Federal Pay Raise 2027
The President's alternative pay plan proposes no increase to General Schedule base or locality pay for 2027 and a separate 3.8% increase for law enforcement personnel. This page shows what is proposed, what could change it, and what your pay would be, using OPM's official 2026 tables.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Plan and OPM tables checked October 23, 2026 · Methodology & sources
Status: proposed, not final
- GS base pay and locality pay: 0% proposed. House Document 119-189 (August 26, 2026) says 2027 base and locality pay for civilian federal employees will not change from 2026 rates.
- Law enforcement: 3.8% through OPM. The plan directs OPM to increase 2027 compensation for law enforcement personnel by 3.8%. Eligible positions are up to OPM.
- Under the usual formula: the plan says locality pay would have risen an average of 20.6% (about $26 billion in the first year) plus a 3.1% across-the-board base increase.
- What can still change it: Congress can set a different raise in appropriations. The final executive order and OPM 2027 tables usually come in late December, effective the first pay period of January.
2027 federal pay calculator (GS)
- 2026 annual pay (OPM, with locality)
- $89,508
- 2027 annual pay, this scenario
- $89,508
- Change per year
- +$0 (0% applied)
- Hourly (annual / 2,087)
- $42.89
- Biweekly gross (annual / 26, approximate)
- $3,442.62
2026 figures follow OPM's General Schedule and locality tables (base x locality percent, rounded to the dollar). Special rates, law enforcement locality rates for GS-3 to GS-10 and other pay systems are not included.
What the 2027 plan says
This year's plan, House Document 119-189, says that for 2027 the 5 U.S.C. 5303(b) base adjustment and the 5 U.S.C. 5304a locality adjustment are set to zero. The result is that GS rates would stay at the 2026 level.
The plan gives a measure of the formula it replaces: locality pay would have increased by an average of 20.6%, at a first-year cost of about $26 billion, together with a 3.1% across-the-board increase. We report those numbers as the plan states them and do not predict what Congress will do.
For comparison, the 2026 plan (House Document 119-87) set the 2026 base increase at 1.0% and locality increases at zero. OPM's 2026 tables, which this page uses, show exactly that: a 1% increase in every area.
2027 GS pay chart (2026 rates, unchanged under the freeze)
If the proposed freeze takes effect, this is the 2027 General Schedule base table. To get pay in your area, multiply by 1 plus your locality percentage (next table) and round to the nearest dollar; rates are limited to $197,200, the 2026 Executive Schedule level IV rate. The calculator above does this for you.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $22,584 | $23,341 | $24,092 | $24,840 | $25,589 | $26,028 | $26,771 | $27,519 | $27,550 | $28,248 |
| GS-2 | $25,393 | $25,997 | $26,839 | $27,550 | $27,858 | $28,677 | $29,496 | $30,315 | $31,134 | $31,953 |
| GS-3 | $27,708 | $28,632 | $29,556 | $30,480 | $31,404 | $32,328 | $33,252 | $34,176 | $35,100 | $36,024 |
| GS-4 | $31,103 | $32,140 | $33,177 | $34,214 | $35,251 | $36,288 | $37,325 | $38,362 | $39,399 | $40,436 |
| GS-5 | $34,799 | $35,959 | $37,119 | $38,279 | $39,439 | $40,599 | $41,759 | $42,919 | $44,079 | $45,239 |
| GS-6 | $38,791 | $40,084 | $41,377 | $42,670 | $43,963 | $45,256 | $46,549 | $47,842 | $49,135 | $50,428 |
| GS-7 | $43,106 | $44,543 | $45,980 | $47,417 | $48,854 | $50,291 | $51,728 | $53,165 | $54,602 | $56,039 |
| GS-8 | $47,738 | $49,329 | $50,920 | $52,511 | $54,102 | $55,693 | $57,284 | $58,875 | $60,466 | $62,057 |
| GS-9 | $52,727 | $54,485 | $56,243 | $58,001 | $59,759 | $61,517 | $63,275 | $65,033 | $66,791 | $68,549 |
| GS-10 | $58,064 | $59,999 | $61,934 | $63,869 | $65,804 | $67,739 | $69,674 | $71,609 | $73,544 | $75,479 |
| GS-11 | $63,795 | $65,922 | $68,049 | $70,176 | $72,303 | $74,430 | $76,557 | $78,684 | $80,811 | $82,938 |
| GS-12 | $76,463 | $79,012 | $81,561 | $84,110 | $86,659 | $89,208 | $91,757 | $94,306 | $96,855 | $99,404 |
| GS-13 | $90,925 | $93,956 | $96,987 | $100,018 | $103,049 | $106,080 | $109,111 | $112,142 | $115,173 | $118,204 |
| GS-14 | $107,446 | $111,028 | $114,610 | $118,192 | $121,774 | $125,356 | $128,938 | $132,520 | $136,102 | $139,684 |
| GS-15 | $126,384 | $130,597 | $134,810 | $139,023 | $143,236 | $147,449 | $151,662 | $155,875 | $160,088 | $164,301 |
Source: OPM Salary Table 2026-GS, checked October 23, 2026.
