GovCentral

Salary Council Suggests Locality Pay Increase for 2011

Jason Miller | Executive Editor | FederalNewsRadio — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:37:00 -0800

Employees under the General Schedule system make half as much as their private sector counterparts.

A new survey and report from the Federal Salary Council finds that the overall gap between GS average salaries and non-federal average salaries is almost 51 percent.

The Federal Salary Council is an independent organization that includes labor relations and pay policy experts, and federal employees, who make recommendations to the President's Pay Agent about locality pay and pay comparisons.

The council submitted its latest report to the Office of Personnel Management, the Labor Department, the Office of Management and Budget and the President's Pay Agent Nov. 4.

To make up for this gap, the council recommends an average locality pay increase of 43.75 percent for fiscal 2011. The current average for locality pay increase is 19.4 percent.

Currently 31 metro areas and their surrounding suburbs receive locality pay increases.

For instance in Washington, the council says the average pay gap is more than 68 percent in 2009, while other areas such as Philadelphia is just under 40 percent.

The council also doesn't recommend any new locality pay areas. Austin, Louisville and Memphis were among the six areas that have trying to make their case since 2004 for locality pay.

Additionally, the council says employees from 31 locations contacted OPM since 2008 requesting locality pay. These areas include Lansing, Mich., Modesto, Calif., Atlantic City, N.J. and New Orleans.

The council determined that none of these locations meet the current criteria to be included in an existing locality pay area. The council also says "there are no plans or resources to expand the number of locations surveyed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics as separate locality pay areas."

"We recommend the existing locality pay areas be maintained pending our recommendations on the use of Occupational Employment Statistics data in the locality pay program and our recommendations on what criteria should be used to define locality pay areas, which will be submitted once the Council has a full complement of members," the report states.

"It is unfortunate that the evaluation of OES data for use in the locality pay program could not be completed in time for inclusion in the Nov. 30, 2009 Pay Agent's report to the President on locality pay for 2011. If using OES data proves feasible, the Council recommends that the Pay Agent seek a legislative waiver to permit additional pay areas in 2011 that could not be included in the 2009 report to the President."

OPM also is moving Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories to locality pay and away from cost-of-living allowances as required by Congress. Congress passed a bill making this change Oct. 19.

The council recommends a study by BLS on the pay gaps.

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See the original at FederalNewsRadio.com

Salary Council Makes 2011 Locality Pay Rate Recommendations

Alyssa Rosenberg | Government Executive — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 05:44:00 -0800

The Federal Salary Council has recommended a 43.75 percent average locality pay rate for federal employees in 2011, but the 2010 civilian pay raise is still a mystery.

The council recommended the highest locality rate for San Francisco at 61.30 percent, with Washington close behind at 60.23 percent. New York City followed with a 53.82 percent recommendation, and Hartford, Conn., was fourth at 50.15 percent. The council recommended a 33.77 percent rate for the Rest of the U.S. category.

Those locality rate recommendations do not mean that federal employees will receive an average 43.75 percent pay raise in 2011. Rather, the base salaries for federal jobs in many areas are adjusted by a percentage that changes annually and is designed to close the gap between federal and private sector salaries in certain occupations. The 43.75 percent represents the average adjustment in salaries that the council believes is necessary to close that gap.

In a memo to Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry, and Office of Management and Budget Director Peter R. Orszag, council members explained that they could not compare their 2011 recommendations to the locality increases for 2010, because that pay raise is still being negotiated. In 2008, the council recommended an average 40.87 percent locality rate for 2010.

"The most recent memorandum produced by the Federal Salary Council indicates that the pay gap between federal employees and their counterparts in the private sector remains an ongoing and serious issue," said National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen Kelley, a council member.

At its Oct. 19 meeting, the council chose not make any recommendations about the 2010 or 2011 pay raises because of the various bills related to the civilian pay raise in Congress. A portion of the pay raise passed by Congress will be allocated to base pay increases for federal workers and part of it will come in the form of locality pay hikes.

The House in July passed a 2 percent civilian pay raise as part of the fiscal 2010 financial services spending bill, matching the Obama administration's recommendation. The Senate has not moved on its own version of the bill, which includes a 2.9 percent civilian pay hike. Meanwhile the fiscal 2010 Defense Authorization Act includes a 3.4 percent pay increase for service members.

The salary council also decided not to adjust the pay surveys on which locality pay is based to avoid distorting private sector pay data caused by the large incentives given to some non government workers who are the equivalent of General Schedule level 12 administrative employees.

"Since we are far from full comparability and never implement the rates indicated by the survey results, we do not believe this data anomaly is a critical issue," the memo said. "We do believe that pay setting for federal employees should be a transparent process and we recommend using the data as delivered by [the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which performs the surveys], as the council does not feel it is appropriate to make ad hoc decisions about which data are suitable and which are not."

Transition out of NSPS begins

Dorothy Ramienski | Internet Editor | FederalNewsRadio — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 05:50:00 -0700

The controversial National Security Personnel System will be officially phased out now that President Obama has signed the Defense Authorization Act.

The pay-for-performance system currently covers more than 200,000 Defense civilians.

Tim Curry is the Acting Program Executive Officer of NSPS.

He recently took over after the departure of Brad Bunn and brings us an update on what his office is currently doing.

"What we're looking at is trying to take the necessary time to ensure a smooth transition of employees and organizations out of NSPS as required by the law that was signed yesterday. . . . The law requires that we submit a plan to Congress within six months on how we're going to reclassify jobs and convert employees out of NSPS."

Curry said there is a guarantee in the law that ensures that employees' pay will not be reduced after converting out of NSPS.

"We'll be looking at those kind of issues as to what the proper classification of those jobs are, the personnel system they'll be going back into. For most folks, that will be the General Schedule, but there certainly will be other personnel systems we'll have to look at. . . . Not all the employees under NSPS came straight from the General Schedule."

In addition to the repeal of NSPS, the Defense Authorization bill contains additional authorities that could affect feds leaving the system.

"It has a requirement for a performance management system -- that we'd submit a plan to Congress in 12 months. There are requirements for hiring flexibilities [and that] plan would be submitted to Congress in 12 months. There [is also] the ability to go back to Congress in six months to seek additional personnel flexibilities. We're certainly looking at those issues as well and trying to determine how we want to move forward."

[page]

So, is NSPS truly dead?

Back in August, the Defense Business Board issued recommendations stating that the system should be restructured, not eliminated. Curry said, if nothing else, the recommendations will be used to develop best practices.

