GS Pay Raise History
Every federal civilian employee on the General Schedule gets an across-the-board base raise each year. This page tracks those raises so you can see how the schedule has changed from 2014 through 2026, and pair them with the locality adjustments for your area.
Across-the-board GS raises by year
Each bar shows the nationwide base increase applied to the GS table at the start of that calendar year. The highlighted row is the current year.
Base-only increases. Actual pay also moved with locality adjustments. For 2026, the top locality is San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland at 46.34%.
Every year in the archive
| Year | Base GS increase | Open the table |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1.0% | 2026 base GS table → |
| 2025 | 1.7% | 2025 base GS table → |
| 2024 | 4.7% | 2024 base GS table → |
| 2023 | 4.1% | 2023 base GS table → |
| 2022 | 2.2% | 2022 base GS table → |
| 2021 | 1.0% | 2021 base GS table → |
| 2020 | 2.6% | 2020 base GS table → |
| 2019 | 1.4% | 2019 base GS table → |
| 2018 | 1.4% | 2018 base GS table → |
| 2017 | 1.0% | 2017 base GS table → |
| 2016 | 1.0% | 2016 base GS table → |
| 2015 | 1.0% | 2015 base GS table → |
| 2014 | 1.0% | 2014 base GS table → |
How GS raises are set each year
The annual across-the-board GS raise is legally tied to the Employment Cost Index under 5 U.S.C. § 5303, but the President has the authority to propose an alternative figure in the annual budget. Congress can also step in to set a different rate. The final number is announced in the Federal Register each December and takes effect the first pay period of January.
The base raise applies to the nationwide GS table. A separate locality adjustment is set each year for each of the OPM locality pay areas. A typical federal employee receives both, so the total pay increase in your area may be higher or lower than the base raise alone, depending on your locality pay area.
Biggest and smallest raises in the archive
The biggest raise in this archive is 2024 at 4.7%. The smallest is 2026 at 1.0%. Open the 2024 table or the 2026 table to see how the numbers flowed through every grade and step.
Why the base raise isn't the whole story
Two employees on the same grade and step in different localities can see very different take-home numbers in the same year. A year with a 2% base raise and a 1.5% locality increase in New York becomes roughly a 3.5% raise for the New York employee, and a 2% raise for an employee in an area where the locality percentage didn't change.
GS raise questions
-
What is the GS base raise?
The GS base raise is the nationwide across-the-board pay increase applied to the base General Schedule table. It is set annually by the President under 5 U.S.C. § 5303 and applies before any locality adjustment. -
Is the base raise the only pay increase I get?
No. Every year there are usually two components: an across-the-board base raise and a locality increase that applies only in your pay area. On top of that, within-grade step increases push your pay up as you accumulate time in grade. -
Why are recent raises smaller than earlier ones?
The annual raise reflects both economic conditions and political decisions. Several recent years have seen a smaller base raise combined with a larger locality adjustment, so the total pay increase for many employees is higher than the base number alone suggests. -
Where can I see my actual pay change?
Use the GS pay calculator to compare your current grade and step in two different years. Or open your locality pay area for the latest tables.