USPS City Carrier Pay Scale 2026 (NALC)
NALC-represented city letter carriers are paid on two career tables, set by appointment date, plus a table for city carrier assistants. The tables below are the pay chart NALC lists as current, effective March 7, 2026, under the 2023-2026 National Agreement.
Table shown: 2023-2026 NALC-USPS National Agreement, effective March 7, 2026. No increase is scheduled. The agreement expired May 22, 2026 and stays in force until a successor agreement is negotiated or set by interest arbitration; NALC has posted no pay chart after March 7, 2026.
FedRateCalc is not affiliated with the U.S. Postal Service or any union. Figures are copied from the unions' published pay schedules and agreements; your PS Form 50, your local union and your HR office are authoritative.
Maintained by Archie Chang · Pay tables checked October 24, 2026 · Methodology & sources
NALC pay calculator
Steps A to P. Hourly rates are the chart's full-time rates (annual salary / 2,080).
Paid after 8 hours on duty in a service day or 40 hours in a service week (Article 8.4.A and B).
Paid instead of 1.5x for those hours, not on top of it. Article 8.4.C to E: full-time regulars when the Article 8.5.F limits are broken; PTFs and CCAs beyond 10 hours a day or 56 a week. Not paid during the December period, which is four consecutive service weeks (2026: Nov. 28 to Dec. 25, 2026).
Paid instead of 1.5x or 2x for those hours, not on top of them. Article 8.4.G, from the March 2025 interest arbitration award and MOU M-02009, in effect since July 1, 2025, and still paid during the December period.
Where two or more overtime or premium rates could apply to the same hour, only the higher one is paid (Article 8.4.F). Each hour is paid at one rate: enter every overtime hour in one box only.
From your PS Form 50 or pay stub. Used to date the end of the waiting period.
Base pay, Step A
- Table hourly rate
- $32.91
- Weekly
- $1,316.35
- Biweekly
- $2,632.69
- Annual
- $68,450.00
- Published annual salary
- $68,450
Gross pay before taxes and deductions. Annual = one week's pay x 52. Other premiums (night differential, Sunday, holiday) are not included.
Next step
- Waiting period for this step
- 96 weeks (about 22 months)
- Weeks left
- 96 weeks (about 22 months)
- Next: Step B
- $35.13 an hour
- Raise at next step
- $4,626 a year
- Weeks to the top step
- 690 weeks (about 159 months)
Waiting periods are the weeks printed with each table. The effective date of your actual step increase is on your PS Form 50.
NALC city carrier pay tables
Copied from National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) published schedules under the 2023-2026 NALC-USPS National Agreement. Annual rates are basic pay for a full-time employee before taxes and deductions.
Table 1: career appointment before January 12, 2013 (effective March 7, 2026)
| Step | Weeks in step | City carrier annual | Hourly (FT/PT regular) | PTF hourly | Technician annual | Technician hourly | Technician PTF hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step A | 96 weeks | $68,450 | $32.91 | $34.36 | $69,887 | $33.60 | $35.08 |
| Step B | 96 weeks | $73,076 | $35.13 | $36.68 | $74,611 | $35.87 | $37.46 |