"They certainly highlighted some areas that they felt we could have done a better job at. We're going to look at those areas for lessons learned. For example, they noted transparency and complexity in the paypool process. So, we'll be very mindful of issues of complexity and transparency as we're moving forward on developing any new rules; but one thing that I think they acknowledged that we did well was helping employees and supervisors better understand how their work supports and aligns with the department's mission. That's something that we can use and build upon the success of that and develop in a new performance management system."

Curry said he is currently looking at issues that need to be resolved with NSPS. There are 220,000 employees under NSPS, and he noted it took three years to process all of those people into the system. He said this is why Congress has given NSPS officials up to two years to get everyone out.

He said, because NSPS is so complex, his first priority is to identify specific issues and areas that could pose a challenge and fix those in order to hopefully create a smooth transition for all.

"If you recall, we spiraled in organizations under NSPS for three years -- and that was kind of based on whether the organizations were ready at that time to come into NSPS. That's something that we're looking at right now as to assessing how we should bring organizations out. . . . We certainly don't have any schedule as far as when an organization will come out and who the first organization would be. Those are all issues that we've got to resolve right now."

Curry said that there is already a group in place that will make recommendations to senior leaders at the Defense Department.

He said his goal is to get initial recommendations for leadership before the six month deadline.

Most NSPS Employees Headed for Full 2010 Pay Raise

Alyssa Rosenberg | Government Executive — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:29:00 -0700

Employees covered by the Pentagon's pay-for-performance system will receive the same base salary increase in January 2010 as their General Schedule counterparts, as long as their work is deemed acceptable, according to new orders from Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

"Given the ongoing leadership review of [the National Security Personnel System] and in consideration of recommendations made by the Defense Business Board in its recently published report on NSPS, the department leadership decided this was the most prudent course of action," the NSPS program office said in a fact sheet released with the decision.

Under the law that established the pay system, employees who are rated better than "unacceptable" -- the lowest possible mark - are entitled to at least 60 percent of the General Schedule raise. The Defense secretary has the authority to allocate the remaining 40 percent to pay pools, to be distributed based on employees' job performance. This is what happened for the 2009 raise.

But for 2010, employees performing at an acceptable level will receive the entire General Schedule raise. Exceptional workers will qualify for additional raises and bonuses, but those will have a separate funding stream.

Employees who are rated "unacceptable" were not entitled to that 60 percent raise in the past, and the new policy does not extend any new raises to them.

The three-person panel convened by the Defense Business Board to study NSPS criticized the pay pool system in its final report, released in August, saying the system was confusing and not sufficiently transparent. Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry are reviewing the board's findings.

Matt Biggs, legislative director for the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, one of the federal employee unions that has opposed NSPS, said he thought the Defense Department's decision was prompted by congressional amendments to the fiscal 2010 Defense authorization bill that threaten to abolish the pay system. Differences in the House and Senate versions of that provision have yet to be resolved in ongoing negotiations on the bill.

IFPTE President Gregory Junemann said the decision was a ploy to make NSPS look more employee-friendly. "Trying to fix NSPS is like mopping a dirt floor," he wrote in an e-mail to Defense Department officials and leaders of other unions.

FAQ's National Security Personnel System January 2010 Payout

National Security Personnel System — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:36:00 -0700

National Security Personnel System January 2010 Payout

Frequently Asked Questions
*Q. What does the Secretary’s decision regarding the January 2010 GS base salary*
increase mean for NSPS employees?

A. NSPS employees with ratings of record of “2” or higher will receive 100 percent of the GS base salary increase as an across the board pay adjustment.

*Q. Do NSPS employees with a rating of record of “2” or higher receive local market supplement adjustments?*

A. Yes. Employees with ratings of record of “2” or higher will receive local market supplement adjustments equivalent to the GS locality pay adjustments specified for their work locations. Employees who have a rating of record of “1 – Unacceptable” are not eligible for local market supplement adjustments.

*Q. What happens to an NSPS employee who does not have an NSPS rating of record?*

A. NSPS employees without ratings of record will also receive the full GS base salary increase and locality pay adjustments.

*Q. What is the amount of the January 2010 GS base salary increase?*

A. The actual amount of the GS base salary increase will not be known until the
President signs an Executive Order implementing the 2010 pay adjustment.

*Q. How is the Secretary’s decision different from last year?*

A. Last year, the Secretary exercised his discretion to allocate 40 percent of the GS base salary increase to NSPS pay pools for performance-based salary increases. This year, no portion of the GS base salary increase will be allocated to pay pool funds. Instead, 100 percent of the GS base salary increase will be paid as an across-the-board increase to employees with ratings of record of “2” or higher.

*Q. Does this mean there is no money for NSPS pay pools?*

A. No. While the NSPS pay pool funds will not include any money associated with the GS base salary increase, pay pools will continue to have money available for performance-based salary increases and bonuses, preserving the link between pay and performance under NSPS.

*Q. Why is the Department doing this?*

A. Given the ongoing leadership review of NSPS and in consideration of recommendations made by the Defense Business Board in its recently published report on NSPS, the Department leadership decided this was the most prudent course of action.

NSPS Employees to Receive Full January 2010 GS Base Salary Increase

National Security Personnel System — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:25:00 -0700

Each year, the Secretary of Defense authorizes an across the board annual pay adjustment for NSPS employees. The amount is based on the annual January General Schedule (GS) base salary increase. By law, NSPS employees rated above "unacceptable" or who do not have a rating of record receive at least 60 percent of the GS increase. The Secretary may allocate the other 40 percent to NSPS pay pools for performance-based salary increases.

For the performance cycle ending September 30, 2009, the Secretary of Defense has determined that NSPS employees, except for those rated "1 - Unacceptable," will receive 100 percent of the GS base salary increase. No portion of the GS increase will be allocated to pay pool funds.

While the GS base salary increase will not be used for pay pool funding, pay pools will continue to have money available for performance-based salary increases and bonuses, preserving the link between pay and performance under NSPS.

The actual amount of the January increase will not be known until the President signs an Executive Order implementing the 2010 pay adjustment.

Read Frequently Asked Questions about the 2010 NSPS payout

Many Feds Outearn Cabinet Secretaries

Jane Norris & Ruben Gomez | FedNewsRadio — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:38:00 -0700

If you think Cabinet secretaries earn more than you ever will, think again. You could make a lot more if you work for one of them. The Wall Street Journal reports that hundreds of feds at Health and Human Services made more -- way more in some cases -- than the $191,000 dollars that was the cabinet-level salary last year. It was thru a selective program designed to recruit and keep the very best talent.

