General Schedule (2024)

FAQs

Can you negotiate a GS step in a promotion? ›

Under the government pay system, it can be difficult to negotiate a higher GS level—as the pay grades are called under the government's General Schedule—than the one listed in the job description. But each grade has 10 steps that come with a higher salary and career advancement, and those step levels are more flexible.

The GS-1 through GS-7 range generally marks entry-level positions, while mid-level positions are in the GS-8 to GS-12 range and top-level positions (senior managers, high-level technical specialists, or physicians) are in the GS-13 to GS-15 range.

Under the two-step promotion rule, a GS employee who is being promoted from one grade on the General Schedule to a higher grade on the General Schedule is entitled to the lowest rate of the higher grade which exceeds his or her "existing rate" by not less than two step increases of the grade from which promoted or ...

The estimated total pay range for a GS 12 at United States Federal Government is $94K–$127K per year, which includes base salary and additional pay. The average GS 12 base salary at United States Federal Government is $109K per year.

As of Jun 12, 2024, the average annual pay for a Gs 9 in the United States is $285,937 a year. Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $137.47 an hour.

A new GS employee is usually hired at step one of the applicable GS grade. However, in special circ*mstances, agencies may authorize a higher step rate for a newly-appointed Federal employee based on a special need of the agency or superior qualifications of the prospective employee.

As of Jun 12, 2024, the average hourly pay for a Gs 14 in the United States is $23.11 an hour. While ZipRecruiter is seeing hourly wages as high as $52.64 and as low as $10.34, the majority of Gs 14 wages currently range between $13.94 (25th percentile) to $32.69 (75th percentile) across the United States.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $111,000 and as low as $39,000, the majority of Gs 15 salaries currently range between $50,000 (25th percentile) to $90,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $101,500 annually across the United States.

To qualify for jobs at the GS-9 grade (or equivalent) level you need a master's degree, and for the GS-11 grade (or equivalent) level you need a doctoral degree.

The federal pay raise in 2024 will likely be 5.2% for most government workers. However, certain contingencies may make it higher or lower.

Do GS jobs always start at Step 1? ›

Understanding Grade Levels

Understanding the relationship between GS grade level, location, and compensation is important to understanding how salaries work at TTS. Each GS grade level contains a series of 10 steps. New employees are usually hired at Step 1 of a GS grade.

It means you start at a GS-12 Paygrade, with the possibility to go to a GS-13 without competition. In other words, GS-13 is your full paygrade potential. There's actually no time limit involved, your supervisor can promote you to a GS-13 whenever they think you're doing GS-13 level work, but not less than 1-year.

Basic Requirements for GS-13 and Above

Completion of all mandatory training prescribed by the head of the agency for progression to GS-13 or higher level contracting positions, including at least 4-years experience in contracting or related positions.

For example, many agencies automatically exempt employees who work at the GS-11 and GS-12 grade levels and above from the right to receive overtime pay. This is not always true, however, and many federal employees are illegally denied overtime pay to which they are entitled.

GS-12: To qualify for this position at the GS-12 level, you must possess one full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-11 level in the Federal.

Timing is crucial when it comes to negotiating a salary increase. Ideally, you want to initiate the discussion before the promotion is finalized, or as soon as possible after it is announced. This way, you can align your expectations with your employer and avoid any confusion or disappointment later.

As a GS employee, you have to wait one year to increase to a step 2, 3, or 4. You must wait two years before increasing to step 5, 6, or 7. Lastly, you must wait three years before increasing to step 8, 9, or 10.

Grade increases are considered promotions linked to the title, job responsibilities, education, and experience. Pay steps are based on the length of service within your current grade. Step increases are raises but are not considered promotions.

For example, if an employee in a General Schedule (GS) position is placed in a lower-graded Federal Wage System position as a result of a reduction in force and retains the grade of the GS position, the agency must treat the employee as a GS employee for almost all purposes. (See 5 CFR 536.205(b) for exceptions.)