2027 Federal Employee Pay Raise (GS): Proposed, Final and What It Does to Your FERS Pension
Whether federal employees get a raise in 2027, the GS pay table that would apply, the raise history since 2011, and what a raise or a freeze does to your FERS pension.
Federal civilian employees are set for a 2027 pay freeze: the President’s alternative pay plan of August 26, 2026 says “for 2027, base pay and locality pay for civilian Federal employees will not change from the 2026 rates,” with a separate 3.8% increase for law enforcement personnel (House Document 119-189). Without the plan, the law would have given a 3.1% across-the-board raise plus locality increases averaging 20.6% (same letter). Congress can still legislate a raise.
Official proposal The plan is the President’s formal alternative under 5 U.S.C. 5303(b) and 5304a. Final 2027 rates are set by an executive order and OPM pay tables, usually in late December (the 2026 order was signed December 18, 2025). Checked November 4, 2026; this page updates when the 2027 tables are issued.
Federal (GS) pay raises, 2011–2027
| Year | GS base increase | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 0% (proposed freeze) | President’s alternative pay plan, Aug. 26, 2026 |
| 2026 | 1% | OPM Salary Table 2026-GS |
| 2025 | 1.7% | OPM Salary Table 2025-GS |
| 2024 | 4.7% | OPM Salary Table 2024-GS |
| 2023 | 4.1% | OPM Salary Table 2023-GS |
| 2022 | 2.2% | OPM Salary Table 2022-GS |
| 2021 | 1% | OPM Salary Table 2021-GS |
| 2020 | 2.6% | OPM Salary Table 2020-GS |
| 2019 | 1.4% | OPM Salary Table 2019-GS |
| 2018 | 1.4% | OPM Salary Table 2018-GS |
| 2017 | 1% | OPM Salary Table 2017-GS |
| 2016 | 1% | OPM Salary Table 2016-GS |
| 2015 | 1% | OPM Salary Table 2015-GS |
| 2014 | 1% | OPM Salary Table 2014-GS |
| 2013 | 0% (freeze) | EO 13641: schedules “remain at 2010 levels through 2013” |
| 2012 | 0% (freeze) | EO 13594: Public Law 111-322 “freezes certain pay schedules ... at 2010 levels through 2012” |
| 2011 | 0% (freeze) | EO 13594 (same freeze) |
Each percentage from 2014 on is the increase OPM prints in the title of that year’s base table (“Incorporating the 1% General Schedule Increase”). The 2011–2013 freeze is stated in the executive orders cited.
Is there a federal pay freeze in 2027?
Yes, as proposed. The President set “at zero the pay adjustment to be made for the 2027 pay year pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 5303(b) and 5 U.S.C. 5304a” (letter). That covers both the base GS increase and locality pay. It is the first full freeze since 2011–2013 (table above). Law enforcement personnel are to get 3.8% through OPM’s special rate authority, a separate process (same letter). Members of the armed forces get a separate raise: 2027 military pay raise →
GS base pay table: 2026, and 2027 if the freeze holds
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-1 | $22,584 | $23,341 | $24,092 | $24,840 | $25,589 | $26,028 | $26,771 | $27,519 | $27,550 | $28,248 |
| GS-2 | $25,393 | $25,997 | $26,839 | $27,550 | $27,858 | $28,677 | $29,496 | $30,315 | $31,134 | $31,953 |
| GS-3 | $27,708 | $28,632 | $29,556 | $30,480 | $31,404 | $32,328 | $33,252 | $34,176 | $35,100 | $36,024 |
| GS-4 | $31,103 | $32,140 | $33,177 | $34,214 | $35,251 | $36,288 | $37,325 | $38,362 | $39,399 | $40,436 |
| GS-5 | $34,799 | $35,959 | $37,119 | $38,279 | $39,439 | $40,599 | $41,759 | $42,919 | $44,079 | $45,239 |
