Key Takeaways
- Trump's FY2027 budget proposes a pay freeze for civilian federal employees - zero increase effective January 2027.
- Military would receive up to 7% for 2027, creating one of the largest civil-military pay gaps in recent history.
- The FAIR Act (H.R. 7480), introduced by Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), proposes a 4.1% raise (3.1% base + 1.0% locality average) for 2027.
- The FAIR Act has not passed. An executive order - expected by December 2026 - will determine the final outcome.
- The 2026 GS pay raise was confirmed at 1% base pay, effective January 2026, with locality pay unchanged.
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. The 2026 raise is confirmed at 1%. The 2027 picture is wide open — Trump’s budget proposes a freeze, Congress has offered a 4.1% counter, and the final call won’t come until late December 2026.
2027 GS Pay Raise: Freeze Proposed vs. 4.1% FAIR Act
The Trump administration’s FY2027 budget, submitted to Congress in spring 2026, was notable for what it didn’t include: any civilian pay raise. An Office of Management and Budget spokesperson confirmed that under the proposal, civilian federal workers would receive no pay increase in January 2027.
That’s a sharp contrast with what the military is getting. The 2027 defense bill calls for a raise of 3.6% to 7% for service members depending on rank — which would create one of the largest gaps between military and civilian federal pay in modern history.
The FAIR Act Counter-Proposal: 4.1%
In response, Democratic lawmakers introduced the Federal Adjustment of Income Rates (FAIR) Act (H.R. 7480), led by Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) in the House and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI) in the Senate. The FAIR Act would provide:
- 3.1% across-the-board base pay increase
- 1.0% average locality pay adjustment
- 4.1% total average increase effective January 2027
The FAIR Act has been reintroduced in various forms for years and has never passed as standalone legislation. As of June 2026, it remains at the introduced stage in committee. The realistic path to a 2027 raise runs through the annual spending process and a presidential executive order — not the FAIR Act itself.
What Each Scenario Would Mean in Dollars
The table below shows the impact on base pay (Step 1) at common GS grades, using 2026 confirmed figures as the baseline. Locality pay is on top of these amounts and varies by area.
| Grade | 2026 Base (Step 1) | Freeze (0%) | FAIR Act (3.1% base) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-5 | $34,799 | $34,799 | $35,878 | +$1,079 |
| GS-7 | $43,106 | $43,106 | $44,442 | +$1,336 |
| GS-9 | $52,727 | $52,727 | $54,362 | +$1,635 |
| GS-11 | $63,795 | $63,795 | $65,773 | +$1,978 |
| GS-12 | $76,463 | $76,463 | $78,833 | +$2,370 |
| GS-13 | $90,925 | $90,925 | $93,744 | +$2,819 |
| GS-14 | $107,446 | $107,446 | $110,777 | +$3,331 |
| GS-15 | $126,384 | $126,384 | $130,302 | +$3,918 |
Base pay only, excludes locality pay. FAIR Act column reflects 3.1% base raise only.
For context: a federal law enforcement officer (e.g., ICE, DEA) on the GS pay scale received an additional 3.8% in 2026, matching the military’s raise. Whether that exception continues in 2027 has not been addressed in any proposal yet.
What do you think the 2027 GS pay raise will be?
📊 Cast your vote — what do you think the final 2027 GS pay raise will be?
Key Dates to Watch
The 2027 pay outcome follows a predictable calendar:
- August 31, 2026: Deadline for the President to submit an “alternative pay plan” letter to Congress outlining any deviation from the statutory pay adjustment formula.
- Fall 2026: Congressional appropriations activity could add or block a civilian pay raise in spending legislation.
- December 2026: Presidential executive order typically issued, locking in January 2027 pay rates.
I’ll update this page as each of these milestones passes. Subscribe here to get notified when the 2027 rate is finalized.
2026 GS Pay Raise: 1% Under Trump
Despite real fears of a full pay freeze, the Trump administration proposed a 1% across-the-board base pay increase for 2026 via its alternative pay plan submission to Congress. Locality pay was kept unchanged from 2025 levels. The raise took effect January 2026.
An exception applied to certain federal law enforcement personnel — including ICE agents — who received an additional 3.8%, bringing their total raise in line with the 2026 military pay raise.
For a federal employee earning $60,000/year, the 1% raise adds $600/year — about $46/month before taxes.
