When have OPM and White House historically announced federal pay raises and locality adjustments?
Executive summary
Historically, the White House finalizes the annual federal pay raise by issuing an Executive Order in December and OPM publishes the updated General Schedule and special-rate tables shortly thereafter, with raises taking effect in January (e.g., Executive Order authorizing 2025 adjustments was dated December 23, 2024, with effective pay periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025, and payroll processing noted as effective January 12, 2025) [1] [2]. OPM routinely posts the detailed pay tables in December for the upcoming year and advises agencies on implementation timing and special rates [3] [4].
1. The December cadence: White House sets policy, OPM publishes the mechanics
The recurring pattern in available sources is a late-December policy decision from the White House—usually in the form of an Executive Order or an “alternative pay plan” letter to Congress—followed by OPM’s publication of pay tables and implementation guidance in December so agencies can pay the new rates in January. The Executive Order finalizing the 2025 federal pay raise was dated December 23, 2024, and OPM’s pay schedule language shows pay adjustments “applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2025” [1] [5].
2. OPM’s December pay-table habit: why it matters to payroll administrators
OPM “usually publishes pay tables for the following calendar year sometime in December,” which is the operational hinge point that allows payroll shops to program systems and process January salary changes; multiple reporting outlets and agency payroll guidance echo that December publication schedule [3] [4]. The National Finance Center bulletin notes EO 14132 dated December 23, 2024, authorizes an average 2% increase and specifies an effective payroll date of January 12, 2025, illustrating the lag between EO date and the pay-period implementation that payroll offices follow [2].
3. Two-part increases: base raise from the White House, locality from OPM mechanics
The White House decision typically sets the across‑the‑board (base) percentage; locality pay adjustments and special rates are administered through OPM systems and pay tables. For 2025, the White House letter set a 1.7% across‑the‑board increase with locality increases averaging 0.3% (overall average 2.0%), and OPM’s December materials and pay tables operationalized that split [5] [2].
4. Special rates and law-enforcement exceptions take additional OPM steps
When the administration proposes targeted or larger raises for specific groups—such as law‑enforcement personnel—OPM must craft special-rate tables and guidance and typically publishes those alongside the standard GS tables in December. Reporting on 2026 planning (after a presidential proposal for larger law‑enforcement raises) shows OPM creating special salary-rate rules and that pay tables for those adjustments will appear in December with the rest of the GS tables [3] [6].
5. What “effective date” means in practice: pay period vs. paycheck date
Sources distinguish the statutory or pay‑period effective date from when employees see money in their accounts. The Executive Order language places the increase as effective for pay periods beginning on or after January 1, 2025 (per the 2025 EO text), while payroll processing guidance (National Finance Center) cites a specific pay‑run date—January 12, 2025—for implementing the 2025 increase for GS employees [1] [2]. Agencies rely on OPM guidance to reconcile pay‑period rules with payroll cycles.
6. Political timing and competing proposals shape December outcomes
The December timing is the terminus of a political year: Congress and unions may push larger raises (for 2025 there were bills and proposals seeking 7.4%), while the White House offers its “alternative plan” that the President then formalizes in an EO or letter; OPM translates the political decision into rates and tables in December [5] [4]. Sources note that although Congress can legislate higher pay, the usual administrative path is the presidential EO followed by OPM tables [4] [5].
7. Limits of available reporting and what’s not in the record
Available sources document the December EO → December OPM tables → January pay‑period pattern for recent years and for the 2025 cycle specifically, but they do not provide a comprehensive multi‑decade timeline of every prior announcement date or an exhaustive list of exceptions across administrations; that broader historical chronology is not found in current reporting (not found in current reporting).