GS Pay Scale: How General Schedule Grades, Steps, and Locality Pay Work
A practical guide to the federal General Schedule: what GS grades and steps mean, how locality pay changes take-home compensation, and how to read an OPM pay table.
PayAtlasUSA Team
7 min read
How to use this guide
This article explains concepts and typical rules. Dollar figures that come from PayAtlas data files are labeled as such. Confirm time-sensitive amounts with the official source before relying on them.
Quick answer
The General Schedule (GS) is the main pay system for most federal civilian employees in white-collar occupations. Your grade (GS-1 through GS-15) reflects the level of the position. Your step (1 through 10) is usually a longevity increment within that grade. Locality pay is a percentage added to GS base pay based on the official worksite’s OPM locality area. The published base table is not your full GS salary in a high-cost metro area.
This guide covers federal GS employees. It does not describe military basic pay, Federal Wage System (WG) trades pay, Senior Executive Service pay, or a state government’s pay plan.
Key takeaways
- GS compensation has two layers you should keep separate: base pay from the national table, and locality pay for the worksite area.
- A promotion to a higher grade usually changes pay more than a within-grade step increase.
- Locality-adjusted GS pay can be limited by an Executive Schedule cap; always check the current OPM tables rather than multiplying without a cap check.
- Benefits, overtime, awards, and recruitment incentives are not the GS table. Total compensation is broader than base-plus-locality.
- Use the GS Pay Calculator for an estimate, then confirm the vacancy’s pay plan on USAJobs and OPM.
What is the GS pay scale?
The General Schedule is a nationwide classification and pay structure. OPM publishes an annual base pay table with 15 grades and 10 steps. Agencies classify positions to a grade using OPM classification standards. Employees then occupy a step in that grade.
The GS system is a federal system. A state employee, a public-school teacher, or a municipal worker is not paid from this table unless they also hold a federal GS appointment.
Two people with the same grade and step can still take home different amounts if they work in different locality areas, have different tax situations, or receive different premium pay. The table answers “what is GS basic pay for this grade, step, and locality?” It does not answer “what is my net paycheck?”
Grades and steps
What a grade means
Grades roughly track responsibility, complexity, and qualification requirements:
- GS-1 through GS-4: Often trainee, clerk, or positions with limited specialized experience.
- GS-5 through GS-12: The bulk of professional, administrative, and technical work. Many career-ladder jobs start at GS-5, GS-7, or GS-9 and have promotion potential to GS-11 or GS-12.
- GS-13 through GS-15: Senior specialist and supervisory work. GS-15 is the top of the regular GS range.
A “GS-12 job” is a statement about the position, not about years of experience by itself. Two agencies can classify similar work differently if the duties differ.
What a step means
Each grade has 10 steps. Step 1 is the typical entry rate for that grade unless the agency sets pay higher. Moving to the next step is a within-grade increase (WGI) when waiting-period and performance requirements are met.
Typical waiting periods (OPM):
| Next step | Waiting period |
|---|---|
| Steps 2, 3, and 4 | 52 weeks |
| Steps 5, 6, and 7 | 104 weeks |
| Steps 8, 9, and 10 | 156 weeks |
That path is about 18 years in the same grade if you start at step 1 and receive every WGI on schedule. Many employees never sit in one grade that long because they promote.
Base pay examples from the PayAtlas OPM table
PayAtlas stores the OPM General Schedule base table (not locality) in gs-pay-scale data. Selected Step 1 base rates from that file:
| Grade | Step 1 base pay |
|---|---|
| GS-5 | $34,799 |
| GS-7 | $43,106 |
| GS-9 | $52,727 |
| GS-12 | $76,463 |
| GS-13 | $90,925 |
| GS-15 | $126,384 |
GS-15, Step 10 base pay in the same file is $164,301. These figures are annual base pay in USD. They are not hourly rates, not monthly pay, and not locality-adjusted.
Locality pay
Locality pay is a percentage of base pay added for a defined geographic area. OPM, not the employee, assigns the locality area based on the official worksite.