| Step C | 44 weeks | $73,182 | $35.18 | $36.74 | $74,719 | $35.92 | $37.51 |
| Step D | 44 weeks | $76,492 | $36.78 | $38.40 | $78,098 | $37.55 | $39.21 |
| Step E | 44 weeks | $76,972 | $37.01 | $38.64 | $78,588 | $37.78 | $39.45 |
| Step F | 44 weeks | $77,455 | $37.24 | $38.88 | $79,082 | $38.02 | $39.70 |
| Step G | 44 weeks | $77,931 | $37.47 | $39.12 | $79,568 | $38.25 | $39.94 |
| Step H | 44 weeks | $78,406 | $37.70 | $39.36 | $80,053 | $38.49 | $40.19 |
| Step I | 44 weeks | $78,889 | $37.93 | $39.60 | $80,546 | $38.72 | $40.43 |
| Step J | 34 weeks | $79,358 | $38.15 | $39.84 | $81,025 | $38.95 | $40.68 |
| Step K | 34 weeks | $79,843 | $38.39 | $40.08 | $81,520 | $39.19 | $40.92 |
| Step L | 26 weeks | $80,325 | $38.62 | $40.32 | $82,012 | $39.43 | $41.17 |
| Step M | 26 weeks | $80,800 | $38.85 | $40.56 | $82,497 | $39.66 | $41.41 |
| Step N | 24 weeks | $81,290 | $39.08 | $40.81 | $82,997 | $39.90 | $41.67 |
| Step O | 46 weeks | $81,764 | $39.31 | $41.05 | $83,481 | $40.14 | $41.91 |
| Step P | Top step | $83,226 | $40.01 | $41.78 | $84,974 | $40.85 | $42.66 |
Table 2: career appointment on or after January 12, 2013 (effective March 7, 2026)
| Step | Weeks in step | City carrier annual | Hourly (FT/PT regular) | PTF hourly | Technician annual | Technician hourly | Technician PTF hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Step B | 46 weeks | $52,510 | $25.25 | $26.36 | $53,613 | $25.78 | $26.91 |
| Step C | 46 weeks | $54,757 | $26.33 | $27.49 | $55,907 | $26.88 | $28.07 |
| Step D | 46 weeks | $57,005 | $27.41 | $28.62 | $58,202 | $27.98 | $29.22 |
| Step E | 46 weeks | $59,255 | $28.49 | $29.75 | $60,499 | $29.09 | $30.37 |
| Step F | 46 weeks | $61,501 | $29.57 | $30.87 | $62,793 | $30.19 | $31.52 |
| Step G | 46 weeks | $63,749 | $30.65 | $32.00 | $65,088 | $31.29 | $32.67 |
| Step H | 46 weeks | $65,998 | $31.73 | $33.13 | $67,384 | $32.40 | $33.83 |
| Step I | 46 weeks | $68,246 | $32.81 | $34.26 | $69,679 | $33.50 | $34.98 |
| Step J | 46 weeks | $70,492 | $33.89 | $35.39 | $71,972 | $34.60 | $36.13 |
| Step K | 46 weeks | $72,739 | $34.97 | $36.52 | $74,267 | $35.71 | $37.28 |
| Step L | 46 weeks | $74,986 | $36.05 | $37.64 | $76,561 | $36.81 | $38.43 |
| Step M | 46 weeks | $77,237 | $37.13 | $38.77 | $78,859 | $37.91 | $39.59 |
| Step N | 46 weeks | $79,481 | $38.21 | $39.90 | $81,150 | $39.01 | $40.74 |
| Step O | 46 weeks | $81,729 | $39.29 | $41.03 | $83,445 | $40.12 | $41.89 |
| Step P | Top step | $83,226 | $40.01 | $41.78 | $84,974 | $40.85 | $42.66 |
Table 3: city carrier assistant (CCA) hourly rates (effective March 7, 2026)
| Rate | City carrier assistant | Carrier technician assistant (+2.1%) |
|---|---|---|
| Step BB (no previous TE service) | $21.21 | $21.66 |
| Step AA after 52 weeks (no previous TE service) | $21.71 | $22.17 |
| Step BB (previous TE service) | $22.88 | $23.36 |
| Step AA after 52 weeks (previous TE service) | $23.38 | $23.87 |
USPS City Carrier pay in numbers
- Table 1 (appointed before January 12, 2013) runs from $68,450 at step A to $83,226 at step P; Table 2 (on or after that date) from $52,510 at step B to $83,226 at step P.
- Carrier technicians are paid an extra 2.1%: $69,887 to $84,974 on Table 1.
