SES Pay Scale 2026
Senior Executive Service salary range: $151,661 to $209,600 (standard) or $228,000 (certified agencies). No locality pay. Executive Schedule I–V rates below.
Source: OPM SES Pay Tables 2026 • OPM Executive Schedule 2026 · Effective January 11, 2026
SES pay at a glance (2026)
SES employees receive a flat salary within the pay band — no locality pay supplement.
Source: OPM Executive Schedule & SES Pay Tables 2026, effective January 11, 2026. SES minimum = 120% × GS-15 Step 1 base ($126,384) per 5 U.S.C. § 5382. Standard maximum = Executive Schedule Level IV. Certified maximum = Executive Schedule Level III (requires OPM-certified performance appraisal system).
SES pay by agency: who actually earns the cap (April 2026)
FedTools 2026 analysis of the OPM EHRI public employment file. The SES band is one range, but where an executive lands in it depends heavily on the agency: the median disclosed SES salary is $218,378, 70% of executives with disclosed pay earn at or above the $209,600 standard maximum, and 25% sit exactly at the $228,000 certified cap.
| Department / agency | SES on roll | Pay disclosed | Median SES salary | At or above $209,600 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | 1,052 | 0 | withheld | — |
| Department of Justice | 685 | 363 | $221,900 | 72% |
| Department of Homeland Security | 584 | 390 | $214,200 | 59% |
| Department of Health and Human Services | 423 | 0 | withheld | — |
| Department of the Treasury | 383 | 363 | $213,064 | 58% |
| Department of Commerce | 358 | 353 | $221,724 | 79% |
| Department of Energy | 357 | 258 | $221,958 | 80% |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | 343 | 14 | $220,184 | 64% |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 302 | 294 | $217,332 | 93% |
| Department of Agriculture | 265 | 261 | $210,240 | 52% |
| Environmental Protection Agency | 232 | 232 | $221,077 | 68% |
| Department of Transportation | 201 | 198 | $218,800 | 71% |
| Department of the Interior | 191 | 184 | $220,812 | 64% |
| Department of State | 175 | 163 | $216,962 | 63% |
| Department of Labor | 138 | 127 | $228,000 | 82% |
| Social Security Administration | 83 | 80 | $216,381 | 74% |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | 80 | 77 | $220,500 | 68% |
| Nuclear Regulatory Commission | 77 | 74 | $209,600 | 96% |
| Office of Management and Budget | 73 | 73 | $204,947 | 44% |
| General Services Administration | 72 | 0 | withheld | — |
| Department of Education | 61 | 59 | $206,882 | 46% |
| National Science Foundation | 57 | 56 | $224,334 | 98% |
| Office of Personnel Management | 53 | 0 | withheld | — |
| National Labor Relations Board | 51 | 47 | $228,000 | 100% |
| Small Business Administration | 40 | 39 | $205,490 | 46% |
| Federal Trade Commission | 36 | 36 | $219,270 | 64% |
| Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | 35 | 34 | $213,352 | 71% |
| Federal Communications Commission | 32 | 32 | $225,700 | 91% |
Source: FedTools analysis of OPM EHRI Data Analysis public file, snapshot April 2026 (pay plan ES; 6,640 records: 5,783 career, 811 noncareer, 46 limited-term). Departments with 30 or more SES shown. “Withheld” = the agency redacts individual pay in the public file (DOD, HHS, GSA, OPM); VA discloses only 14 of 343. Ten records above the $228,000 cap (non-Title-5 pay systems) excluded from pay statistics. Intelligence-community agencies are not in the public file.
How SES pay differs from GS pay
GS employees are paid under a grade-and-step structure: a fixed table of 15 grades × 10 steps, plus a locality adjustment (17.06% to 46.34%) added on top of base pay. Pay is largely automatic — step increases come with tenure, locality is set by geography.
SES pay is entirely different. There are no grades or steps — instead, each SES member is assigned a salary anywhere within the pay band ($151,661 to $209,600 / $228,000). Agencies set the specific salary based on budget, performance, and prevailing pay comparability. There is no locality pay — a Washington DC SES member and an SES member in the Rest of U.S. earn the same salary for the same position.
