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Finally, the Federal Government Pay scale Made Clear
The federal government pay scale is laid out in the GS (General Schedule).
The GS was designed to keep Federal government salaries on a par for all federal jobs throughout the various
Federal agencies.
The GS is divided into 15 grades and each grade has 10 levels. There used to be 3 GS "supergrades"
GS-16, GS-17 and GS-18. These were replaced by the (SES) Senior Executive Service.
The following is a BASE Pay Scale For Positions (2006)
Note: U.S. locations also receive additional pay adjustment above the base pay ranging from 12.64% to 30.34%.
|
Grade
|
Step 1
|
Step 2
|
Step 3
|
Step 4
|
Step 5
|
Step 6
|
Step 7
|
Step 8
|
Step 9
|
Step 10
|
|
1
|
16630
|
17185
|
17739
|
18289
|
18842
|
19167
|
19713
|
20264
|
20286
|
20798
|
|
2
|
18698
|
19142
|
19761
|
20286
|
20512
|
21115
|
21718
|
22321
|
22924
|
23527
|
|
3
|
20401
|
21081
|
21761
|
22441
|
23121
|
23801
|
24481
|
25161
|
25841
|
26521
|
|
4
|
22902
|
23665
|
24428
|
25191
|
25954
|
26717
|
27480
|
28243
|
29006
|
29769
|
|
5
|
25623
|
26477
|
27331
|
28185
|
29039
|
29893
|
30747
|
31601
|
32455
|
33309
|
|
6
|
28562
|
29514
|
30466
|
31418
|
32370
|
33322
|
34274
|
35226
|
36178
|
37130
|
|
7
|
31740
|
32798
|
33856
|
34914
|
35972
|
37030
|
38088
|
39146
|
40204
|
41262
|
|
8
|
35151
|
36323
|
37495
|
38667
|
39839
|
41011
|
42183
|
43355
|
44527
|
45699
|
|
9
|
38824
|
40118
|
41412
|
42706
|
44000
|
45294
|
46588
|
47882
|
49176
|
50470
|
|
10
|
42755
|
44180
|
45605
|
47030
|
48455
|
49880
|
51305
|
52730
|
54155
|
55580
|
|
11
|
46974
|
48540
|
50106
|
51672
|
53238
|
54804
|
56370
|
57936
|
59502
|
61068
|
|
12
|
56301
|
58178
|
60055
|
61932
|
63809
|
65686
|
67563
|
69440
|
71317
|
73194
|
|
13
|
66951
|
69183
|
71415
|
73647
|
75879
|
78111
|
80343
|
82575
|
84807
|
87039
|
|
14
|
79115
|
81752
|
84389
|
87026
|
89663
|
92300
|
94937
|
97574
|
100211
|
102848
|
|
15
|
93063
|
96165
|
99267
|
102369
|
105471
|
108573
|
111675
|
114777
|
117879
|
120981
|
The qualifications needed for each job are described in detail in the vacancy announcements that advertise job
openings. Each job also has a code that corresponds to its minimum requirements. Understanding these codes will
speed your search. Most federal positions require resumes in order to apply. They may require the OF 612, Resumix
or the SES depending on the position and the job announcement.
Gaining work experience will often qualify you for higher GS levels. A rule of thumb is, 1 year of experience
related to the job could raise your grade by one GS level in most clerical and technician positions.
In administrative, professional, and scientific positions, GS level increases in increments of two until you
reach a GS-12. After that, GS level increases one level at a time.
GS levels by education
- GS-1: No high school diploma
- GS-2 (GS-3 for clerk-steno positions): High school diploma
- GS-3: 1 year of full-time study after high school
- GS-4: Associate degree or 2 years of full-time study after high school
- GS-5 or GS-7: depending on agency policy and applicant's academic credentials Bachelor's degree or
4 years of full-time study after high school
- GS-7: Bachelor's degree plus 1 year of full-time graduate study
- GS-9(GS-11 for some research positions): Master's degree or 2 years of full-time graduate study
- GS-9: Law degree (J.D. or LL.B.)
- GS-11(GS-12 for some research positions): PhD. or equivalent doctorate or advanced law deg
When applying for a federal position, you must be totally aware of what GS level is being asked for,
Know exactly what you qualify for and make sure that your resume is written in the exact format required by the agency you are applying for.
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