2026 GS Base Pay Table (Annual, by Grade and Step)
Salary Table 2026-GS — Incorporating the 1% General Schedule Increase, effective January 2026. Excludes locality pay.
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 2 | Step 3 | Step 4 | Step 5 | Step 6 | Step 7 | Step 8 | Step 9 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $22,584 | $23,341 | $24,092 | $24,840 | $25,589 | $26,028 | $26,771 | $27,519 | $27,550 | $28,248 |
| 2 | $25,393 | $25,997 | $26,839 | $27,550 | $27,858 | $28,677 | $29,496 | $30,315 | $31,134 | $31,953 |
| 3 | $27,708 | $28,632 | $29,556 | $30,480 | $31,404 | $32,328 | $33,252 | $34,176 | $35,100 | $36,024 |
| 4 | $31,103 | $32,140 | $33,177 | $34,214 | $35,251 | $36,288 | $37,325 | $38,362 | $39,399 | $40,436 |
| 5 | $34,799 | $35,959 | $37,119 | $38,279 | $39,439 | $40,599 | $41,759 | $42,919 | $44,079 | $45,239 |
| 6 | $38,791 | $40,084 | $41,377 | $42,670 | $43,963 | $45,256 | $46,549 | $47,842 | $49,135 | $50,428 |
| 7 | $43,106 | $44,543 | $45,980 | $47,417 | $48,854 | $50,291 | $51,728 | $53,165 | $54,602 | $56,039 |
| 8 | $47,738 | $49,329 | $50,920 | $52,511 | $54,102 | $55,693 | $57,284 | $58,875 | $60,466 | $62,057 |
| 9 | $52,727 | $54,485 | $56,243 | $58,001 | $59,759 | $61,517 | $63,275 | $65,033 | $66,791 | $68,549 |
| 10 | $58,064 | $59,999 | $61,934 | $63,869 | $65,804 | $67,739 | $69,674 | $71,609 | $73,544 | $75,479 |
| 11 | $63,795 | $65,922 | $68,049 | $70,176 | $72,303 | $74,430 | $76,557 | $78,684 | $80,811 | $82,938 |
| 12 | $76,463 | $79,012 | $81,561 | $84,110 | $86,659 | $89,208 | $91,757 | $94,306 | $96,855 | $99,404 |
| 13 | $90,925 | $93,956 | $96,987 | $100,018 | $103,049 | $106,080 | $109,111 | $112,142 | $115,173 | $118,204 |
| 14 | $107,446 | $111,028 | $114,610 | $118,192 | $121,774 | $125,356 | $128,938 | $132,520 | $136,102 | $139,684 |
| 15 | $126,384 | $130,597 | $134,810 | $139,023 | $143,236 | $147,449 | $151,662 | $155,875 | $160,088 | $164,301 |
Source: OPM Salary Table 2026-GS. For locality pay adjustments (which can add 15%–35%+ depending on your metro area), see the full locality tables at OPM.
How to Read This Table: 3 Examples
Example 1: Finding your base pay (GS-7, Step 1 — entry-level analyst) If you’re starting as a GS-7 federal employee, find row “7” and column “Step 1.” Your 2026 base pay is $43,106/year. That’s before locality pay, which is added based on where you work. In Washington D.C., the locality rate is 33.26%, adding $14,335 — bringing your total adjusted pay to approximately $57,441. You’ll automatically move to Step 2 ($44,543) after one year of satisfactory performance.
Example 2: Calculating total pay with locality (GS-12, Step 5 — mid-career IT specialist) A GS-12 at Step 5 has a 2026 base of $86,659. In San Francisco (locality rate ~44.15%), that adds $38,260 in locality pay, for a total of approximately $124,919. In a lower-cost region like the Rest of U.S. locality area (16.82%), the same GS-12 Step 5 employee earns $86,659 + $14,575 = $101,234. Same grade, same step — but nearly $24,000 difference based on location.
Example 3: What the 1% raise actually meant in dollars (GS-11, Step 1) The 2025 GS-11 Step 1 base was $63,163. With the 2026 1% raise, it moved to $63,795 — a difference of $632/year, or about $53/month before taxes. If that employee is in D.C. (33.26% locality), the locality adjustment also ticked up slightly (since it’s a percentage of base), adding another $210/year. Total real-dollar gain from the 1% raise: roughly $842/year — less than a month’s rent in most D.C. neighborhoods.
