Federal Government Pay Scale 2022 DC – GS Pay Scale 2022 – When considering government employment the compensation offered is an important aspect to take into consideration. While government pay isn’t as competitive as what private-sector employers may give, many government positions offer competitive salary with the potential of fast advancement, along with benefits.
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Pay scales set through the Federal government establish the amount federal employees are paid. Although more than 70% of all federal employees are paid on the most affluent pay scale, known as the General Schedule (GS), there is also a range of other pay schedules.
What is the GS Pay Scale?
Technical, professional, administrative, and clerical roles get the majority of their pay as part of the General Schedule (GS), which is the most common pay scale for federal employees. The system is broken down into 15 levels, beginning with GS-1 the lowest level and rising to GS-15 which is the top level. Inside each rank, there are a total of ten steps. The level of pay associated with an individual job will be determined by the grade level for the job.
Grade Levels
- GS-3 or GS-4: These jobs are usually internships or student jobs.
- GS-5 to GS-7: These jobs are typically an overwhelming majority of the entry-level jobs.
- GS-8 to GS-12: These positions are often in the mid-management range
- GS-13 to GS-15: These post-graduate positions are usually supervisory at the highest level.
- Above the GS-15 are considered to be people belonging to the Senior Executive Service.
The agencies are free to post advertisements and fill vacancies at any grade they believe is necessary. Even if you have never worked for the government before you can draw on your previous experience and educational background to qualify for a higher mark. Every time you move up the steps and grades following having been hired, you’ll be rewarded with a boost. Federal government employees typically advance one step each year.
There are various occupations that are referred to be ‘career ladder’ roles. As a result, employees can be eligible to move up to a higher grade without having to apply for a new job. For instance the GS-5/7/9 Career ladder permits a fresh graduate to move from a GS-5 to a GS-7 , and finally the GS-9 level without having to change employment in as little as three years from the date of graduation! Review the summary of a job advertisement to find out more about the qualifications and progression opportunities for a particular job prior to applying.
Pay and Cost of Living Allowance
In the GS system the salary is broken down into two parts: the base pay and the location pay adjustment. In the General Schedule base pay is altered to take into account variations in the cost of living in various geographical areas. This means that a bioscientist at the entry level working for a GS-7 wage at San Francisco earns more money than a biological scientist at the entry level making a living in Atlanta as it is more expensive to live in San Francisco is greater than the cost of living in Atlanta.
Furthermore, wage rates outside in the Continental United States are typically 10 to 25 percent higher than the ones in the United States. This is due to the fact that the government also provides select workers with a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA). Those who live and work on the coasts of Alaska, Hawaii, or the United States territories will get a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to help pay for the high costs of living in these areas.
Special Rates
The General Schedule (GS) Pay Scale is used across the entire government, however, over 40 agencies and subcomponents of agencies each has their own set of scales for pay.
In within the GS system, a variety of organizations use special pricing. In order to attract and also retain the best talent for jobs that are difficult to fill especially in the technological, scientific and medical areas The federal government sets more lucrative rates for base pay and special rates for certain jobs. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are only a few examples of companies that offer discounted prices (IRS).
