GS Pay Scale 2027: Projected Tables and Raise Tracker

Last Updated: August 12, 2026 Reading Time: 8 min

There is no official GS pay scale 2027 yet, and the number that fills it comes down to one letter the White House must send by August 31, 2026. This page tracks what's confirmed, what's rumor, and what your paycheck looks like under each realistic scenario. We'll update it as each fact lands, through the December pay order and final OPM tables.

Projected 2027 GS Pay Tables by Scenario

These figures apply each scenario's across-the-board raise to the official 2026 base rates (before locality). The 2026 rates come from OPM's published tables, the same data behind our GS Pay Calculator.

What the freeze costs you against the FEPCA default

The gap between 0% and the 3.1% statutory default is the money the pay order would take off the table:

• GS-7 Step 5: $1,514 per year
• GS-9 Step 5: $1,853 per year
• GS-11 Step 5: $2,241 per year
• GS-13 Step 5: $3,195 per year
• GS-15 Step 5: $4,440 per year

Those gaps compound. A freeze year permanently lowers the base that every future raise, promotion, and High-3 average builds on. Our High-3 Calculator shows how a frozen year ripples into your annuity if you're within a decade of retirement.

The August 31 Deadline, Explained

Under 5 U.S.C. § 5303, the President must transmit an alternative pay plan to Congress by August 31 to override the FEPCA formula. Miss the deadline, and the statute's default raise takes effect automatically, locality adjustments included.

No administration has ever missed it. The letter usually arrives in the last week of August, sometimes on the 31st itself. Until it does, the 2027 raise is legally undetermined: the freeze is a budget proposal, not an order.

Three outcomes are possible:

1. Letter specifies 0%. The freeze becomes official policy. Congress could still override it in an appropriations bill, but no such language is moving.
2. Letter specifies some positive number. The 2026 precedent was 1.0% after a similar freeze proposal. A small positive number remains possible.
3. No letter by August 31. The ~3.1% FEPCA default takes effect. This has never happened, but it is the only path to a raise larger than whatever the letter says.

What Happens to Locality Pay in a Freeze

Base pay and locality pay are legally separate, and the President sets both in the annual pay order. In practice, freezes cover both. The 2011 to 2013 freeze held locality percentages flat for three years. The 2026 order granted 1.0% on base and kept locality percentages at 2025 levels for most employees, with a carve-out for law enforcement.

So a 2027 freeze almost certainly means your locality percentage doesn't move either. Whatever your combined rate is today is what you'd carry into 2027.

Civilian 0% vs. Military 3.6-7%

The contrast with military pay is stark. The House-passed FY2027 NDAA gives 7% to E-5 and below, 6% to E-6 through O-3, and 5% to O-4 and above. The Senate Armed Services Committee version carries a flat 3.6%. Conference will land somewhere in that band, and the military raise becomes law with the NDAA regardless of what happens on the civilian side.

If the civilian freeze holds, 2027 opens the widest military-civilian raise gap since the 2011 freeze era. We track the mechanics and history in Feds 0%, Military 7%: The 2027 Pay Gap and the grade-by-grade military numbers in 2027 Military Pay Raise by Grade.

Calculate Your Current Pay While You Wait

Your 2027 number starts from your 2026 number. Use our free GS Pay Calculator to check your exact 2026 base and locality pay by grade, step, and city, then apply the scenarios above. Try it now →

Frequently Asked Questions

Has the 2027 federal pay raise been announced?

No. As of August 12, 2026, the White House has not submitted the alternative pay plan letter, and the deadline is August 31. OMB's budget guidance points to a freeze, but nothing is final until the letter or a signed executive order exists.

What is the FEPCA default raise for 2027?

About 3.1%, from the Employment Cost Index formula (roughly 3.6% ECI minus 0.5 points). It applies automatically only if no alternative pay plan is submitted, which has never happened.

Will locality pay go up in 2027 if base pay is frozen?

Almost certainly not. Freeze-year pay orders have consistently held locality percentages at prior-year levels, in 2011 through 2013 and again in 2026.

When do the official 2027 GS pay tables come out?

Late December 2026, after the President signs the annual pay order. This page swaps projections for official figures the day OPM publishes.

Could Congress override a freeze?

Yes, through appropriations language setting a specific raise, which is how the 2019 freeze became a 1.9% raise. As of August 2026, no such language is moving in either chamber.

Related Resources

• 2027 Federal Pay Raise Mechanics: The Most Likely Outcome: How the decision process works and where the political forces point.
• 2027 Federal Pay Freeze: Impact by GS Grade: The freeze scenario in depth, grade by grade.
• The FAIR Act's 2027 Proposal: The union-backed raise bill and its real chances.
• GS Pay Calculator: Your exact 2026 rate by grade, step, and locality.

Sources: 5 U.S.C. § 5303 · OPM 2026 salary tables · BLS Employment Cost Index · GovExec and Federal News Network reporting, April–August 2026