2025 GS Pay Raise: 1.7%
With lower inflation coming into 2025, GS pay scales saw a more modest 1.7% across-the-board base pay increase, confirmed via the White House’s pay adjustments directive. An average 0.3% locality pay boost was added, bringing the total average increase to approximately 2.0% from January 1st, 2025.
The complete 2025 GS salary tables are available at the Office of Personnel Management.
2024 GS Pay Raise: 4.7% (Record Raise)
With persistent inflation and a large Social Security COLA, 2024 GS pay scales saw an across-the-board 4.7% base pay increase — a record raise justified on the basis of keeping pace with private-sector wage growth. An average 0.5% locality pay boost brought the total average increase to 5.2% from January 1st, 2024.
The 2024 pay jump was the largest since 2023 and reflected a broader effort to close the persistent pay gap between federal and private-sector employees.
2023 GS Pay Raise: 4.6% Average
With record-high inflation and an 8.7% Social Security COLA, President Biden confirmed a 4.6% average pay raise for GS employees via executive order, made up of a 4.1% base pay increase and an average 0.5% locality pay adjustment. Effective January 1st, 2023.
2022 GS Base Pay Raise: 2.7% Average
Federal employees on the GS pay scale received a 2.2% across-the-board base pay raise for 2022, with an additional 0.5% locality pay adjustment, totaling a 2.7% average increase effective January 1st, 2022.
2021 GS Pay Raise: 1%
Despite potential freeze fears, Congress approved a 1% raise for GS employees effective January 1st, 2021 — the same level as the 2016–2018 period. Armed service members received a 3% raise in 2021. The 1% fell short in a rising inflation environment.
2020 GS Pay Raise: 3.1%
GS employees saw a 3.1% average raise for 2020, made up of a 2.6% general schedule increase and 0.5% locality pay adjustment. Effective January 1st, 2020 — matching the 2020 military pay raise.
Prior Year GS Pay Raise History
| Year | Base Raise | Locality Avg | Total Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1.0% | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| 2025 | 1.7% | 0.3% | 2.0% |
| 2024 | 4.7% | 0.5% | 5.2% |
| 2023 | 4.1% | 0.5% | 4.6% |
| 2022 | 2.2% | 0.5% | 2.7% |
| 2021 | 1.0% | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| 2020 | 2.6% | 0.5% | 3.1% |
| 2019 | 1.4% | 0.5% | 1.9% |
| 2018 | 1.4% | 0.5% | 1.9% |
| 2017 | 1.0% | 1.1% | 2.1% |
| 2016 | 1.0% | 0.3% | 1.3% |
| 2015 | 1.0% | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| 2014 | 1.0% | 0.0% | 1.0% |
| 2013–2011 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% (Freeze) |
Full historical pay tables by grade and step are available at the OPM salaries and wages page.
Great read! As a federal employee, it’s helpful to have the latest information on GS raises and salary tables. The updated pay chart is especially useful in planning for the future and making informed financial decisions. Thanks for sharing this valuable resource!
MY Name Alice Regina
MY food stamps EBT card NO Money
June 2022
January 2023
I believe this is more accurate than what you posted….
2023 General Schedule – Base Pay
Grade Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10
1 20547 21236 21919 22599 23282 23682 24357 25038 25065 25702
2 23104 23654 24419 25065 25347 26093 26838 27583 28329 29074
3 25209 26049 26889 27729 28569 29409 30249 31089 31930 32770
4 28299 29242 30185 31128 32071 33014 33957 34901 35844 36787
5 31661 32717 33772 34828 35883 36939 37994 39050 40106 41161
6 35293 36469 37646 38822 39998 41175 42351 43527 44704 45880
7 39219 40526 41834 43141 44449 45756 47064 48371 49679 50986
8 43434 44882 46330 47778 49226 50674 52122 53570 55018 56466
9 47972 49571 51170 52769 54368 55967 57566 59165 60764 62363
10 52829 54590 56351 58113 59874 61636 63397 65158 66920 68681
11 58042 59977 61912 63848 65783 67718 69653 71589 73524 75459
12 69569 71888 74208 76527 78846 81166 83485 85804 88124 90443
13 82726 85484 88241 90999 93757 96514 99272 102029 104787 107545
14 97757 101016 104274 107532 110791 114049 117307 120565 123824 127082
15 114989 118822 122655 126488 130321 134154 137987 141820 145653 149486
Hmm..this does not make sense. The 2022 levels were higher and we are likely going to see a 4.1% raise (excluding locality pay) as confirmed recently by the White house.
