Most federal workers will see a 1% raise in GS pay scale 2026 update

President Trump signed an executive order on Dec. 18, finalizing a 1% pay raise for most civilian federal employees in 2026, marking the smallest adjustment since 2021.

This follows an alternative pay plan that Trump issued earlier in August, which also called for providing most civilian employees with a 1% raise across the board in 2026.

Along with the executive order, the White House website has pay tables of several federal employee schedules. These tables outline a schedule for “Locality-Based Comparability Payments,” but it is worth noting that the executive order does not include locality pay increases for 2026.

The federal pay raise will officially take effect during the first full pay period after Jan. 1, 2026.

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No, not all federal employees are receiving a 1% pay raise in 2026. Military service members are set to receive a 3.8% raise, while select federal law enforcement personnel may also qualify for up to a 3.8% raise in 2026.

“Failing to provide all federal employees with at least the same raise service members are slated to receive breaks a long-held tradition of pay raise parity between the two groups,” said the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), the largest union for federal and D.C. government workers, in September.

The executive order does not specify which civilian law enforcement personnel are eligible to receive a total increase of up to 3.8%.

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According to the AFGE, “Federal salaries on average remain 27% below salaries paid for similar jobs outside the federal government — resulting in recruitment and retention challenges, chronic understaffing, and rampant outsourcing.”

A 1% General Schedule pay raise is the lowest since 2021, when it was also a 1% increase. Here are the General Schedule pay raises for the past 10 years:

• 2025: 1.7%

• 2024: 4.7%

• 2023: 4.1%

• 2022: 2.2%

• 2021: 1%

• 2020: 2.6%

• 2019: 1.4%

• 2018: 1.4%

• 2017: 1%

• 2016: 1%

• 2015: 1%

Note that these numbers do not include locality pay increases, as there will be no locality pay increase for 2026.

Historically, over the past decade, a 1% federal pay raise has not been considered a substantial increase. And with Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) overall average premiums projected to increase 10.2% in 2026, it may seem like federal employee pay isn’t rising enough to cover growing costs.

While making more money at your job is an excellent way to ease your financial burden, you can also learn how to save money in your everyday life, from cutting costs at the grocery store to saving on electricity and utility bills.

One useful strategy for saving is exploring how you store your money. The average savings and interest accounts offer a fraction of the interest you could earn from a high-yield savings or checking account. Even better, many of these high-yield bank accounts don’t charge monthly fees.

Read more: 3 ways to get your paycheck early