- Waiting periods: Table 1 takes 690 weeks (about 13.3 years) from step A to step P; Table 2 takes 644 weeks (about 12.4 years) from step B to step P.
- A city carrier assistant (CCA) is paid $21.21 an hour at step BB and $21.71 at step AA after 52 weeks.
- The last COLA under this agreement was $250 on March 7, 2026.
Raises and COLAs under this agreement
- August 26, 2023: July COLA $978
- November 18, 2023: General wage increase 1.3%
- March 9, 2024: January COLA $353
- September 7, 2024: July COLA $978
- November 16, 2024: General wage increase 1.4%
- March 8, 2025: January COLA $416
- June 14, 2025: Step P adjustment $1,000
- July 12, 2025: Steps AA and A eliminated from Table 2
- September 6, 2025: July COLA $790
- November 15, 2025: General wage increase 1.5%
- March 7, 2026: January COLA $250 (table shown includes it)
USPS City Carrier Pay Scale questions
What is the USPS letter carrier pay scale in 2026?
NALC's chart effective March 7, 2026 pays career city carriers $68,450 to $83,226 a year on Table 1 and $52,510 to $83,226 on Table 2, with carrier technicians paid 2.1% more. City carrier assistants are paid by the hour: $21.21 at step BB and $21.71 at step AA.
Which table am I on, Table 1 or Table 2?
Carriers appointed to a career position before January 12, 2013 are paid on Table 1; those appointed on or after January 12, 2013 are paid on Table 2 (Article 9.1). Table 2 has steps B to P with 46 weeks between steps, and steps AA and A were removed from it on July 12, 2025.
How long between city carrier steps?
On Table 1 the weeks spent in a step before the next one are 96 at steps A and B, 44 at steps C to I, 34 at J and K, 26 at L and M, 24 at N and 46 at O. On Table 2 every step takes 46 weeks. The calculator shows the weeks left in your current step.
Is there a COLA coming for letter carriers?
Not under the current agreement. Article 9.3 provides six COLAs, from the July 2023 index through the January 2026 index, and the last one took effect March 7, 2026. The agreement expired on May 22, 2026 and stays in force until a new one is reached or an arbitrator sets it; NALC had not posted a later pay chart when this page was checked. No projected table is shown.
What is the overtime rate for city carriers?
Overtime is 1.5 times the base hourly rate after 8 hours a day or 40 a week (Article 8.4.A and B). Penalty overtime is 2 times, for full-time carriers when the Article 8.5.F limits are broken and for PTFs and CCAs beyond 10 hours a day or 56 a week. It is not paid during the December period, which NALC says is four consecutive service weeks (in 2026, Nov. 28 to Dec. 25, 2026). Hours beyond 12 a day or 60 a week are paid at 2.5 times (Article 8.4.G, in effect since July 1, 2025), and that is still paid during the December period. Each hour is paid at only one of these rates (Article 8.4.F). The calculator has a box for each.
How much more does a carrier technician make?
Carrier technicians receive an additional 2.1% on the same steps. On Table 1 step A that is $69,887 against $68,450 for a city carrier, and the chart prints the technician figure for every step.
How is the NALC COLA calculated?
Article 9.3: Table 1 and step P of Table 2 rise one cent per hour for each full 0.4 of a point the CPI-W (1967=100) is above its January 2023 value, with steps B to O of Table 2 getting a proportional share. This site reproduced all six COLAs paid ($978, $353, $978, $416, $790, $250) from BLS data.
Estimates for planning. Your PS Form 50, your local union and your HR office are authoritative for your own pay. See how the USPS pay scales compare.
Authoritative sources: NALC pay chart effective March 7, 2026 (PDF) · NALC pay chart effective Nov. 15, 2025 (PDF) · NALC pay tables and COLA page · NALC 2023-2026 National Agreement · NALC December penalty overtime exclusion notice (Oct. 13, 2026) · NALC bargaining update, Postal Record June 2026 (PDF) · BLS CPI-W data