| GS-6 | $38,791 | $40,084 | $41,377 | $42,670 | $43,963 | $45,256 | $46,549 | $47,842 | $49,135 | $50,428 |
| GS-7 | $43,106 | $44,543 | $45,980 | $47,417 | $48,854 | $50,291 | $51,728 | $53,165 | $54,602 | $56,039 |
| GS-8 | $47,738 | $49,329 | $50,920 | $52,511 | $54,102 | $55,693 | $57,284 | $58,875 | $60,466 | $62,057 |
| GS-9 | $52,727 | $54,485 | $56,243 | $58,001 | $59,759 | $61,517 | $63,275 | $65,033 | $66,791 | $68,549 |
| GS-10 | $58,064 | $59,999 | $61,934 | $63,869 | $65,804 | $67,739 | $69,674 | $71,609 | $73,544 | $75,479 |
| GS-11 | $63,795 | $65,922 | $68,049 | $70,176 | $72,303 | $74,430 | $76,557 | $78,684 | $80,811 | $82,938 |
| GS-12 | $76,463 | $79,012 | $81,561 | $84,110 | $86,659 | $89,208 | $91,757 | $94,306 | $96,855 | $99,404 |
| GS-13 | $90,925 | $93,956 | $96,987 | $100,018 | $103,049 | $106,080 | $109,111 | $112,142 | $115,173 | $118,204 |
| GS-14 | $107,446 | $111,028 | $114,610 | $118,192 | $121,774 | $125,356 | $128,938 | $132,520 | $136,102 | $139,684 |
| GS-15 | $126,384 | $130,597 | $134,810 | $139,023 | $143,236 | $147,449 | $151,662 | $155,875 | $160,088 | $164,301 |
Most employees are also paid locality pay on top of the base rate (for 2026 the Rest of U.S. area is 17.06% and Alaska 32.36%, EO 14368 Schedule 9); the locality tables are on OPM’s salary tables page. Under the plan, locality percentages also stay at their 2026 levels.
What a 2027 raise or freeze does to your FERS pension
Your High-3 here is one year at your 2026 salary and two years at the 2027 salary (no other raises), as for someone retiring at the end of 2028. The default comparison, 3.1%, is the base increase the law would have given without the plan (letter).
The annuity comes from the same FERS engine as our FERS pension calculator: 1% of High-3 per year of service, 1.1% at 62 or later with 20 years, the MRA+10 reduction (OPM computation rules).
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Will federal employees get a raise in 2027?
Not under the President’s plan: base and locality pay for civilian employees stay at 2026 rates in 2027, with 3.8% for law enforcement personnel (House Document 119-189). Congress can still enact a raise; final rates come with the December executive order.
What would the 2027 GS raise have been without the freeze?
A 3.1% across-the-board increase plus locality increases averaging 20.6%, according to the President’s letter (House Document 119-189).
When was the last federal pay freeze?
2011 through 2013: Public Law 111-322 held pay schedules at 2010 levels, later extended through 2013 (EO 13594, EO 13641).
How much was the 2026 federal pay raise?
1% on the General Schedule base (OPM Salary Table 2026-GS).
Does a pay freeze lower my FERS pension?
It lowers it compared with a raise if the frozen year falls in your High-3. The FERS basic annuity is 1% (1.1% at 62 with 20 years) of High-3 times years of service (OPM); the calculator above shows the difference.
Sources
- House Document 119-189 — Alternative plan for pay adjustments, Aug. 26, 2026
- OPM — Salary Table 2026-GS and the earlier tables linked in the history table
- Executive Order 14368 (2026 pay schedules)
- Executive Order 13594, Executive Order 13641
- 5 U.S.C. 5303, 5 U.S.C. 5304a
- OPM — FERS computation
The 2026 GS base table: JSON. QuantCalc is calculation software, not legal, tax or benefits advice. Last updated November 4, 2026.
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