Where did you get you numbers from? It seems to only reflect 1.8% raise. The table in the article is correct.
Hello, I just started working for the VA Hospital near me (this week) as a Registered Nurse. Does this raise / pay increase apply to nurses working at VA? We are on a different pay scale vs non-nurses. Couldn’t get a straight answer today during oreintation.
Yes, you are a FEDERAL employee, speak with HRC.
I think the last statement of the update is misleading: “This is still made up of a 1% across the board raise, but will now reflect a locality pay adjustment of 1.1%. This brings the total 2017 average pay increase to 2.1% (excluding promotions).”
If we get a 1% raise in base pay and a 1.1% raise in locality pay, assuming that the base pay is a greater amount than the locality pay, most people would be getting a raise of slightly more than 1%, approaching 1.1%. No one would actually see 2.1% more in gross salary + locality pay.
Am I missing something?
Any changes expected from the Trump administration?
I am sure there will be. But for 2017, the GS and locality pay scale is locked in. If he does make changes will have to be by executive order (unlikely since he has other things to deal with) or wiil be for 2018 pay tables.
The average federal worker is already paid more than $100,000 a year in total compensation, but the budget deal failed to block Obama from giving them a 1.3% raise — though many, if not most, taxpayers received zilch raise this year.
Who ARE you??? I made in the low $30K’s last year, but I CLEARED $19K after taxes and minimum (attempts) to contribute to my 401K. Everyone in my entire building except for 6 supervisors are in the same boat, and there are 62 of us. Please get your information straight. Just because you’re a “government worker” doesn’t mean you’re “balling”. I work hard for my peanuts, and so do the rest of my teammates. I can’t afford to buy a house on this pay, but it got me a foot in the door to hopefully move up with time and experience.
He said total compensation, not salary. Make it 20 years and you get a pension worth at least a million dollars.
Sir,
I am not sure which pension you are referring to – military? That’s the only one I am aware of that offers immediate benefits after 20 years. That being said – being on active duty is no easy job. I did it – and there is no way a $1M pension would have been worth me giving 20 years.
As a Fed – I think you are mistaken on your $1M number. Under FERS – you get 1% x years of service x high 3 average. The payments kick in at 62 – so for example – if you earned $100K average your final 3 years times 40 years of service (started at 22) – your annual payment would be 40 x .01 x 100 = 40,000. Assuming you are fortunate to live to 82 – you would have received 20 x $40K = $800k.
I do not find this benefit to be overly generous personally and I don’t see why this causes people so much grief – I know for a fact that Arlington VA civil servants receive 1.7% for their multiplier. The military receives 2.5% (payable immediately after 20 years).
I can see where a case can be made that pensions are dangerous as they are never fully funded – I would be happy if they took whatever was being paid in a pension – and instead put it in a 401K account in my name. This is what companies do and I think it is much more up front in recognizing labor costs.
Also for Mr. Singh’s comments – in Washington DC where I live – many feds do earn over $100K. This is because many jobs support engineering activities for the DoD, the National Institute of Health (many Phd’s), Congress and staffers (who are highly qualified), etc. Now I know it sounds crazy to the folks in Kansas and Iowa – but $100K does not go very far in Washington DC. A 2 bedroom apartment in a Ok neighborhood rents for $2500 a month. After taxes, insurance, etc – your take home pay on $100K is about $2700 every 2 weeks. If you throw in food, gas, parking, daycare (which runs $1000 per month here) etc – you really aren’t left with much to support a family on or save for a rainy day.
Where did you get your data from? Obviously not from a credible source. Govt worker can’t retire at 20 years unless they meet specific guidelines, and they certainly do not get a Million dollars as a retirement package. Those workers also contribute to the retirement system they draw from. Get your facts straight and then post something that has credibility.