Locality pay percentages (2026)
| Locality pay area | Locality % |
|---|---|
| Albany-Schenectady, NY-MA | 20.77% |
| Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM | 18.33% |
| Atlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL | 23.79% |
| Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | 20.35% |
| Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL | 18.24% |
| Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT | 32.58% |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY | 22.41% |
| Burlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT | 19.45% |
| Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC | 19.67% |
| Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI | 30.86% |
| Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN | 21.93% |
| Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA | 22.23% |
| Colorado Springs, CO | 20.15% |
| Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH | 22.15% |
| Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX | 17.63% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | 27.26% |
| Davenport-Moline, IA-IL | 18.93% |
| Dayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH | 21.42% |
| Denver-Aurora, CO | 30.52% |
| Des Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA | 18.01% |
| Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | 29.12% |
| Fresno-Madera-Hanford, CA | 17.65% |
| Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA | 19.43% |
| Hartford-East Hartford, CT-MA | 32.08% |
| Houston-The Woodlands, TX | 35.00% |
| Huntsville-Decatur, AL-TN | 21.91% |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN | 18.15% |
| Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS | 18.97% |
| Laredo, TX | 21.59% |
| Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ | 19.57% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | 36.47% |
| Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL | 24.67% |
| Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI | 22.42% |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | 27.62% |
| New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA | 37.95% |
| Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA | 18.23% |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 17.93% |
| Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 28.99% |
| Phoenix-Mesa, AZ | 22.45% |
| Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV | 21.03% |
| Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA | 26.13% |
| Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC | 22.24% |
| Reno-Fernley, NV | 17.52% |
| Richmond, VA | 22.28% |
| Rochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY | 17.88% |
| Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV | 29.76% |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX | 18.78% |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | 33.72% |
| San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | 46.34% |
| Seattle-Tacoma, WA | 31.57% |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID | 17.67% |
| St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL | 20.03% |
| State of Alaska | 32.36% |
| State of Hawaii | 22.21% |
| Tucson-Nogales, AZ | 19.28% |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC | 18.80% |
| Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA | 33.94% |
| Rest of U.S. | 17.06% |
Source: the locality payment printed in each OPM 2026 locality table, for example Washington-Baltimore and Rest of U.S.. Full list on OPM's 2026 General Schedule page. Locality-adjusted GS-15 rates in several areas reach the cap, so those cells show $197,200.
Law enforcement pay raise 2027: 3.8%
What is known: House Document 119-189 directs OPM to increase 2027 compensation for law enforcement personnel by 3.8%. It is a separate process from the General Schedule adjustment, which the same plan holds at 0%.
What OPM still has to decide: which positions count as law enforcement, and how the increase is delivered. The plan leaves eligibility to OPM. If you are in a law enforcement job, the calculator's 3.8% scenario applies 3.8% to your total pay as a simple illustration; the amount you receive may differ. OPM already publishes separate 2026 pay tables for certain law enforcement personnel, which are not included here.