Federal Pay Scale 2021 – GS Pay Scale 2021
| GS Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
| GS-1 | $19,738 | $20,400 | $21,056 | $21,709 | $22,365 | $22,749 | $23,398 | $24,052 | $24,078 | $24,690 |
| GS-2 | $22,194 | $22,722 | $23,457 | $24,078 | $24,349 | $25,065 | $25,781 | $26,497 | $27,213 | $27,929 |
| GS-3 | $24,216 | $25,023 | $25,830 | $26,637 | $27,444 | $28,251 | $29,058 | $29,865 | $30,672 | $31,479 |
| GS-4 | $27,184 | $28,090 | $28,996 | $29,902 | $30,808 | $31,714 | $32,620 | $33,526 | $34,432 | $35,338 |
| GS-5 | $30,414 | $31,428 | $32,442 | $33,456 | $34,470 | $35,484 | $36,498 | $37,512 | $38,526 | $39,540 |
| GS-6 | $33,903 | $35,033 | $36,163 | $37,293 | $38,423 | $39,553 | $40,683 | $41,813 | $42,943 | $44,073 |
| GS-7 | $37,674 | $38,930 | $40,186 | $41,442 | $42,698 | $43,954 | $45,210 | $46,466 | $47,722 | $48,978 |
| GS-8 | $41,723 | $43,114 | $44,505 | $45,896 | $47,287 | $48,678 | $50,069 | $51,460 | $52,851 | $54,242 |
| GS-9 | $46,083 | $47,619 | $49,155 | $50,691 | $52,227 | $53,763 | $55,299 | $56,835 | $58,371 | $59,907 |
| GS-10 | $50,748 | $52,440 | $54,132 | $55,824 | $57,516 | $59,208 | $60,900 | $62,592 | $64,284 | $65,976 |
| GS-11 | $55,756 | $57,615 | $59,474 | $61,333 | $63,192 | $65,051 | $66,910 | $68,769 | $70,628 | $72,487 |
| GS-12 | $66,829 | $69,057 | $71,285 | $73,513 | $75,741 | $77,969 | $80,197 | $82,425 | $84,653 | $86,881 |
| GS-13 | $79,468 | $82,117 | $84,766 | $87,415 | $90,064 | $92,713 | $95,362 | $98,011 | $100,660 | $103,309 |
| GS-14 | $93,907 | $97,037 | $100,167 | $103,297 | $106,427 | $109,557 | $112,687 | $115,817 | $118,947 | $122,077 |
| GS-15 | $110,460 | $114,142 | $117,824 | $121,506 | $125,188 | $128,870 | $132,552 | $136,234 | $139,916 | $143,598 |
Federal Pay Scale 2022 – GS Pay Scale 2022
| GS Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
| GS-1 | $20,251 | $20,930 | $21,603 | $22,273 | $22,946 | $23,340 | $24,006 | $24,677 | $24,704 | $25,332 |
| GS-2 | $22,771 | $23,313 | $24,067 | $24,704 | $24,982 | $25,717 | $26,451 | $27,186 | $27,921 | $28,655 |
| GS-3 | $24,846 | $25,674 | $26,502 | $27,330 | $28,158 | $28,986 | $29,814 | $30,641 | $31,469 | $32,297 |
| GS-4 | $27,891 | $28,820 | $29,750 | $30,679 | $31,609 | $32,539 | $33,468 | $34,398 | $35,327 | $36,257 |
| GS-5 | $31,205 | $32,245 | $33,285 | $34,326 | $35,366 | $36,407 | $37,447 | $38,487 | $39,528 | $40,568 |
| GS-6 | $34,784 | $35,944 | $37,103 | $38,263 | $39,422 | $40,581 | $41,741 | $42,900 | $44,060 | $45,219 |
| GS-7 | $38,654 | $39,942 | $41,231 | $42,519 | $43,808 | $45,097 | $46,385 | $47,674 | $48,963 | $50,251 |
| GS-8 | $42,808 | $44,235 | $45,662 | $47,089 | $48,516 | $49,944 | $51,371 | $52,798 | $54,225 | $55,652 |
| GS-9 | $47,281 | $48,857 | $50,433 | $52,009 | $53,585 | $55,161 | $56,737 | $58,313 | $59,889 | $61,465 |
| GS-10 | $52,067 | $53,803 | $55,539 | $57,275 | $59,011 | $60,747 | $62,483 | $64,219 | $65,955 | $67,691 |
| GS-11 | $57,206 | $59,113 | $61,020 | $62,928 | $64,835 | $66,742 | $68,650 | $70,557 | $72,464 | $74,372 |
| GS-12 | $68,567 | $70,852 | $73,138 | $75,424 | $77,710 | $79,996 | $82,282 | $84,568 | $86,854 | $89,140 |
| GS-13 | $81,534 | $84,252 | $86,970 | $89,688 | $92,406 | $95,124 | $97,841 | $100,559 | $103,277 | $105,995 |
| GS-14 | $96,349 | $99,560 | $102,771 | $105,983 | $109,194 | $112,405 | $115,617 | $118,828 | $122,040 | $125,251 |
| GS-15 | $113,332 | $117,110 | $120,887 | $124,665 | $128,443 | $132,221 | $135,998 | $139,776 | $143,554 | $147,332 |