The Senate has approved big increases for transportation and housing programs as it passed the fifth of 12 appropriations bills funding the government for the budget year that begins in just two weeks. The bill calls for $122 billion in new spending for road projects, housing subsidies for the poor and community development grants to local governments which is a 12 percent increase. Congress has just two weeks to finish the 12 spending bills that fund the government but not one of the bills has become law. Congress will have to pass a stopgap measure the deadline to make sure the government doesn't shut down.

More of you teleworked in 2008, but few did it on a regular basis. The numbers from an OPM survey suggest that telework is catching on at a slow pace in the federal government. In all, more than 100,000 federal employees worked off-site, but that's only about 9-percent of those eligible to do so. The OPM report cites resistance from management and office coverage as the main barriers to telework.

The Internet is running out of addresses. One expert predicts the government will soon mandate agencies start using a new version, IPv6, for their public web sites. Quoted in Federal Computer Week, John Curran, president of the American Registry for Internet Numbers, says we'll run out of the current version of IP addresses in about two years. Agencies are already adding IPv6 to their network backbones.

Do you know how your agency's contractors treat their workers? The left-leaning Center for American Progress says government is awarding billions of dollars in contracts to companies who underpay and mistreat employees. GovernmentExecutive reports the Center is calling for agencies to take a closer look at a firm's regulatory record before awarding a contract. Industry groups, however, say making that happen could be a challenge.

The Federal Housing Administration, hit hard by the mortgage crisis, is in need of a cash infusion. For the first time, cash reserves will drop below the minimum level set by Congress according to FHA officials. The FHA part of Housing and Urban Development insures mortgages against losses and guaranteed about a quarter of all U.S. home loans made this year. The Washington Post reports rather than raise fees or go to Congress for a bail out the agency is considering a proposal that would require banks and lenders to keep a million dollars in capital to repay the agency for losses due to fraud to make up the shortfall.

For the first time in nearly two years, American household wealth grew a little. Advances in stocks and home prices drove the gains according to the Federal Reserve. Families also saved more and borrowed less, shedding some of the debt owed on their homes and credit cards in response to the recession. The Fed report showed that household net worth grew 3.9% to $53.1 trillion in the April-June period from the first quarter. But it was still down almost 19% from the peak in the third quarter of 2007, just before the stock market reached its high.

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Read the original article at Fednewsradio.com

OPM Issues Updates on January 2010 Pay Raise

Chris McConnell | GovCentral — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:03:00 -0700

This statement was just released by the Office of Personnel Management

Update on January 2010 Pay Adjustments

On August 31, 2009, President Obama used his alternative plan authority under 5 U.S.C. 5303(b) to set the across-the-board pay increase for General Schedule employees at 2.0 percent for January 2010. The President has authority to issue a subsequent alternative plan regarding locality pay rates for January 2010 by November 30, 2009. As a consequence of issuing the August alternative plan, January 2010 pay increases for the Executive Schedule, the Vice President, and Federal Justices and Judges would also be 2.0 percent. The 2010 special rate pay adjustments will be announced after the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) completes the special rate annual review and the GS across-the-board and locality pay adjustments are finalized.

OPM will post 2010 pay tables including the across-the-board General Schedule and locality pay adjustments as soon as possible after the final pay determinations have been made. In prior years, Congress has passed legislation specifying the overall amounts of annual pay adjustments. To date, no such legislation has been enacted for January 2010.

See the statement (PDF)

Findings on NSPS Pay Structure Leave Some Cold

Joe Davidson | The Washington Post via YellowBrix — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 07:20:00 -0700

NSPS has been roundly criticized by staff members and union leaders who say subjective performance evaluations could be used to limit pay. The review panel heard many complaints that supervisors were pressured not to give too many employees a rating of 4, out of 5, apparently because money was not available to pay staffers who received the relatively high rating, according to Rudy deLeon, a former deputy secretary of defense who chaired the panel.

Its review is an initial part of an Obama administration effort to restructure the way Uncle Sam judges and pays his workers. The review could play an important role in what the White House, the Office of Management and Budget and the OPM ultimately decide is the best way to evaluate and compensate some 2 million federal employees.

"The thought of starting over on NSPS is comical," William R. Dougan, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, said in a statement issued after the meeting. "If the recommendation is to scrap NSPS as it exists today, we should not bother creating a new NSPS in its place. We should start with an entirely new concept altogether."

The review panel urged the Pentagon to continue the existing moratorium on converting GS employees to NSPS "until DOD can present a corrective action plan to address identified issues."

Union leaders have a problem with that approach because they believe NSPS is too far gone to correct. "We believe the best course of action is to abandon this failed personnel system once and for all, not try to restructure it," Dougan said.

A major reason NSPS has failed to gain the support of its employees is that it tried to do "too much too soon," said deLeon. The reconstruction the panel recommended is "a lot more complicated that just simply fixing the status quo," he added.

Although the task group was charged with looking at NSPS, its report also made four recommendations for the GS system. Three of them concerned the need for Defense Department management to improve its relationship with staff members. The department should "create a collaborative process" between managers and employees, "reestablish a DOD commitment to collaborating with employees through their unions" and invest in career civil servants, the committee recommended.

Union leaders certainly have no problem with those suggestions, but the remaining one -- "explore the replacement of the current General Schedule classification system" -- is not what they wanted to hear.

"It's very superficial," Gage complained. "It's cavalier."

The task group's report is online at washingtonpost.com/fedpage.

Contact Joe Davidson at federaldiary@washpost.com.

2010 General Schedule Pay Scale

Chris McConnell | GovCentral — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:47:00 -0700

[widget:salary_page_gs_payscale_chapters]

Federal employees can typically expect a small annual pay-increase, though the amount is different year-to-year. While the debate over how big or small the increase is depends on the whims of Congress, federal employees are left waiting.

Thankfully, GovCentral's crack team of mathematicians have been toiling in the depths of excel spreadsheets to project what the 2010 General Schedule (GS) pay scale will most likely be. These are educated extrapolations based on current information and data, but are subject to change once the fiscal year 2010 budget is signed by President Obama.

Pay-increase proposal timeline

March

President Obama proposed a 2 percent raise for federal employees.

July

In early July, the House Appropriations Committee approved their version of the budget, keeping the 2 percent raise in tact.

On July 9, the Senate approved a 2.9 percent raise for civilian employees as well as a 3.4 percent increase for military service members.

Let's cut to the chase. Read on to find what our projections will be andwhat you can expect for the General Schedule pay increase for 2010.