This may be true, but you’re comparing apples to oranges. In the federal hospital I work at, the average salary (including benefits) is pretty high, but it’s a hospital. The median employee is a nurse (and the general consensus among all Americans is that nurses work hard for their money), and the doctors and surgeons dramatically skew the average wage upward. Perhaps you would fix this problem by paying a surgeon 50,000 a year? The average government employee is always going to make more than the average civilian employee because of the nature of the job. The government does not employ fast food workers and retail specialists. If you want to make a case for something being unfair, you have to compare apples to apples. As Tom Cruise pointed out, figures don’t lie, but liars sure do figure!
The average federal worker is making 20 an hour at 15 years in. Take home is approximately 24,000 a year. And cost of living averages 1300 for a studio in California. Times are tough, most of us have to share apartments, do not qualify for public assistance and must acquire evening jobs. Pretty soon California’s minimum wage will be to my equivalent to my federal pay.
You have persons with 20 or more years in grades GS-11 and above that may see such pay, but for most of us, pay is considerably less at closer to $ 50,000.
Even if your numbers were accurate, and they aren’t, $100,000 is not as much money as you seem to think, particularly when you consider that a great majority of the Federal workforce lives in expensive cities like New York, Washington DC< and San Francisco where the cost of living is quite high. Additionally, when you consider that most of the Federal employees have been working with the government for more than 15 years, and are HIGHLY skilled in their field, such as doctors, lawyers, scientists, nurses, and hard-working military, the pay is rarely up to par with what someone could make in private sector. There is a reason the government can't recruit and keep good scientists and medical experts, and here's a hint: it's the pay. I love how everyone thinks they're an expert on Federal Employee pay; but almost nobody understands that the Federal workforce is not made up of low-wage jobs. The government, generally, requires highly skilled people who are leaders in their field. And many, who answer the call, accept the low pay because they want to make a difference!
If this were true we would be able to hire and maintain a skilled workforce. You are in dream land. The average federal worker is paid from $30,000 to 50,000. Our heath insurance is outrageous. If we get a raise our health insurance costs go up twice what the raise is. I would like to know where you get your data.
Please do your research before you make this statement. I have been a Federal employee for over 20 years and my income is not over $100, 000 a year, and my taxes are high because all my children are grown and I have no dependents.
So I did a little math on the 2014 pay tables for Los Angeles-based general schedule feds. The numbers in the 2015 table are not the product of multiplying the numbers in the 2014 pay table by 1.01 (a 1% increase) . I have tried to do this math several different ways and I can’t come up with the numbers that are close with the numbers in the pay table. Anybody know how they calculate a 1% raises.
Thanks Anderson. You may not be factoring in locality pay adjustments.
Ms. Levine and Marcus Phillips (you are both wrong). I know for a fact that at least 70% of federal employees are over paid for what most of them accomplish daily. I spent 16 years busting my butt while watching a hell of a lot of others sit back, tell jokes, get fat and draw a FAT FAT FAT paycheck. In addition, the active duty military pay is about 160% today more then it was 25 years ago. I think both could take a 20% pay cut and still make out like a bandit.
Dear Sir or Madam,
The average federal worker (i.e. ME ) doesn’t make anywhere near $100,000, not even $50,000. And I pay taxes too, we don’t get a tax break either. Where are you pulling these numbers from?
You don’t consider the TSP a tax break?
No, because non Roth retirement money is Taxed when you start to pull it out. If you are involved with a ROTH retirement plan then that money is Taxed when it get placed into the account. Have you no idea how retirement system are structured?
Dick apparently you are no longer employed with Federal Service and maybe after 16 years you were asked to leave either the Military and/or Federal service, don’t be angry. I work hard and love what I do.
Ignorance is Bliss Kramer and Levine., you ought to read more, and stop hating! jealous losers!
Amazing how you can just pull numbers out of the air…
I put myself through college. Got my degree. Worked in industry. Then came 9/11. I was in the National Guard. One of our units had a need for someone with my background and education to fill a civilian position. I applied and was hired. I took a pay cut – still make less than if I had stayed and it’s more than a decade later. I contribute to my retirement – both to a “401 K” AND by paying Social Security and Medicare taxes – all of which goes to others. I pay out of pocket for health insurance. Fortunately, it’s just for me – my wife’s company insures her and our children for 1/2 what it would cost for me to insure the whole family. I am at work by 7:00 a.m. daily and, if I am REALLY lucky, I can get out of the office by 5:30. I am required to wear my military uniform to work – which I like. Did I mention my job takes me on the road an average of 12-16 days each month? My job is there because Congress will not authorize additional Active Guard and Reserve positions in these Units – there are only three in my Unit and I am at a remote location. My job? Readiness, Training, Supply, Medical, Personnel Management/Administration, Safety Officer, Securiity Officer, HAZMAT Manager – I could go on. I once sat down with a list of all the things I am responsible for, and if I did all those jobs out in the civilian sector, I WOULD be making six figures. As it is, I make half that.