PayAtlas locality data for the current table year includes 53 locality areas. Examples from that file:
| Locality area | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| Rest of United States (RUS) | +17.06% |
| Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA | +33.94% |
| New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA | +37.95% |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA | +36.47% |
| San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | +46.34% |
A higher percentage does not automatically mean a higher standard of living. Housing and taxes can more than offset the extra locality dollars.
Locality pay is generally part of basic pay for GS employees, which matters for retirement deductions and some premium-pay calculations. Confirm current treatment in OPM pay guidance if you are estimating retirement or overtime.
Worked example
Assumptions (labeled example): GS-12, Step 1. Base pay from the PayAtlas GS table: $76,463. Locality percentages from the PayAtlas locality file.
Formula:
locality-adjusted pay ≈ base pay × (1 + adjustmentPercent / 100)
Rounded to the nearest dollar:
| Worksite locality | Rate | Estimated GS pay |
|---|---|---|
| Rest of United States | 17.06% | $89,508 |
| Washington-Baltimore-Arlington | 33.94% | $102,377 |
| San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland | 46.34% | $111,896 |
This example ignores special rates, a possible Executive Schedule cap on locality-adjusted GS pay, awards, overtime, and taxes. It is not a net-pay estimate. Recalculate with the GS Pay Calculator and the current OPM tables.
Promotions and step increases
A career-ladder promotion (for example GS-7 to GS-9 on the same job) is not a WGI. Promotion pay-setting follows OPM rules that generally place you at a rate in the new grade that reflects a minimum increase. The exact step in the new grade depends on your current rate.
A competitive promotion to a different position can also change grade. A reassignment at the same grade usually keeps the same step.
Quality step increases and hiring incentives can accelerate step progression. Those actions are exceptions, not the default timetable.
If you are comparing two USAJobs announcements, compare grade, step, locality, promotion potential, and pay plan. A GS-11 with promotion potential to GS-12 is a different career math problem than a GS-11 FPL (full performance level) job.
What GS pay is not
Keep these layers separate:
- Base pay: National GS table.
- Locality pay: Area percentage on GS base (unless a special rate replaces locality for that position).
- Special rates: Higher schedules for hard-to-fill occupations or locations; they are not the standard GS table.
- Premium pay: Overtime, night differential, Sunday pay, and similar. Eligibility depends on the work and FLSA/Title 5 rules.
- Benefits: FEHB, FERS, TSP matching, leave. Valuable, but not the salary line on the GS table.
- Net pay: After taxes, insurance premiums, TSP deferrals, and other deductions.
State government salaries are a different jurisdiction. See the state salary directory for state-level context, not the GS table.
Military members are paid under Title 37 basic pay and allowances, not GS. See the military pay guide.
Common mistakes
- Reading the base table as “what people in D.C. make.” D.C.-area GS pay includes the Washington-Baltimore-Arlington locality percentage.
- Comparing a GS salary to a private offer without locality, benefits, or leave. The cash number is only one part of federal total compensation.
- Assuming every federal employee is GS. Wage Grade, law-enforcement specials, SES, and other systems exist.
- Treating step 10 as automatic. You must meet waiting periods and acceptable performance; a grade change resets the story.
- Ignoring the pay cap. High grades in high-locality areas can hit the applicable cap. Do not assume unlimited locality stacking.
- Using an old screenshot of a pay table. OPM updates the GS table (typically effective in January). Check the table year in the data, not a blog post date.
Who this is relevant for
- Applicants reading a USAJobs GS announcement
- Employees estimating a relocation between locality areas
- Supervisors explaining a career-ladder to a new hire
- Anyone comparing federal civilian pay to a state or private offer
It is less useful as a standalone document if your pay plan is WG, SV, or another non-GS system — start from that system’s table instead.
Related PayAtlasUSA resources
- GS Pay Calculator — grade, step, and locality estimate
- GS Pay Calculator — locality-adjusted GS estimates
- TSP vs 401(k) — retirement savings that often sit next to GS pay
- State salary directory — when you need state, not federal, jurisdiction