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-1

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101932]

Qualifying Education Requirements

The Office of Personnel Management states that there is no qualifying education requirement for positions under the GS-1 pay grade.

Percent of Federal Workforce: 0.2%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-2

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101935]

Qualifying Education Requirements

The Office of Personnel Management states that qualifying education requirements for positions under the GS-2 pay grade is typically by high school graduation or equivalent.

Percent of Federal Workforce: 0.3%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-3

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101938]

Qualifying Education Requirements

The Office of Personnel Management states that qualifying education requirements for positions under the GS-3 pay grade is typically done by completing 1 academic year above high school.

Percent of Federal Workforce: 1.2%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-4

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101971]

Qualifying Education Requirements

The Office of Personnel Management states that qualifying education requirements for positions under the GS-4 pay grade is typically done by completing 2 academic years above high school or obtaining an Associate's Degree.

Percent of Federal Workforce: 3.0%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-5

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101974]

Qualifying Education Requirements

The Office of Personnel Management states that qualifying education requirements for positions under the GS-5 pay grade is typically 4 academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree or obtaining a Bachelor's Degree.

Percent of Federal Workforce: 5.3%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-6

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101977]

Qualifying Education Requirements

The Office of Personnel Management states that qualifying education requirements for positions under the GS-6 pay grade is typically done by completing 4 academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree or obtaining a Bachelor's Degree.

Percent of Federal Workforce: 4.1%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-7

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101943]

Qualifying Education Requirements

The Office of Personnel Management states that qualifying education requirements for positions under the GS-7 pay grade is typically done by obtaining a Bachelor’s degree with Superior Academic Achievement for two-grade interval positions or 1 academic year of graduate education (or law school, as specified in qualification standards or individual occupational requirements)

Percent of Federal Workforce: 7.0%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-8

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101946]

Qualifying Education Requirements

The Office of Personnel Management states that qualifying education requirements for positions under the GS-8 pay grade is typically done by obtaining a Bachelor’s degree with Superior Academic Achievement for two-grade interval positions or completing 1 academic year of graduate education (or law school, as specified in qualification standards or individual occupational requirements)

Percent of Federal Workforce: 3.0%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-9

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101949]

Qualifying Education Requirements

The Office of Personnel Management states that qualifying education requirements for positions under the GS-9 pay grade is typically done by obtaining a Master’s degree (or equivalent graduate degree such as LL.B. or J.D. as specified in qualification standards or individual occupational requirements)
or
completing 2 academic years of progressively higher level graduate education.

Percent of Federal Workforce: 6.6%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-10

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101952]

Qualifying Education Requirements

The Office of Personnel Management states that qualifying education requirements for positions under the GS-10 pay grade is typically done by obtaining a Master’s degree (or equivalent graduate degree such as LL.B. or J.D. as specified in qualification standards or individual occupational requirements),
or
completing 2 academic years of progressively higher level graduate education.

Percent of Federal Workforce: 0.8%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-11

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101955]

Qualifying Education Requirements

The Office of Personnel Management states that qualifying education requirements for positions under the GS-11 pay grade is typically done by achieving a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree,
or
completing 3 academic years of progressively higher level graduate education,
or
For research positions only, completion of all requirements for a master’s or equivalent degree (See information on research positions in the qualification standard for professional and scientific positions in Section IV-A.)

Percent of Federal Workforce: 9.9%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-12

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101962]

Qualifying Education Requirements

The Office of Personnel Management consider GS-12 positions as research only. To be considered for these positions, completion of all requirements for a doctoral or equivalent degree is necessary.

Percent of Federal Workforce: 11.2%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

[page]

GS-13

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101965]

Qualifying Education Requirements

A high level of specialized experience is required to be considered for a GS-13 position.

Percent of Federal Workforce: 10.0%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

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GS-14

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101968]

Qualifying Education Requirements

A high level of specialized experience is required to be considered for a GS-14 position.

Percent of Federal Workforce: 4.9%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

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GS-15

The House of Representatives are seeking a 2 percent pay increase, while the Senate is seeking a 2.9 percent increase for the General Schedule Pay Scale for civilian employees in fiscal year 2010.

[photo:101984]

Qualifying Education Requirements

A high level of specialized experience is required to be considered for a GS-15 position.

Percent of Federal Workforce: 3.2%

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

Read the The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

Find your GS Pay Scale
GS-1	GS-2	GS-3
GS-4	GS-5	GS-6
GS-7	GS-8	GS-9
GS-10	GS-11	GS-12
GS-13	GS-14	GS-15

Federal Employees Could Get 2.9 percent Raise, Senate Endorses

Emily Long | Government Executive — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 06:16:00 -0700

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday approved a 2.9 percent pay increase for federal civilian employees in fiscal 2010, a bigger raise than that approved by the House spending panel earlier this week.

Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., chairman of the Senate Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Subcommittee, advanced the proposal on Wednesday to the full panel as part of the financial services spending package. The House Appropriations Committee approved a "2 percent civilian pay raise":http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=43120&dcn=todaysnews for next year, the same figure recommended by President Obama in his fiscal 2010 budget proposal.

Obama has said that he proposed the 2 percent raise for civilians in response to the economic climate and as a way to match federal pay practices with those of the private sector.

The discrepancy between the House and Senate panels on the amount of the pay raise sets the stage for conflict if it's not resolved before each chamber votes on its final version of the financial services spending bill.

There are other federal pay proposals floating around as well, including the House and Senate budget resolutions, both of which call for parity between civilian and military pay raises. And the fiscal 2010 Defense authorization bill "includes a 3.4 percent pay raise":http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0609/062409ar1.htm for service members. Supporters of pay parity have indicated that they would push for appropriators to match that figure for civilians.

Colleen Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, applauded the Senate committee's figure but said NTEU still would seek pay parity.

"NTEU welcomes approval by the Senate Appropriations Committee of a 2.9 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees in 2010," said Kelley in a statement released on Thursday. "NTEU will work to include at least the 2.9 percent in the final Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act for fiscal 2010."

White House Releases Employee Salaries

Chris McConnell | GovCentral — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:32:00 -0700

The Obama administration has released the annual salaries of all White House Office staffers. The report to Congress also contains the title and salary details of administration officials who work at the Office of Policy Development, including the Domestic Policy Council and the National Economic Council.

After taking office in January, "Obama promised that he would freeze":http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/01/21/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4744108.shtml pay raises for any employee with a salary over $100,000. For example, Jon Favreau, his 27-year-old speechwriter, will not receive a raise on his $172,200 salary while working at the White House.