I really have no doubt that if you run the numbers the average for gov employees may be a bit high – especially when you consider that gov organizations like NASA probably pay their engineers top dollar to work there. But if you break it down by position and responsibilities – it doesn’t compute. It’s a useless statistsort of like saying 100% of all people who eat tomatoes will die. It’s true, but there are details missing.
I (with considerably less verbage) second that statement. I’ve been employeed with the VA for almost 10 yrs. I took over a $10,000 hit when I did, but with the health insur. It’s probably a wash. It’s true with all the added responsibilities, some govt.employees are doing the work of 2-3
Jobs. Certainly not all Govt employees do the jobs of 2-3 people, there is fat , but I think much less than decades previous. All I can speak to is the field I’m experienced in (25+yrs) ,The medical field is seeing huge increases (patients) due to $$$ health costs in civilian sectors so more and more veterans turn to VA for care, so with many vacancies unfilled, and no COLA increases, no pay raises etc… And congress is exempt, no pay freeze there….it doesn’t compute.
I need to need if the Locality Adjustment will go up or stay the same.?
At this stage it looks like they will the same. You can see this article – https://savingtoinvest.com/2011/01/2011-locality-pay-rates-general-schedule-gs-pay-table-adjustments.html – for news on 2013 locality pay changes.
Federal workers are paid twice the private employees, receive three times the benefits, Dental, Optical. The retire in their 50’s, work 9:00 to 3:30, receive step-increases yearly, average salary over $90,000. Federal workers owe $billions to IRS because they will not pay payroll taxes. Federal workers received $450 million in bonuses last year – hundreds of them for over $40,000. Federal workers are lazy and immoral stealing from a real retirement Trust – Social Security – to pay for millionaire Congressmen. Average Congressman has $ 3 l/2 million net worth but continues to rob the Pension trust of middle-class (average disposable income $33,000) to wallow in filth with his Federal brethrens who contribute virtually nothing.. Average Social Security recipient receives $1,000 month and received filthy l.7% cola which is applicable only to people with “earned benefits”. Means test glutton Congress and term limits, Federal employees should also be means tested and pay for their own Cadillac benefits and retire at 65. I don’t want to be supporting this disgusting bunch for 30 to 40 years.
Amazing how ignorant some people are. There are those little people who are the worker bees -who come in early and work late just to make $1,266.00 more than last year. So yes, got a step increase, but what does it mean to get an extra $1,266.00 added to $37,983. After taxes and paying health insurance for the family ($525.00 monthly, $6,300.00 yearly) leaves about 25K to pay the increasing cost of food, gas, living expenses and oh ya, the extra money the college child needs while attending college. Today in a 2 income family – one governement and one private sector – what happens when the private sector says we are moving our company to Germany which leaves one (1) government worker hoping for and praying for a raise just to be able to make ends meet. It is amazing to see ignorant people put “ALL” governement worker in the same pot and write “and” think that government workers do not need a raise. This shows not only ignorance, but how out of touch with the real world some people can be. The majority of government workers are just regular people doing an honest days work and trying to make it one day, one hour, and one minute at a time.
Ms. Levine, where are you getting your numbers from? Average salary for a federal employee is WAY below $90,000. We PAY for the benefits, which take a nice chunk from my paycheck. I barely break $35,000 a year and that’s not counting my 4 kids yet. I drive a 10 year old car, never owned a Cadillac or anything of the sort. By the way, I work a part time job in the private sector just to make ends meet. There are government contractors that make more than I do.
Madeleine Levin, you are extremely uninformed. I am a federal employee and my agency hasn’t given step increases in a few years. My agency has never given bonuses. I make less than half of what you state is the average salary. There is no way I could retire in my 50’s (I’m 55 now). The most outrageous part of your rambling was that federal workers don’t pay payroll tax. Are you crazy or just stupid?????? To label all federal workers as lazy and immoral is highly offensive. Before you call us all a “disgusting bunch,” come work my job for a week or two. I have no doubt that you couldn’t handle it.
