# What is my GS pay?

Finds your 2026 General Schedule (GS) salary for any grade, step and locality pay area: yearly, monthly, biweekly and hourly, from the OPM pay tables.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/gs-pay-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/gs-pay-calculator.json
- Version: f021ddb1f952

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Grade GS-9, Step Step 1, Locality pay area Rest of United States (17.06%)): In 2026, GS-9, Step 1, pays $61,722 a year, or $29.57 an hour.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| grade | Grade | Your GS grade, 1 to 15. |
| step | Step | Your step within the grade, 1 to 10. |
| area | Locality pay area | The OPM locality pay area of your duty station. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| annual | Yearly pay | Base pay plus locality pay, to the nearest dollar, at most $197,200. |
| monthly | Monthly pay | Yearly pay divided by 12. |
| biweekly | Biweekly pay | The hourly rate times 80 hours. |
| hourly | Hourly rate | Yearly pay divided by 2,087 hours, to the cent. |
| base | Base pay | The 2026 GS base rate for the grade and step, before locality pay. |
| locality | Locality pay | Yearly pay minus base pay. |

## Method

Yearly pay = 2026 GS base rate × (1 + locality percent ÷ 100), to the nearest dollar, at most $197,200; hourly = yearly ÷ 2,087; biweekly = hourly × 80; monthly = yearly ÷ 12.

## Assumptions

- OPM 2026 GS base and locality pay tables (1% increase, effective January 2026).
- Law enforcement officers at GS-3 to GS-10 and jobs with special rate tables may be paid more.
- Pay before taxes, retirement and benefit deductions.

## Worked examples

1. grade = 9, step = 1, area = RUS gives base = $52,727.00, annual = $61,722.00, locality = $8,995.00, hourly = $29.57, biweekly = $2,365.60, monthly = $5,143.50. Source: OPM Salary Table 2026-RUS (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/26Tables/html/RUS.aspx): GS-9 step 1 $61,722 and $29.57 an hour; 52,727 × 1.1706 = 61,722.2 (base from Salary Table 2026-GS).
2. grade = 15, step = 1, area = SF gives base = $126,384.00, annual = $184,950.00, hourly = $88.62. Source: OPM Salary Table 2026-SF (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/26Tables/html/SF.aspx): GS-15 step 1 $184,950 and $88.62 an hour.
3. grade = 15, step = 9, area = DCB gives annual = $197,200.00, hourly = $94.49, biweekly = $7,559.20. Source: OPM Salary Table 2026-DCB (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/26Tables/html/DCB.aspx): GS-15 step 9 limited to $197,200, the Executive Schedule level IV rate (160,088 × 1.3394 = 214,422); 5 U.S.C. 5504(b): biweekly = hourly × 80.
4. grade = 12, step = 1, area = DCB gives annual = $102,415.00, monthly = $8,534.58, hourly = $49.07. Source: OPM Salary Table 2026-DCB (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/26Tables/html/DCB.aspx): GS-12 step 1, 76,463 × 1.3394 = 102,414.54, $102,415.
5. grade = 1, step = 1, area = RUS gives base = $22,584.00, annual = $26,437.00. Source: OPM Salary Table 2026-RUS (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/26Tables/html/RUS.aspx): GS-1 step 1, 22,584 × 1.1706 = 26,436.8, $26,437.

## FAQ

### How is GS pay calculated?

Take the GS base rate for your grade and step from the OPM table, multiply by 1 plus your locality percentage, and round to the nearest dollar. GS-9 step 1 in the Rest of the United States is 52,727 × 1.1706 = $61,722 in 2026.

### How much did GS pay go up in 2026?

The General Schedule base rates went up 1% in January 2026. The locality percentages stayed the same as in 2025, so total pay went up 1% in every area.

### What is the highest GS pay in 2026?

GS pay with locality cannot be more than the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule, $197,200 in 2026. In high-cost areas, upper steps of GS-14 and GS-15 stop at that amount.

### How is the GS hourly rate calculated?

The hourly rate is the yearly rate divided by 2,087 hours, rounded to the cent. Biweekly pay is the hourly rate times 80 hours.

### Which locality pay area am I in?

It depends on the county of your official duty station. OPM lists the counties in each of the 58 areas; places outside them are in the Rest of the United States area, 17.06%.

## Sources

- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Salary Table 2026-GS: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/26Tables/html/GS.aspx (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, 2026 General Schedule (GS) Locality Pay Tables: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2026/general-schedule/ (retrieved 2026-10-05)
- 5 U.S.C. 5504, Biweekly pay periods; computation of pay: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/5504 (retrieved 2026-10-05)