Tough break kid.

"Click here to read the report.":http://www.whitehouse.gov/assets/documents/July1Report-Draft12.pdf

What do you think? Are they fairly payed for the work they do?

Pentagon's Pay-for-Performance Program Facing Fresh Round of Scrutiny

By Joe Davidson | Federal Diary, Washington Post — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:57:00 -0700

What does Uncle Sam do when he's thrown a hot potato?

He appoints a committee to decide if he should eat it, throw it away or find some other half measure to please diverse constituencies.

The latest example of this is the announcement by the Defense Department and the Office of Personnel Management that they will form a "task group" to review the Pentagon's much-maligned pay-for-performance operation, also known as the National Security Personnel System.

On another front, Dennis C. Blair, director of national intelligence, and James R. Clapper, undersecretary of defense for intelligence, have urged the Obama administration to push ahead with pay-for-performance programs for intelligence agency employees, despite congressional urgings to suspend them. More on that later.

The task group was formed by Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn 3d and Office of Personnel Management Director John Berry. It will function as part of the Defense Business Board, an advisory panel on effective Pentagon management.

The group's recommendations could have a significant impact beyond the Pentagon. NSPS is the signature stamp of the Bush administration on the federal workforce. If it goes under, other government pay-for-performance systems could be endangered.

Lynn and Berry requested the formation of the group "due to recent concerns raised by Congress and the U.S. Government Accountability Office regarding NSPS," says a memo from Lynn to the Business Board.

"Concerns" is a neutral word for what, in reality, were pretty strong criticisms from Congress and the GAO. And those criticisms were muted compared with the stinging rebukes from federal union leaders and many employees under NSPS.

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Some of the congressional concerns were outlined in an April 3 letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Peter Orszag from eight House committee and subcommittee chairmen. They told him that GAO "found that employees do not trust these systems to compensate them fairly.

"Many fear that the government has adopted these systems in an attempt to curtail the long-term growth of personnel costs," the letter said. "Employees have complained about discriminatory pay practices in Federal organizations that have moved to these types of systems. The discretion given to managers to set performance metrics and to pay employees accordingly means these systems lack transparency and accountability, and could pose a disparate impact on minorities."

Just yesterday, GAO said the Pentagon "did not have the necessary infrastructure in place" when it implemented NSPS.

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Lynn's memo lays out a broad canvas for task group members, allowing them to offer recommendations that range from simply tinkering at the edges to much more dramatic changes.

The abolition of NSPS is the change union leaders would like to see.

"We don't need to study it any more. We've seen enough," said John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. "It should die."

He said he has urged members of the task group to move expeditiously because the rights of employees "are being trampled" in the meantime.

The task group will be led by Rudy deLeon, senior vice president of the Center for American Progress, a think tank with close ties to the Obama White House; Robert Tobias, an American University professor who is a past president of the National Treasury Employees Union; and Michael Bayer, the Bush administration appointed chairman of the Defense Business Board.

DeLeon said he hopes his group will have its recommendations ready by mid-July. And although as a candidate President Obama said he would "strongly consider a complete repeal" or substantial overhaul of NSPS, deLeon said there is no preconceived outcome for the panel.

Tobias echoed that, even though his former union is an outspoken opponent of pay-for-performance. "I don't know what the facts are going to yield," he said.

Although pay-for-performance programs have many vocal critics, there are others who back them.

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Blair and Clapper strongly supported pay-for-performance systems in an April 23 letter to Orszag. They said they want no further delay in implementation of the Defense Civilian Intelligence Personnel System and the National Intelligence Civilian Compensation Program, as Reps. Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.), chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Ike Skelton (D-Mo.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, had urged in March.

Yesterday, Reyes and Skelton said the program should not be implemented until a careful evaluation of it has been completed. "We stand by our position that nothing should be done to advance this system until we receive the results of a thorough review," Skelton said.

Staff writer Eric Yoder and researcher Julie Tate contributed to this report. Contact Joe Davidson at federaldiary@washpost.com. >/i>

Comprehensive Government Salary Guide

Kyle Stone | GovCentral Editor — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:42:00 -0700

Government jobs are in demand! The Federal government is not only the nation's largest, but also its most diversified employer, with more than 2,000 different categories of employees.

The diversity of government jobs available also means many different salaries and benefits packages. This comprehensive salary guide aims to reveal information related to government pay through a series of different methods. Use whichever interests you - for example, if you are interested in local and state government work, seek information about smaller departments and branches rather than government agencies.

25 Highest Annual Salaries in Government

Highest Paying State Government Careers

Highest Paying Federal Careers for 2008

The 9 Fastest Growing Government Industries

2009 Government Pay Schedule

The Ultimate Guide to the GS Pay Scale

General Schedule Pay Scale Ranges

Big Cities, Big Bucks: The Biggest Industries in 10 American Cities

Flexible Spending Accounts Overview

Federal Salaries: How to Talk Your Way Up the Scale
Government Career Profiles

How to Boost Your Salary Offer

By Lily Whiteman, author of How to Land a Top-Paying Federal Job — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 15:34:00 -0700

So you’ve received an offer for a federal job. This means that you probably beat out dozens, or perhaps even hundreds, of competitors to rank as the hiring agency’s number one pick. Congratulations! You should feel great about your success.

But even though you have bagged your target job, the application process is still not over. Why not? Because you have one final chore to complete: negotiating you salary.

How should you kick off your salary negotiations? Simply by asking your agency contact person, “Is this salary negotiable?” There is a good chance that those four little words may be enough to compel your hiring agency to increase its salary offer.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SALARY NEGOTIATIONS

Granted: Few people enjoy negotiating salaries. The process feels uncomfortable and undignified – disturbingly similar to haggling over the price of a used car. But odious though salary negotiations are, they are important because:

● Contrary to popular believe, federal salaries are often negotiable. I know this from my own experience: by negotiating my first federal salary for a job at the Environmental Protection Agency 17 years ago, and by campaigning for numerous raises and promotions since then, I increased my own total federal take-home pay by more than $250,000.

What’s more, I have coached dozens and dozens of other professionals in their successful negotiations for federal jobs. These clients include a military transitioner who recently use my tips to rais his offer by about $30,000 annually and an Information Technology project manager who recently use my tips to raise his offer by about $10,000 annually, to name just a few examples. And yes, despite the collapsing economy, most federal agencies are still negotiating the salaries of new recuits.

