GS Pay Scale 2022 OPM – GS Pay Scale 2022 – In the case of government employment the compensation offered is an important issue to consider. Although compensation for government employees might not be as good as what private-sector employers might offer, many government positions offer competitive income with the possibility of rapid advancement along with benefits.
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Pay scales set by the government determine the amount federal employees are paid. Although over 70% of federal workers are paid on the most affluent pay scale, called the General Schedule (GS), there are also a variety of other pay scales.
What is the GS Pay Scale?
Professional, technical, administrative and clerical tasks receive the majority of their pay according to the General Schedule (GS), which is the most common pay scale for federal employees. The system is divided into 15 levels, starting with GS-1 the lowest grade before moving to GS-15, the highest level. In each level, there is the equivalent of ten steps. The pay level associated with an individual job will be determined by the grade for the job.
Grade Levels
- GS-3 or GS-4: These post are often internships, or student job opportunities.
- GS-5 to GS-7: These positions typically comprise the majority of entry-level jobs.
- GS-8 to GS-12: These post are usually located in the mid-management level
- GS-13 to GS-15: These positions are often supervisory posts at the highest levels.
- Above the GS-15 are considered to be members of the Senior Executive Service.
The agencies are free to post advertisements and fill positions at whatever grade level they see necessary. Even if you’ve not worked in the government before, you could draw on your previous experience and educational background to qualify for a higher mark. Each time you progress through the steps and grade levels after having been hired, you’ll get a bump. Employees in the federal government typically advance one step each year.
There are a variety of jobs that are described as “career ladder” jobs. In this way, employees are 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 go from a GS-5 to a GS-7 to an GS-9 with no change in employment within three years from the date of graduation! Go through the summary portion of a job announcement to find out more about the grades and advancement potential of a specific job before applying.
Pay and Cost of Living Allowance
Under the GS system the salary is broken down into two components: the base pay and the pay adjustment for the location. This General Schedule base pay is adjusted to take into account variations in living costs in various geographical areas. This means that a bioscientist at the entry level who earns a GS-7 salary located in San Francisco earns more money than a biochemist at entry-level earning a salary in Atlanta since the cost of living in San Francisco is greater than that of Atlanta.
Furthermore, wages outside the continental United States are typically 10 to 25 percent more than wages in the country. This is because the government also grants select employees with a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA). Workers who live and work on the coasts of Alaska, Hawaii, or the United States territories will get a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to pay for the high costs of living in these areas.
Special Rates
The General Schedule (GS) Pay Scale is utilized in the vast majority of federal agencies, however, more than 40 agencies and subcomponents of agencies have their own pay scales.
Within within the GS system, a variety of agencies use unique pricing. In order to keep top talent for positions that are hard to fill specifically in the technological, scientific medical, and scientific sectors Federal government establishes more lucrative rates for base pay and special rates for select job openings. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are only a few examples of organizations that offer discounted pricing (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 |