[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 22 (Tuesday, February 3, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4973-4974]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-02189]
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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
January 2026 Pay Schedules
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The President adjusted the rates of basic pay for certain
Federal civilian employees effective in January 2026 by Executive
order. The Executive order authorizes a 1.0 percent across-the-board
increase for statutory pay systems and provides that locality pay
percentages will remain at 2025 levels. This notice serves as
documentation for the public record.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lisa Dismond; Pay, Leave, and
Workforce Flexibilities; Workforce Policy and Innovation; Office of
Personnel Management; (202) 606-2858 or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 18, 2025, the President signed
Executive Order (E.O.) 14368 (90 FR 60521), which implemented pay
adjustments for certain Federal civilian employees in January 2026.
E.O. 14368 provides an across-the-board increase of 1.0 percent for the
statutory pay systems. This is consistent with the President's
alternative pay plan issued under 5 U.S.C. 5303(b) and 5304a on August
28, 2025. The pay rates in E.O. 14132 have been superseded.
The publication of this notice satisfies the requirement in Section
5(b) of E.O. 14368 that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
publish appropriate notice of the 2026 locality payments in the Federal
Register.
Schedule 1 of E.O. 14368 provides the rates for the 2026 General
Schedule (GS) and reflects a 1.0 percent increase from 2025. Executive
Order 14368 also includes the percentage amounts of the 2026 locality
payments. (See Section 5 and Schedule 9 of Executive Order 14368.)
General Schedule employees receive locality payments under 5 U.S.C.
5304. Locality payments apply in the United States (as defined in 5
U.S.C. 5921(4)) and its territories and possessions. In 2026, locality
payments ranging from 17.06 percent to 46.34 percent apply to GS
employees in the 58 locality pay areas. The 2026 locality pay area
definitions \1\ can be found on OPM's website.
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\1\ Office of Personnel Management. ``2026 Locality Pay Area
Definitions.'' Locality Pay Area Definitions.'' https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2026/locality-pay-area-definitions.
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The 2026 locality pay percentages became effective the first day of
the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2026 (January 11,
2026). An employee's locality rate of pay is computed by increasing his
or her scheduled annual rate of pay (as defined in 5 CFR 531.602) by
the applicable locality pay percentage. (See 5 CFR 531.604 and
531.609.)
Executive Order 14368 establishes the new Executive Schedule (EX),
which incorporates a 1.0 percent increase required under 5 U.S.C. 5318
(rounded to the nearest $100). By law, Executive Schedule officials are
not authorized to receive locality payments.
Executive Order 14368 establishes the 2026 range of rates of basic
pay for members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) under 5 U.S.C.
5382. The minimum rate of basic pay for the SES is $151,661 in 2026.
The maximum rate of the SES rate range is $228,000 (level II of the
Executive Schedule) for SES members who are covered by a certified SES
performance appraisal system and $209,600 (level III of the Executive
Schedule) for SES members who are not covered by a certified SES
performance appraisal system.
The minimum rate of basic pay for the senior-level (SL) and
scientific and professional (ST) rate range was increased by 1.0
percent ($151,661 in 2026), which is the amount of the across-the-board
GS increase. The applicable maximum rate of the SL/ST rate range is
$228,000 (level II of the Executive Schedule) for SL or ST employees
who are covered by a certified SL/ST performance appraisal system and
$209,600 (level III of the Executive Schedule) for SL or ST employees
who are not covered by a certified SL/ST performance appraisal system.
Agencies with certified performance appraisal systems for SES members
and employees in SL and ST positions must also apply a higher aggregate
limitation on pay--up to the Vice President's salary ($292,300 in
2026.)
The Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch,
Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extensions Act, 2026
(Pub. L. 119-37, November 12, 2025), contains a provision that
continues the freeze on the payable pay rates for the Vice President
and certain senior political appointees at the rates of pay and
applicable limitations on payable rates of pay through January 30,
2026. Future Congressional action will determine whether the pay freeze
continues beyond that date. OPM guidance on the continued pay freeze
for certain senior political officials can be found in CPM 2025-21.\2\
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\2\ Office of Personnel Management. ``Updated Guidance-Pay
Freeze for Certain Senior Political Officials.'' https://www.opm.gov/chcoc/latest-memos/updated-guidance-pay-freeze-for-certain-senior-political-officials.pdf
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Executive Order 14368 provides that the rates of basic pay for
administrative law judges (ALJs) under 5 U.S.C. 5372 are increased by
1.0 percent (rounded to the nearest $100) in 2026. The rate of basic
pay for AL-1 is $197,200 (equivalent to the rate for level IV of the
Executive Schedule). The rate of basic pay for AL-2 is $192,400. The
rates of basic pay for AL-3/A through 3/F range from $131,700 to
$182,400.
The rates of basic pay for members of Contract Appeals Boards are
calculated as a percentage of the rate for level IV of the Executive
Schedule. (See 5 U.S.C. 5372a.) Therefore, these rates of basic pay are
increased by 1.0 percent in 2026.
On December 9, 2025, OPM issued a memorandum \3\ on behalf of the
President's Pay Agent (the Secretary of Labor and the Directors of the
Office of Management of Budget and OPM) that continues GS locality
payments for ALJs and certain other non-GS employee categories in 2026.
By law, EX officials, SES members, employees in SL/ST positions, and
employees in certain other equivalent pay systems are not authorized to
receive locality payments. (Note: An exception applies to certain
grandfathered SES, SL, and ST employees stationed in a nonforeign area
on January 2, 2010 (see CPM 2009-27) \4\).
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\3\ Office of Personnel Management. ``Continuation of Locality
Payments for Non-General Schedule Employees.'' https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2025/continuation-of-locality-payments-for-non-general-schedule-employees.pdf.
\4\ Office of Personnel Management. ``Nonforeign Area Retirement
Equity Assurance Act.'' https://www.opm.gov/chcoc/transmittals/2009/nonforeign-area-retirement-equity-assurance-act_508_0.pdf.
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[[Page 4974]]
On December 18, 2025, OPM issued a memorandum (CPM 2025-18) \5\ on
the 2026 pay adjustments. The memorandum transmitted Executive Order
14368 and provided the 2026 salary tables, locality pay areas and
percentages, and information on general pay administration matters and
other related guidance. The 2026 ``Salaries & Wages'' posted on OPM's
website \6\ are the official rates of pay for affected employees and
are hereby incorporated as part of this notice.
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\5\ Office of Personnel Management. ``January 2026 Pay
Adjustments.'' https://www.opm.gov.chcoc/latest-memos/january-2026-pay-adjustments.pdf.
\6\ Office of Personnel Management. ``Salaries & Wages.'' http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/.
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The Director of OPM, Scott Kupor, reviewed and approved this
document and has authorized the undersigned to electronically sign and
submit this document to the Office of the Federal Register for
publication.
Office of Personnel Management.
Jerson Matias,
Federal Register Liaison.
[FR Doc. 2026-02189 Filed 2-2-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-39-P