● Like most private sector employers, most federal employers lowball job applicants: they offer them the lowest acceptable salary. Why? Because most applicants – relieved that their job search is finally over and unaware that federal salaries are frequently negotiable — lunge at the bait and take lowball offers. But for only a few short minutes of negotiating discomfort, you may increase your salary by thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars per year.

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● You won’t get what you don’t ask for. You owe it to yourself to advocate for what you really deserve. Remember: if you don’t advocate for yourself, no one else will.

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YOUR MOVE: NEGOTIATE

● Understand your hiring agency’s limits: Each announcement for a federal opening identifies a salary range for the opening. Although you probably can’t raise your offer beyond the ceiling of your opening’s salary range, you have a good chance of negotiating a higher salary offer within your opening’s range.

● Justify your request: Explain to your hiring agency why you deserve a higher salary than you have been offered. Your explanation may be based on:

1. A description of your outstanding qualifications and an explanation of how they exceed the basic qualifications of the opening. For example, do you exceed the basic requirements for the job because of your degrees or work experience? Do you have a sterling academic record? Have you published articles or books in your field? Have you won awards?

2. Proof that the hiring agency’s offer is below your current annual salary or below a competing offer. (In most cases, a hiring agency will match the current salary or a competing offer of a new recruit.) If your hiring agency has based your current annual salary on your base pay, provide proof that your base pay underestimates your current annual salary because it excludes bonuses, opportunities to work overtime, free housing, free child care or other sources of income. Also if your most recent salary is more than one year old because you took time off since working your last job, remind your hiring agency that it should apply a cost-of-living adjustment to your most recent salary in order to accurately estimate its current worth.

3. The fact that accepting the job would require you to move to a city that has a higher cost of living than your present job;

4. Any additional sacrifices that accepting the job would require of you.

● Don’t give ultimatums if you really want the job: Instead of threatening to reject the offer if your demands are not met, use a soft-sell approach. Phrase your negotiations in gentle statements, such as:

I am excited about the possibility of contributing to this organization. But is there any additional wiggle room in your offer?

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● Bump up your negotiations: If you receive your job offer from a staffer from your target agency’s human resources office and s/he declines to negotiate, request a meeting with your opening’s selecting official. (The selecting official is probably the same person who interviewed you for the job.) This is important because federal selecting officials usually have significant more power to increase salary offers than do human resources officials.

● Use good timing: Initiate and complete your salary negotiations before you respond to your hiring agency’s offer. Why? Because once you respond to the hiring agency’s offer, you lose your bargaining power. Indeed, the time between your receipt of an offer and your response to it is the only tine during the selection process, and perhaps the only time during your career, when you get to call the shots and an employer twists in the wind, awaiting your decision.

Federal Workers May Get Bigger Raises: Was Set for 2%, Might Be 2.9%

By John Fritze, USA TODAY — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0700

WASHINGTON — Despite President Obama's call for federal employees to "do their part" and accept smaller-than-usual pay raises, Congress is considering a budget that could spend an additional $1.3 billion or more on pay for civilian federal workers.

While some states and private companies are slashing jobs and pay, Congress is advancing a budget that could change a 2% raise proposed by Obama for 1.9 million non-military federal workers to at least 2.9% — which is the amount the president proposed for military employees.

"It feels like this is not a good time to be taking a pay increase," said Leslie Paige of Citizens Against Government Waste, a watchdog group that supports freezing pay for civilian federal workers. "Everyone else in the country is taking huge cuts, losing jobs."

The House and Senate are advancing versions of the budget that do not provide a specific pay raise amount, but call for equal raises for civilian and military workers.

Lawmakers reached parity in the past by increasing civilian raises rather than cutting the president's proposed military pay, which would be politically difficult in a time of war. If civilian pay jumps to 2.9%, it would cost $1.3 billion, the Office of Management and Budget estimates.

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The budget is non-binding, and the final decision on pay will be made as lawmakers approve specific spending bills. As part of the current budget, Congress scrapped an automatic pay raise for itself that had been scheduled for next fiscal year.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., whose district is home to many federal workers, said in a statement e-mailed by his office that he is not necessarily seeking larger pay raises for civilian employees but wants pay increases for uniformed and white-collar workers to be equal.

He said he expects both will receive less than the 3.9% approved for this year.

"Military and civilian personnel ... work side-by-side in carrying out the responsibility of government to protect the nation and provide services to American citizens," Hoyer said in stating his case for equal pay.

Still, pressure is mounting to raise military pay, not reduce it. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said this week there is bipartisan support for a 3.4% raise for the military.

The possibility of federal pay raises comes as a National Conference of State Legislatures survey found 20 states, including New York, California and Ohio, are considering or have enacted layoffs or furloughs to close budget gaps.

Max Stier, head of the Partnership for Public Service, said good pay helps the government recruit quality employees needed at a time of economic crisis.

"We're asking more from our government than we have in a couple of generations," said Stier, whose non-partisan group promotes effective government. "It would be penny-wise and pound-foolish to minimize pay to federal workers when we need so much from them."

Courtesy of YellowBrix 2009

Federal GS Pay Raise in 2010 to Increase 2%

GovCentral — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:58:00 -0700

The federal civilian workforce will receive a 2 percent pay increase in fiscal 2010 under the Obama administration's proposed budget.

This is a significant percent decrease from the previous 3.5% and 3.9% increases in 2008 and 2009, respectively.

The administration has cited this lower percentage increase as reflective of the current economic crisis. Such a measure will make federal pay and benefit practices more in line with what workers in the private sector are experiencing.

Remember, as with the GS Pay Scale system in years past, individual workers may get more or less based on their locality, or on whether or not they receive promotions.

See what you'll be earning in 2010 using the NEW detailed charts

2010 Government Pay Schedule

GovCentral Salary Experts | Kyle Stone and Currin Berdine — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:49:00 -0700

Employees of the government know that the process for determining the 2010 pay rate schedule is a complicated one. Employees of the government also know that the rate of salary increase fluctuates from year to year.

According to the budget proposal by the Obama administration, the pay increase for federal civilian employees is 2 percent. It is impossible to predict the 2010 pay raises with 100% certainty because of recent economic and government fluctuations. Nonetheless, it is very possible to make an educated guess about what pay increase can be expected from the current budget plan. With this guide, you can compute your 2010 salary in advance.

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GovCentral's Calculations

According to the budget proposal by the Obama administration, the pay increase for federal civilian employees is 2 percent. We calculated pay increases based on 2009 pay information for each of the 15 pay grades.

Keep in mind that your locality rates may not be accurately reflected in the tables below. Our estimations do take locality into account, but are not broken down into location-specific information.