This has got to be a “Trolling” statement. If not, Madeleine Levine is an ill informed moron that knows nothing about the average federal government worker. $40,000 bonuses, wow, I wish. Maybe in the high levels of SES are folks making pretty good money. But those are few, like generals in the military (or politicians). I could go on for a while here, but why waste my time on stupid people.
Madeleine,
You are out of your mind and are blind by your own thoughts. I am a federal employee a GS-09 and on paper it says I make $54,000 what do I see under $30,000. We government employees are destroyed with Payroll Tax to be exact I am taxed nearly 19% per pay check which equals roughly 38% per month. Amongst other things that we are hit with is high medical deductions and other allotments which are required to come out each pay period. To think that we are all lazy and sit around all day collecting a paycheck is absurd. Educationally I have 2 Bachelors Degrees and an MBA. A lot of my friends are GS-12’s and GS-13’s and they on paper make close to $80,000-$100,000 but see $40,000-$55,000. I am always looking at other jobs which match my qualifications to actually be able to see my paycheck.
Dear Federal Employee,
I just want to point out what is meant by percentage. If you are taxed at 19% every pay period and there are two pay periods in a month, then the amount of tax you paid in that month is double the amount per pay period, but the percentage is still 19%. That is to say that the amount of tax divided by the gross pay expressed as a percentage (a value for every 100 in gross pay), would be the same.
The tax rate, (ratio of tax/total) is the same per paycheck, per month, and per year. Also, we government employees pay the same tax rates as non-government employees.
Madeleine Levine, you are dumb, it sound like you jealous, go out and make yourself look good, served, get 2 degrees and find you a job that pays. I work at Wal-Mart and make $142,000 annual pay. Enough said.
This is completely inaccurate. My private sector friends with the same position make considerably more when you include their bonuses and perks. I will be 50 in a few months and I can assure you it would be impossible to retire in my 50s and I have 19 years in. We don’t “receive” but rather pay for health care, I can’t afford a supplemental dental plan. Times are tough everywhere and federal workers are not exempt from it.
Madeleine apparently you could not get hire in the Federal system for what ever reasons. I pay my taxes, as a single mom I struggled to put me daughter through college, as I paid my way through college. Don’t be angry, apply for a FEDERAL job and when the freeze is lifted may you can join the federal work force.
Civilian sector pay more.
Where are your numbers coming from and your facts? I am a government employee who got my job because I also happen to be a veteran. I do not make nearly close to 90K a year and pay my taxes just like everyone else. I pay for my own medical and dental insurance. I work with other people who are in their 60’s and still cannot retire because they can’t afford to. Your statements are broad, hateful and mostly wrong. Majority of federal employees are in fact part of the middle class. I do my job well, live modestly and support my country so, your comments are offensive.
Oh and one more thing, it’s interesting that Congress people are not covered by this bill. They will probably get a raise though for all the “hard work” they do.
No raise folks. It is more that Obama will throw federal workers under the bus since he knows most of them will vote Democrat no matter what (lesser of the two evils). The official justification will be the government’s budget crisis.
Not true at all. I work for the DoD and 90% of them are Republican to a fault. I find it hilarious and sad b/c they continually vote against their own interest.
Tell that to the FBI agent who rescues your kidnapped child or thwarts a terrorist attack.
Government employees don’t deserve a pay rise. They are overpaid for what little they do anyway. If they want more money get a real job in the private sector.
Tell that to your IRS tax agent the next time you get audited.
Ignorance is power. (read: you’re an idiot, Kramer)
I bust my tail everyday working 9-10 hours daily. So to say we are overpaid for the little we do: is not only an ignorant statement but someone who is bitter because you don’t have a government job.
I worked in a private sector and now in government for 13 years. It was not too bad in the beginning and now I am working weekends, late hours (maybe because I am in IT). Our project manages handling 4-5 different projects. Regarding overpay for government employees, I wouldn’t be so quick. Our contractors’ salary is more than what I receive.
You can say that we are over paid but do you really know that? I come to work 45 mins early everyday and put in my full day to get my job done. We have families and deserve an increase just like others. Think before you respond.
Another angry person who could not get hire as a Government worker. Hater!