Military vs civilian 2027 pay
The same plan treats the two groups differently. Civilians on the General Schedule: 0% base and 0% locality. Military members: 7.0% for E-1 to E-5, 6.0% for E-6 to O-3 and 5.0% for O-4 and above, under 37 U.S.C. 1009(e). See the 2027 military pay chart for every pay grade.
Federal pay raise history (GS), 2016 to 2026
Each row comes from OPM's salary tables for that year. The across-the-board figure is the General Schedule increase; the last two columns are the "total increase" OPM prints for two example areas, which includes locality changes. OPM does not print a national average on those tables, so we do not show one.
| Year | Across-the-board | Washington-Baltimore total | Rest of U.S. total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| 2025 | 1.7% | 2.22% | 1.91% |
| 2024 | 4.7% | 5.31% | 4.99% |
| 2023 | 4.1% | 4.86% | 4.37% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | 3.02% | 2.42% |
| 2021 | 1% | 1% | 1% |
| 2020 | 2.6% | 3.52% | 2.85% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | 2.27% | 1.66% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | 2.29% | 1.67% |
| 2017 | 1% | 2.88% | 1.63% |
| 2016 | 1% | 1.46% | 1.17% |
| 2027 (proposed) | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Timeline: when the 2027 raise is decided
- August 26, 2026. The President's alternative pay plan (House Document 119-189) proposes no change in civilian base or locality pay for 2027.
- Fall 2026. Congress can set a different raise through appropriations legislation. Nothing in this plan has been enacted as of this review.
- Late December 2026 (typical). The final executive order and OPM 2027 salary tables normally appear.
- First pay period of January 2027. New rates normally take effect. OPM would also need to implement the law enforcement increase.
Federal pay raise 2027 questions
Will federal employees get a pay raise in 2027?
Not under the President's alternative pay plan as sent to Congress. House Document 119-189, dated August 26, 2026, says base pay and locality pay for civilian federal employees will not change from 2026 rates. The plan is not final: Congress can set a different raise in appropriations, and the final executive order and OPM's 2027 salary tables usually come in late December. Law enforcement personnel are treated separately (see below).
What is the federal pay raise for 2027?
The proposal is 0% for General Schedule base pay and 0% for locality pay, so 2027 GS rates would equal the 2026 table. Separately, the plan directs OPM to increase 2027 compensation for law enforcement personnel by 3.8%. Military members are on a different track, with 7.0% proposed for E-1 to E-5, 6.0% for E-6 to O-3 and 5.0% for O-4 and above.
What would the raise have been without the alternative plan?
According to the plan, locality pay would have increased by an average of 20.6% (about $26 billion in the first year), plus a 3.1% across-the-board base increase. The letter says the alternative plan sets both at zero for 2027 under 5 U.S.C. 5303(b) and 5304a.
Who gets the 3.8% law enforcement raise?
The plan directs OPM to increase 2027 compensation for law enforcement personnel by 3.8%. Which positions qualify, and whether the increase is paid as base pay, locality pay or special rates, is for OPM to decide. Until OPM publishes details, treat the 3.8% scenario in the calculator as an illustration, not a figure for your job.
When will the 2027 federal pay raise be final?
Congress can act in appropriations legislation at any time before the plan takes effect. If it does not, the President issues an executive order, usually in late December, and OPM publishes the 2027 salary tables. The new rates normally take effect in the first pay period of January.
Is there a 2027 federal pay raise chart with locality?
Not yet. OPM has not published 2027 tables. If the proposed freeze is adopted, the 2027 chart would be identical to the 2026 chart on this page: the 2026 base rates multiplied by each area’s locality percentage, rounded to the dollar and limited to the Executive Schedule level IV cap.
How is hourly and biweekly pay calculated?
OPM computes hourly rates by dividing the annual rate by 2,087 and rounding to the nearest cent. Biweekly gross pay is roughly the annual rate divided by 26 pay periods; actual pay depends on your agency’s payroll and any deductions, so treat it as an approximation.
Authoritative sources: House Doc. 119-189 (2027 plan) · House Doc. 119-87 (2026 plan) · OPM 2026 General Schedule tables