If you are an employee of the United States military, you may receive a higher pay increase than what has been calculated here, depending on the status of your performance review.

Under the NSPS pay system? See the NSPS pay increases.

What will your 2010 salary range be? Choose your pay grade from 1 to 15 below:

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

Questions about the Pay Scale system? See our Frequently Asked Questions page, or join our Pay Scale Group.

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-1

2008

Salary: $19,247 - $24,127

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: *$19,997 - $25,067*

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$20,396.94
- $25,568.34*

With a 1.75% Increase: *$20,346.95 - $25,505.67*

With a 1.5% Increase: *$20,296.96 - $25,443.01 *

Percent of Federal Workforce: *0.2%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-2

2008

Salary: $21,640 - $27,293

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: *$22,483- $28,357*

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$22,932.66
- $28,924.14*

With a 1.75% Increase: *$22,876.45 - $28,853.25*

With a 1.5% Increase: *$22,820.25 - $28,782.36*

Percent of Federal Workforce: *0.3%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-3

2008

Salary: $23,612 - $30,766

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: *$24,532 - $31,965*

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$25,022.64
- $32,604.30 *

With a 1.75% Increase: *$24,961.31 - $32,524.39*

With a 1.5% Increase: *$24,899.98 - $32,444.48*

Percent of Federal Workforce: *1.2%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-4

2008

Salary: $26,506 - $34,535

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: *$27,539 - $35,881*

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$28,089.78
- $36,598.62*

With a 1.75% Increase: *$28,020.93 - $36,508.92*

With a 1.5% Increase: *$27,952.09 - $36,419.22*

Percent of Federal Workforce: *3.0%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-5

2008

Salary: $29,656 - $38,641

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: *$30,813 - $40,148*

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$31,429.26
- $40,950.96 *

With a 1.75% Increase: *$31,352.23 - $40,850.59*

With a 1.5% Increase: *$31,275.20 - $40,750.22*

Percent of Federal Workforce: *5.3%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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>

h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-6

2008

Salary: $31,740 - $41,262

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: *$32,977.86
- $42,871.22*

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$33,637.42
- $43,728.64*

With a 1.75% Increase: *$33,554.97 - $43,621.47*

With a 1.5% Increase: *$33,472.53 - $43,514.29*

Percent of Federal Workforce: *4.1%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-7

2008

Salary: $33,057 - $42,290

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: $34,346 - $43,939

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$35,032.92 - $44,817.78*

With a 1.75% Increase: *$34,947.06 - $44,707.93*

With a 1.5% Increase: *$34,861.19 - $44,598.09*

Percent of Federal Workforce: *7.0%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-8

2008

Salary: $40,683 - $53,014

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: $42,270 - $55,082

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$43,115.40
- $56,183.64*

With a 1.75% Increase: *$43,009.73 - $56,045.94*

With a 1.5% Increase: *$42,904.05 - $55,908.23*

Percent of Federal Workforce: *3.0%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-9

2008

Salary: $44,934 - $58,549

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: $46,686 - $60,773

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$47,619.72
- $61,988.46*

With a 1.75% Increase: *$47,503.01 - $61,836.53*

With a 1.5% Increase: *$47,386.29 - $61,684.60 *

Percent of Federal Workforce: *6.6%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-10

2008

Salary: $49,483 - $64,477

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: $51,413 - $66,992

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$52,441.26
- $68,331.84 *

With a 1.75% Increase: *$52,312.73 - $68,164.36 *

With a 1.5% Increase: *$52,184.20 - $67,996.88 *

Percent of Federal Workforce: *0.8%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-11

2008

Salary: $54,367 - $70,844

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: $56,487 - $73,607

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$57,616.74
- $75,079.14*

With a 1.75% Increase: *$57,475.52 - $74,895.12 *

With a 1.5% Increase: *$57,334.31 - $74,711.11 *

Percent of Federal Workforce: *9.9%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-12

2008

Salary: $65,161 - $84,911

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: $67,702 - $88,223

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$69,056.04
- $89,987.46 *

With a 1.75% Increase: *$68,886.79 - $89,766.90 *

With a 1.5% Increase: *$68,717.53 - $89,546.35 *

Percent of Federal Workforce: *11.2%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-13

2008

Salary:$77,488 - $100,972

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: $80,510 - $104,910

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$82,120.20
- $107,008.20 *

With a 1.75% Increase: *$81,918.93 - $106,745.93*

With a 1.5% Increase: *$81,717.65 - $106,483.65*

Percent of Federal Workforce: *10.0%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-14

2008

Salary: $91,566 - $119,312

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: $95,137 - $123,956

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$97,039.74
- $126,435.12 *

With a 1.75% Increase: *$96,801.90 - $126,125.23*

With a 1.5% Increase: *$96,564.06 - $125,815.34*

Percent of Federal Workforce: *4.9%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. GS Pay Grades: GS-15

2008

Salary: $107,709 - $140,021

2009

With a 3.9% Increase: $110,252 - $145,482

2010

With a 2.0% Increase: *$112,457.04
- $148,391.64 *

With a 1.75% Increase: *$112,181.41 - $148,027.94 *

With a 1.5% Increase: *$111,905.78 - $147,664.23 *

Percent of Federal Workforce: *3.2%*

Got more questions? Join Our Pay Scale Group.

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

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h3. More Resources

• GS Pay Scale Frequently Asked Questions

• What Determines Where You Stand on the GS Pay Scale?

• 25 Highest Annual Salaries in Government

• Highest Paying Federal Careers (2008)

• Highest Paying State Government Careers

• Federal Salaries: How to Talk Your Way Up the Scale

• More...

h3. Sources

• _U.S. Office of Personnel Management_

| GS 1 | GS 2 | GS 3 | GS 4 |

| GS 5 | GS 6 | GS 7 | GS 8 |
| GS 9 | GS 10 | GS 11 | GS 12 |
| GS 13 | GS 14 | GS 15 |

Pentagon's NSPS System Under Fire

By Joe Davidson | Federal Diary, Washington Post — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:35:00 -0700

The Pentagon has been placed on the defensive over its personnel system.

Two key members of the House Armed Services Committee, its chairman and the readiness subcommittee leader, have urged Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to stop moving civilian employees into the department's controversial National Security Personnel System.

In a Feb. 13 letter, Chairman Ike Skelton (D-Mo.) and Rep. Solomon P. Ortiz (D-Tex.) told Gates the personnel system has resulted in "widespread distrust and discontent within the ranks of the hundreds of thousands of dedicated DOD employees."

