Federal and Military Pay

The 2027 COLA for FERS retirees is 2.6%. CSRS retirees and Social Security beneficiaries get the full 3.6%, which SSA announced on October 14, 2026. That one-point gap isn't a mistake. It's written into the FERS law, and it kicks in every time the COLA comes in above 3%. The…

Active duty troops get paid twice a month in 2027: on the 1st and the 15th. When either date lands on a weekend or a federal holiday, the Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) moves payday to the business day before, never after. That one rule explains every "early" paycheck…

VA disability compensation for any given month is paid on the first business day of the following month. When the 1st lands on a weekend or federal holiday, VA pays on the last business day of the month before instead. That rule is simple, but in 2027 it creates an…

VA disability compensation rises 3.6% for 2027, matching the Social Security COLA that SSA announced on October 14, 2026. A veteran rated 100% with no dependents goes from $3,938.58 to about $4,080.37 a month, roughly $142 more. The new rates take effect December 1, 2026. Because VA pays a month…

For 2027, President Trump has used his own statutory authority to set the tiered military pay raise the House already passed — 7% for junior enlisted, scaling down to 5% for senior officers — even though the Senate's NDAA hasn't moved. That doesn't finalize the number (Congress can still supersede…

The General Schedule (GS) pay scale sets base pay for roughly 1.5 million civilian federal employees. This page tracks confirmed raises and the latest proposals for each year. For 2027, the debate is almost over: President Trump's August 26, 2026 letter to Congress set a pay freeze for most civilian…