Federal Pay Raise

Federal employees may receive a 4.6% pay increase to counter inflation, according to a draft 2023 appropriations bill for financial services and general government. Service members are on track to receive the same 4.6% military pay increase in 2023, according to a 2023 defense budget draft. 

The 2022 federal pay raise averaged 2.7% for most federal government employees, according to the Office of Personnel Management.  In Aug. 2021, President Joe Biden submitted a letter to the Speaker of the House, outlining his plan for a federal pay raise for civilian employees.

The increase included a 2.2% increase for all federal employees, plus an average locality increase of 0.5%.

The president signed an executive order implementing the 2.7% federal pay increase on Dec. 22, 2021 and it went into effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

2022 General Schedule (GS) Pay Tables and Calculators

These will be updated when the 2023 pay tables and calculators are released.

• Locality Pay Tables
• General Schedule Calculator
• Special Rate Tables
• All other federal pay and leave information

2022 General Schedule (GS) Tables

GRADE	STEP 1	STEP 2	STEP 3	STEP 4	STEP 5	STEP 6	STEP 7	STEP 8	STEP 9	STEP 10	WITHIN GRADE AMOUNTS
1	20,172	20,849	21,519	22,187	22,857	23,249	23,913	24,581	24,608	25,233	VARIES
2	22,682	23,222	23,973	24,608	24,885	25,616	26,348	27,080	27,812	28,543	VARIES
3	24,749	25,574	26,398	27,223	28,048	28,873	29,697	30,522	31,347	32,172	825
4	27,782	28,708	29,634	30,560	31,486	32,412	33,338	34,264	35,190	36,115	926
5	31,083	32,119	33,156	34,192	35,228	36,265	37,301	38,337	39,374	40,410	1,036
6	34,649	35,804	36,959	38,113	39,268	40,423	41,578	42,733	43,888	45,043	1,155
7	38,503	39,786	41,070	42,354	43,637	44,921	46,205	47,488	48,772	50,056	1,284
8	42,641	44,063	45,484	46,906	48,327	49,749	51,171	52,592	54,014	55,435	1,422
9	47,097	48,667	50,236	51,806	53,376	54,946	56,516	58,085	59,655	61,225	1,570
10	51,864	53,594	55,323	57,052	58,781	60,511	62,240	63,969	65,698	67,427	1,729
11	56,983	58,883	60,782	62,682	64,582	66,482	68,382	70,282	72,182	74,082	1,900
12	68,299	70,576	72,853	75,130	77,407	79,684	81,961	84,238	86,515	88,792	2,277
13	81,216	83,924	86,631	89,338	92,045	94,753	97,460	100,167	102,875	105,582	2,707
14	95,973	99,172	102,371	105,570	108,768	111,967	115,166	118,365	121,564	124,763	3,199
15	112,890	116,653	120,416	124,179	127,942	131,705	135,468	139,231	142,994	146,757	3,763

Veterans in the Federal Workforce

According to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), veterans represented approximately one-third (31%) of the total U.S. federal workforce in 2018. The highest percentages of veterans work in the Departments of Defense, Transportation, Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.

About Federal Pay (General Schedule Classification and Pay)

The General Schedule (GS) classification and pay system covers most civilian white-collar federal employees (roughly 2.2 million worldwide) in professional, technical, administrative and clerical positions. OPM administers GS classification standards, qualifications, pay structure and related human resources policies for the government. Agencies classify their GS positions and appoint and pays GS employees according to OPM guidelines and federal law.

The General Schedule has 15 grades. GS-1  is the lowest. GS-15 is the highest. Each of the 15 pay grades has 10 step rates.

Employees can move to the next step (a kind of pay raise known as a “within-grade step increase”) based on acceptable job performance and the following periods of service:

• One year at steps 1-3
• Two years at steps 4-6
• Three years at steps 7-9

It normally takes 18 years to advance from step 1 to step 10 within a single GS grade, if an employee remains in that grade. However, employees with outstanding performance ratings may receive up to one additional quality step increase per year, according to OPM.

Each step is worth about 3% of the federal employee’s salary.

Federal employees at the GS-2 level need at least a high school diploma, according to the VA. At GS-5, employees need a bachelor’s degree. At levels GS-9 and higher, employees should have at least a master’s degree.

Locality Pay

Locality pay is an adjustment for civilian federal employees in specified occupations and geographic locations. Locality pay reflects private-sector salaries for similar jobs in similar areas.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

The Office of Personnel Management provides policy leadership and expertise on a variety of government-wide pay programs for federal employees, including the General Schedule (GS), Law Enforcement Officer Pay Schedules and the Federal Wage System (FWS).

Federal Pay Agencies

Federal pay agencies include cabinet departments and large independent agencies but not mid-to small-sized agencies. 

• Cabinet Department Agencies: Agriculture, the Air Force, the Army, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Justice, Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), State, the Interior, the Navy, Transportation, Treasury, Veterans Affairs
• Large Independent Agencies: Agency for International Development (AID), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency for the District of Columbia, Federal Reserve System (FSR), Federal Trade Commission (FTC), General Services Administration (SSA), Broadcasting Board of Governors, Government Printing Office (SSA), National Science Foundation (SSA), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Nuclear Regulatory Commission (SSA), Securities and Exchange Commission (OFF), Small Business Administration (SBA), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Smithsonian Institution, Social Security Administration (SSA)

Federal Employees by the Numbers

• Virginia (144,295), Washington D.C., (141,367), Califorina (152,446) and Maryland (120,705) have the most federal employees, according to 2017 OPM data.
• More than 15% of federal workers work in the DMV area, including Washington, D.C., and parts of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia, according to OPM’s 2017 data.
• Less than 1.5% of federal employees work outside the United States, according to OPM’s 2017 data.
• Roughly 36% of federal GS employees work for the Department of Defense, according to OPM’s 2017 data.

Difference Between COLA and Federal Pay Increases

Pay increases for current federal workers differ from federal cost-of-living adjustments for retirees. 

Changes in private-sector wages and salaries drive federal pay increases. Federal pay increases help the government compete for talent by paying employees in line with what the private-sector offers.

Increases in the CPI-W inflation measurement determine cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) The CPI-W measures changes in the price of a market basket of consumer goods and services.

COLA ensures that a retiree’s income can continue to purchase the same amount of goods and services after years of retirement that it purchased at the start of retirement.

General Schedule (GS) Pay Increase History

Year	Increase	Year	Increase
2022	2.20%	2008	2.50%
2021	1.00%	2007	1.70%
2020	2.60%	2006	2.10%
2019	1.40%	2005	2.50%
2018	1.40%	2004	2.70%
2017	1.00%	2003	3.10%
2016	1.00%	2002	3.60%
2015	1.00%	2001	2.70%
2014	1.00%	2000	3.80%
2013	0.00%	1999	3.10%
2012	0.00%	1998	2.30%
2011	0.00%	1997	2.30%
2010	1.50%	1996	2.00%
2009	2.90%	1995	2.00%

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