It is finally official. After months of back-and-forth and a fair amount of anxiety in the breakrooms of federal buildings from D.C. to Denver, the 2026 numbers are in. If you were expecting a massive windfall to combat the price of eggs, you might want to sit down.
On December 18, 2025, President Trump signed the executive order that finalized the federal workers pay raise for the 2026 calendar year. For the vast majority of civilian employees, that number is a flat 1.0 percent.
One percent.
It is the smallest increase we have seen since 2021. For a lot of people, this feels less like a "raise" and more like a rounding error, especially when you consider that locality pay—that extra multiplier that helps people in places like San Francisco or New York survive—is frozen at 2025 levels.
The Breakdown of the 2026 Federal Workers Pay Raise
Basically, the administration decided to put the entire 1.0 percent increase into the "base" pay schedule. Usually, these raises are split. You might get 1.5 percent on the base and another 0.5 percent for locality. Not this year. By dumping it all into the base, the government ensured that every single person on the General Schedule (GS) gets the exact same percentage bump, regardless of whether they work in a high-cost city or a rural outpost.
The logic from the White House was simple: a 1.0 percent across-the-board increase for statutory pay systems. This includes the GS, the Foreign Service, and certain Veterans Health Administration schedules.
But honestly, if you live in a high-COLA (Cost of Living Adjustment) area, this news is kinda rough. Because the locality percentages didn't budge, the "pay gap" between federal salaries and the private sector is likely to widen in 2026.
Who actually gets the money and when?
The new rates kicked in on January 11, 2026. That was the start of the first full pay period of the year.
Most people won't actually see the extra dollars in their bank accounts until late January or early February. It depends on how fast your agency's payroll system moves. If you are checking your SF-50 (that is your Notification of Personnel Action), you want to look at Block 35. That is where the new number lives.
The Law Enforcement Exception (The 3.8% Club)
If you are a federal law enforcement officer (LEO), the story is a bit different. The administration made a specific push to keep LEO pay in line with the military, which also saw a 3.8 percent increase this year.
This was not a generic "thank you for your service" gesture. It was a targeted move. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) used something called "special salary rate authority" under 5 U.S.C. 5305.
They are worried about recruitment. Border security and public safety are high priorities right now, and the feds are losing good people to local police departments that pay better. To fix this, OPM approved new special rate tables (specifically tables L001 through L133) that give eligible law enforcement personnel a total bump of 3.8 percent.
This 3.8 percent is made up of:
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- The standard 1.0 percent base increase.
- An additional 2.8 percent "special rate" adjustment.
It is worth noting that not every single person with a badge gets this. It is mostly focused on front-line roles in the Department of Homeland Security, the DOJ, and the Department of the Interior. If you are in one of these spots, your special rate effectively supersedes the frozen locality pay.
Why Locality Pay Matters (And Why the Freeze Stings)
Locality pay is a weird beast. It is a percentage added to your base salary based on where your "official duty station" is located.
For 2026, the President’s Pay Agent (which is just a fancy name for the Secretary of Labor and the directors of OMB and OPM) decided to keep those percentages exactly where they were in 2025.
- Rest of U.S. (RUS): Still at the same multiplier.
- San Jose-San Francisco: No change.
- Washington-Baltimore: Stuck.
When the base pay goes up by 1.0 percent, the total dollar amount of your locality pay technically goes up too, because the multiplier is being applied to a larger base number. But the percentage itself staying flat means your buying power is basically stagnant if your local rent or grocery prices went up by more than one percent last year.
For many, this is a "net-zero" raise. If your FEHB (Federal Employees Health Benefits) premiums went up during Open Season—and they usually do—that 1.0 percent might be completely swallowed by your healthcare deductions before the money even hits your checking account.
The Senior Executive Service (SES) and High-Earners
If you are at the top of the food chain, there are some hard ceilings to watch out for.
The aggregate limitation on pay for 2026 is $253,100. That is equivalent to the rate for Executive Level I. If you are an SES member or in a Senior-Level (SL) or Scientific and Professional (ST) position covered by a certified performance appraisal system, that cap is a bit higher: $292,300 (the Vice President’s salary).
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The minimum rate for SES positions also moved up to $151,661 to stay consistent with the rest of the senior-level adjustments.
Union Pushback and the Political Landscape
Unions are not happy. The National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU) and the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) have been vocal about the fact that 1.0 percent does not keep up with inflation.
In mid-January 2026, we saw a massive rally outside the U.S. Capitol. Union leaders like Randy Erwin of the NFFE were out there talking about the "Protect America’s Workforce Act" (PAWA).
While the rally was largely about collective bargaining rights and "Schedule F" concerns, the pay raise was the underlying current. The argument is simple: if you want a non-partisan, professional civil service, you have to pay them enough to live.
There is a real fear among federal workers that the 1.0 percent raise is a sign of things to come—a "starve the beast" strategy where stagnant wages eventually drive the most talented people back into the private sector.
How to Calculate Your New 2026 Salary
You don't need a PhD in math for this, but it is slightly more than just adding one percent to your total.
- Find your 2025 Base Pay: Look at the GS base table (not the locality table).
- Add 1%: Multiply that base by 1.01. This is your new 2026 Base.
- Apply the Multiplier: Take that new 2026 Base and multiply it by your locality percentage (e.g., if your locality is 20%, multiply by 1.20).
That is your new gross salary.
Other 2026 Changes to Watch
While you are looking at your pay, don't forget the other "wealth" shifts happening this year:
- TSP Limits: The annual contribution limit for the Thrift Savings Plan bumped up to $24,500.
- FSA Carryover: You can now carry over $680 in your Health Care Flexible Spending Account.
- Mileage: The IRS (and likely GSA) raised the mileage rate to 72.5 cents per mile.
Actionable Steps for Federal Employees
The federal workers pay raise is set in stone for the year, so complaining to HR won't change the number on your check. However, you can mitigate the small increase with a few tactical moves.
First, audit your deductions. Since the raise is so small, you need to see exactly where your money is going. Check your first full pay stub in late January. Did your FEHB premiums rise more than your 1.0 percent bump? If so, you are technically taking home less money than last year. You might need to adjust your tax withholding or your TSP contributions to balance your monthly cash flow.
Second, verify your locality area. Errors happen, especially if your agency went through a reorganization or you changed duty stations recently. Make sure you are being paid based on the correct geographic area.
Third, look into Special Salary Rates (SSRs). If you are in a mission-critical role—not just law enforcement, but maybe IT or certain healthcare fields—keep an eye on OPM announcements. Agencies can request SSRs at any time to deal with "staffing challenges." If your office is hemorrhaging people, your leadership might be in the process of applying for a higher pay table that goes beyond the standard 1.0 percent.
Fourth, maximize your TSP. Even if you can't hit the new $24,500 limit, try to increase your contribution by at least 1.0 percent. Since your pay went up by that amount, you won't "feel" the change in your take-home pay, but your future self will thank you for the compound interest.
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The 2026 pay cycle is going to be a tight one for many feds. Staying informed on the "why" behind these numbers is the only way to plan effectively for a year where the cost of living might outpace the growth of the government's wallet.