2026 Law Enforcement Officer Pay Tables
The GL pay scale covers many federal law enforcement jobs, including criminal investigator and officer ladders. It uses 8 published grades, 10 steps, and the same locality pay areas used by the General Schedule. Start with the base table below, then compare grades or run the LEO calculator.
2026 LEO base pay table
This is the nationwide law enforcement officer base pay table before locality pay is added. Every grade row links to a page with all 10 steps, step progression notes, and salary comparisons across the locality pay areas.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GL-3 | $33,252 | $34,176 | $35,100 | $36,024 | $36,948 | $37,872 | $38,796 | $39,720 | $40,644 | $41,568 |
| GL-4 | $37,325 | $38,362 | $39,399 | $40,436 | $41,473 | $42,510 | $43,547 | $44,584 | $45,621 | $46,658 |
| GL-5 | $42,919 | $44,079 | $45,239 | $46,399 | $47,559 | $48,719 | $49,879 | $51,039 | $52,199 | $53,359 |
| GL-6 | $45,256 | $46,549 | $47,842 | $49,135 | $50,428 | $51,721 | $53,014 | $54,307 | $55,600 | $56,893 |
| GL-7 | $48,854 | $50,291 | $51,728 | $53,165 | $54,602 | $56,039 | $57,476 | $58,913 | $60,350 | $61,787 |
| GL-8 | $50,920 | $52,511 | $54,102 | $55,693 | $57,284 | $58,875 | $60,466 | $62,057 | $63,648 | $65,239 |
| GL-9 | $54,485 | $56,243 | $58,001 | $59,759 | $61,517 | $63,275 | $65,033 | $66,791 | $68,549 | $70,307 |
| GL-10 | $59,999 | $61,934 | $63,869 | $65,804 | $67,739 | $69,674 | $71,609 | $73,544 | $75,479 | $77,414 |
Jump to a GL grade
Use these grade pages to compare starting salary, Step 10 salary, waiting periods, and locality-adjusted pay across the country.
Top and bottom localities for LEO pay in 2026
Highest locality adjustments
Lowest locality adjustments
LEO raise history
OPM publishes a new law enforcement officer table each year alongside the General Schedule. The chart below tracks the base annual increase applied to the GL tables in each year of the archive.
How the GL pay system works
GL pay works a lot like GS pay, but it is tailored to covered law enforcement jobs. Grade controls the position level, step reflects time in grade, and locality pay adjusts salary for the duty station. Many agencies hire on career ladders such as GL-5/7/9 and then convert to GS at later stages.
This is separate from other forms of law enforcement compensation. The table does not include availability pay, LEAP, overtime, Sunday premium, holiday premium, retention incentives, or other agency-specific additions.
Common law enforcement pay questions
-
What is the LEO pay table?
The law enforcement officer pay table is the OPM salary schedule used for covered federal criminal investigators and related law enforcement positions. It uses GL grades, step progression, and the same locality pay areas used for the General Schedule. -
Who is paid on the GL scale?
Many federal law enforcement jobs start on the GL scale, especially criminal investigator and officer positions in the 1811 and related series. At higher grades, many employees move onto the regular GS scale. -
Does LEO pay use locality rates?
Yes. The 2026 LEO tables use the same locality pay areas as the 2026 General Schedule tables. The GL base schedule is only the starting point. Actual salary depends on your duty station.