General Schedule (GS) base pay varies from the GS-1 level at $21,986 per annum to $159,950 per annum at step 10 of the GS-15 grade, not including locality pay adjustments. The Senior Executive Service salary tops out at $226,300 per annum.

The General Schedule (GS) payscale is the federal government payscale used to determine the salaries of over 70% of federal civilian employees. An employee's base pay depends on two factors - the GS Paygrade of their job, and the Paygrade Step they have achieved (depending on seniority or performance).

The GS governs the establishment and adjustment of salaries for a workforce that, as of September 2021 (most current data available), numbered 1,547,641 employees representing professional, administrative, technical, and clerical occupations.2It is a schedule of annual rates of basic pay consisting of 15 grades, designated “GS-1” through “GS-15,” consecutively, with 10 rates of pay, known as “steps,” for each grade.

In the GS system, pay is based on three factors: grade, step, and location. Grades run from 1 to 15 with 15 receiving the highest pay. Your grade is based on education, experience, and position. Some positions are limited in terms of what grade they can be paid at.