The NSPS has long had a bull's-eye on it back. Federal employee unions have been trying to kill it at least since the first run of conversions began in April 2006. President Obama showed it little love during the campaign when he said he would "strongly consider a complete repeal" or a substantial overhaul of the system.

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Because an administration review of the program will take some time, "we urge you to immediately halt the conversion of any additional employees to NSPS at any level or any location until the administration and Congress can properly address the future of the Department's personnel system," the congressmen told Gates.

The Pentagon says it is evaluating their request. But halting the conversions now really wouldn't mean much since almost all of the workers who would be placed under the NSPS are already there.

"Congress has specifically excluded the blue-collar portion of the workforce from NSPS, and there are no plans to include the bargaining unit employees under NSPS," said Lt. Col. Les' Melnyk, a Defense press officer. "So we're essentially maxed out now at around 205,000, with only about 2,000 non-bargaining white-collar employees left to convert this year."

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As the largest pay-for-performance system in the government, the NSPS represented the most aggressive attempt by former president Bush to kill the General Schedule -- better known as GS -- classification system. Many federal workers strongly object to the NSPS pay-for-performance model. They don't trust the employee rating system that affects pay raises. Union leaders have targeted it because they feel it would hold down wages.

"NSPS is the biggest affront to the federal workforce in modern history, and it is killing morale within the department," said Richard N. Brown, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees. "The overwhelming majority of Defense workers despise NSPS. Repealing NSPS is our top legislative priority. We want it gone this year."

Despite union fears about pay under the NSPS, figures released this week by the Pentagon show NSPS workers receiving significantly higher pay raises than those in the GS system. The total average salary increase for the NSPS workers was 6.4 percent, and with a bonus the average increase jumped to 8.35 percent. The increase for Washington area workers in the GS system was just under 4.8 percent.

But union leaders don't trust the NSPS figures to give a complete picture any more than they trust the system as a whole.

"DoD has been trying very hard to make NSPS look better than the GS pay system, and these increases are part of giving that perception," said Randy Erwin, the National Federation's legislative director. "Giving big increases to the first people who go under the program is a great way to get high approval. But these kinds of pay increases are unsustainable. In the long run, Defense workers will not fare well under NSPS."

h4. Want to move higher on the Pay Scale? People with a higher level degree earn more money than their counterparts.

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The Pentagon said the average rating for NSPS workers was 3.46 on a five-point scale. A "1" rating marks "unacceptable" performance and results in no pay increase. Almost 94 percent were rated three or four.

That, however, does not sway the widespread opposition to pay-for-performance.

Remember that this is a zero-sum game, because there is no additional money going to increase the overall rate of pay for Defense workers," Erwin added. "If the managers are getting these huge annual increases, there is not going to be much left for everyone else. We believe the rank-and-file Defense workers will see their pay stagnated considerably under NSPS."

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The Federal Retirement System

Last Friday, the Federal Diary said the Federal Employees Retirement System covers employees who joined the government after Dec. 31, 1986. That was based on an Office of Personnel Management statement that says: "Congress created the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) in 1986, and it became effective on January 1, 1987. Since that time, new Federal civilian employees who have retirement coverage are covered by FERS."

That's generally true, but since Uncle Sam can't make anything simple, there are exceptions to that rule, as FERS employees whose employment started before that date have let me know. I don't want them to feel left out of this conversation, so they are hereby recognized.

_©2009 Yellowbrix, Inc._

h4. Want to move higher on the Pay Scale? People with a higher level degree earn more money than their counterparts.

Obama Budget Would Limit Pay Raises for Fed Civilian Workers, Military

Washington Post — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 09:54:00 -0800

The federal civilian workforce would be limited to a 2 percent pay increase in fiscal 2010 under the proposed budget released this morning by the Obama administration.

The administration described the proposed increase as reflective of the current economic crisis and bringing federal pay and benefit practices more in line with what workers in the private sector are experiencing.

But the proposal would give civilian employees a smaller pay raise than the 2.9 percent it would grant to uniformed military personnel. And it quickly ran into opposition on Capitol Hill, where House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said he would raise the issue with the Obama administration.

"While it's to be expected that during this time of shared sacrifice there will not likely be a federal employee adjustment equal to last year's level, we must continue to adhere to the long-standing bipartisan principle of pay parity," Hoyer said in a statement.

Hoyer said he would work with Obama to "ensure a fair and equal adjustment for both our military and civilian personnel who work side-by-side to protect our nation and keep our government running."

The budget summary released this morning notes that Obama has ordered a freeze of White House senior staff pay. "In this budget, federal employees also will be asked to do their part," the summary states.

The proposed increase compares with a 3.9 percent increase for federal workers in 2009 and 3.5 percent in 2008.

The 2 percent pay proposal represents the administration's target increase for the entire 1.8 million-civilian federal payroll. Individual workers could get more or less based on their locality, or on whether or not they receive promotions.

The president of the American Federation of Government Employees said the union was not happy with the size of the proposed increased but understood the rationale for it. "We recognize the severity of our nation's economic situation, including the crisis for public workers at the state and local level, and understand that only modest steps can be taken this year to close the remaining pay gap between the federal and non-federal salaries," said AFGE President John Gage.

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But Richard N. Brown, president of the National Federation of Federal Employees, was more critical and said his group would push Congress for a larger pay increase.

"Even in this economy, 2 percent is a very small increase for workers that are already paid well below those doing similar work in the private sector," he said.

Brown also objected to civilian workers drawing a smaller pay increase than uniformed personnel under the budget plan.

"We are baffled by the large disparity in the proposed pay adjustments for civilian federal workers and military personnel," he said. "Civilian federal employees often work side-by-side with military personnel and are in their own right critical to maintaining our military readiness and homeland security."

Further criticism came from the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents 150,000 federal workers. "We understand that these are tough times, but we are very concerned about breaking the historic linkage of civilian and military pay parity," said Colleen M. Kelley, the union president.

"We want to find out why these pay raise numbers came out the way they did, and what went into the analysis regarding pay parity," Kelley added. "We also want to know what other proposals the administration will be pursuing this year that will affect federal workers." The 2.9 percent pay increase for the military is described in the budget summary as reflecting "the priorities of an administration that is committed to caring for the service members who protect our security and the families who support them."

Last year, military personnel received a 3.9 percent pay increase, half a percentage point more than President George W. Bush recommended.

_©2009 Yellowbrix, Inc._

h4. What makes you go higher on the GS Scale? Your degree. Get one.

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