Salary Tools Portal

The GS Pay Calculator is a free tool that estimates your federal salary based on your General Schedule (GS) grade, step, and locality pay area. It uses official OPM data to calculate your total annual and hourly compensation, including locality adjustments for all 53 pay areas across the United States.

Our calculators use official data from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) for GS pay scales and locality adjustments. The base pay figures are updated annually to reflect the latest federal pay raise. However, results are estimates — your actual paycheck may differ due to deductions like FERS retirement, FEHB health insurance, TSP contributions, and federal/state taxes.

Yes, all tools on PayAtlas USA are 100% free with no paywalls, subscriptions, or registration required. We believe salary data should be accessible to everyone. There are no hidden fees or premium tiers.

All federal pay data comes from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which publishes official GS pay scales and locality pay percentages. State salary data is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW). Cost of living indices reference the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC).

Yes. We are actively building additional tools including a paycheck calculator, cost of living comparison tool, and relocation planner. New tools are prioritized based on user requests. Contact us to suggest a tool you would like to see.

Absolutely. Enter the GS grade and step of a job offer, select the locality area where the position is located, and the calculator will show you the total annual salary including the locality adjustment. This helps you compare offers across different locations and pay grades.

Base pay is the core salary determined by your GS grade and step on the General Schedule. Total pay includes your base pay plus the locality pay adjustment, which is a percentage that varies by geographic area. For example, the Washington DC locality adjustment adds approximately 33% on top of base pay. Your actual take-home pay will be lower after deductions for federal taxes, retirement (FERS), health insurance (FEHB), and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) contributions.