special rates versus locality pay, which may make L018 more salient to DHS recruitment [2]. Reporters or employers highlighting L018 may be advocating for pay transparency to attract applicants; conversely, sources downplaying L018’s reach could be seeking to limit perceived compensation obligations—these implicit agendas are not resolved in the supplied materials.
7. Bottom line
Available reporting confirms that OPM Special Rate Table L018 covers DHS including ICE positions and that special rates override lower locality/LEO tables where applicable, but the supplied sources do not contain the explicit list of locality pay areas or the exact grade-and-step ranges in Table L018 for 2026; the definitive, granular mapping must be read directly from OPM’s L018 special-rate table document on opm.gov [1] [3] [2].