- →No locality pay — salary is the same regardless of duty station
- →Pay is set within the band by the agency; not automatic or formula-driven
- →Maximum depends on whether the agency has an OPM-certified performance appraisal system
- →SES minimum is recalculated each year when the GS pay adjustment is effective
- →SES members are exempt from the GS locality pay cap rules that affect GS-15 employees
2026 Executive Schedule (ES) pay — Levels I through V
Fixed statutory salaries for political appointees and top agency heads. No locality pay. No step increases.
| ES Level | 2026 Salary | Typical Positions |
|---|---|---|
| ES-Level I | $253,100 | Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense |
| ES-Level IICertified SES cap | $228,000 | Deputy Secretary of Defense, Director of the CIA |
| ES-Level IIIStandard SES cap | $209,600 | Under Secretary of Defense (Policy), Director of OPM |
| ES-Level IV | $197,200 | Assistant Secretary of State, General Counsel of agencies |
| ES-Level V | $184,900 | Certain commissioners of independent regulatory bodies |
Source: OPM Executive Schedule & SES Pay Tables 2026, effective January 11, 2026. Effective January 11, 2026. These are gross annual salaries before taxes.
Executive Schedule level detail pages
Click any ES level for a full breakdown of positions, pay comparisons, and relevant federal law.
SES pay range vs. GS pay (2026 comparison)
How SES compares to senior GS grades in the Washington, DC locality.
| Pay Level | Min / Step 1 (DC) | Max / Step 10 (DC) | Locality pay? |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-13 (DC) | $104,604 | $136,011 | Yes (+33.94%) |
| GS-14 (DC) | $123,616 | $160,703 | Yes (+33.94%) |
| GS-15 (DC) | $145,491 | $197,200 | Yes — capped at EL-IV |
| SES (standard) | $151,661 | $209,600 | No |
| SES (certified agency) | $151,661 | $228,000 | No |
FedTools 2026 analysis. GS-DC figures use OPM 2026 GS pay tables + Washington DC-Baltimore-Arlington locality adjustment (33.94%). GS-15 total pay is capped at Executive Schedule Level IV ($197,200). SES figures are flat nationwide. Verify at OPM.gov.
SES pay — frequently asked questions
What is the SES pay range in 2026?
The Senior Executive Service pay range in 2026 runs from $151,661 (minimum) to $209,600 (maximum for agencies without an OPM-certified performance appraisal system). For agencies with a certified performance appraisal system, the cap rises to $228,000 — the Executive Schedule Level III rate. These rates are set by 5 U.S.C. § 5382 and effective January 11, 2026.
Does SES pay include locality pay?
No. SES members do not receive locality pay. Unlike GS employees, whose total compensation is base + locality (ranging from +17.06% in Rest of U.S. to +46.34% in San Jose), SES compensation is a flat salary within the pay band — the same rate regardless of duty station. The SES minimum and maximum are defined by statute and adjusted by the annual pay adjustment, not by geographic locality tables.
What are the Executive Schedule (ES) pay levels for 2026?
The 2026 Executive Schedule rates are: Level I: $253,100 (Cabinet Secretaries), Level II: $228,000 (Deputy Secretaries and major independent agency heads), Level III: $209,600 (Under Secretaries), Level IV: $197,200 (Assistant Secretaries; also the standard SES cap and the GS pay cap), Level V: $184,900 (specific statutory positions). Source: OPM Executive Schedule 2026, effective January 11, 2026.
How many SES members are there, and what do they actually earn?
The OPM EHRI public file for April 2026 lists 6,640 Senior Executive Service employees (5,783 career, 811 noncareer, 46 limited-term). Among the 3,990 with disclosed pay, the median salary is $218,378; 70% earn at or above the $209,600 standard maximum and 25% sit exactly at the $228,000 certified cap (FedTools 2026 analysis; DOD, HHS, GSA and OPM redact SES pay in the public file).
What is the "certified" vs. "standard" SES pay cap?
Agencies with an OPM-certified SES Performance Appraisal System may pay SES members up to Executive Schedule Level III ($228,000 in 2026). Agencies without certification are capped at Executive Schedule Level IV ($209,600 in 2026). OPM certifies agency performance appraisal systems under 5 U.S.C. § 5307. As of 2026, most major cabinet departments have obtained certification, allowing their SES members to be paid above the standard cap.
Data Accuracy Notice: SES and Executive Schedule pay rates are from OPM official pay tables effective January 11, 2026. This page is for informational reference only — it does not constitute financial or career advice. Verify current rates at OPM SES Pay and OPM Executive Schedule.