Government Pay Scale

The federal government pay scale is presented in the General Schedule (G.S) .Designed to establish salaries for all position levels throughout all Federal agencies, the General Schedule isdivided into 15 grades, which each have 10 levels. The table however doesn't include SES (Senior ExecutiveService) positions, which used to be listed as GS-16, GS-17 and GS-18.

Federal Government Pay Scale table

What you should know about the Federal Government Pay scale

The qualifications required for each position are listed in the job announcements. Each job features a codethat establishes to the minimum requirements. Most government positions require aFederal resumein formatssuch as OF 612, Resumix or aSES resumedepending on the position level. GS levels are based on yourwork experience, with usually 1 year of experience corresponding to 1 GS level, when it comes to clerical andtechnician positions.In administrative, professional, and scientific positions, GS level increase by 2 points at a time until you reachthe GS-12 level. Once you're at 12, it increases one level at a time.GS levels by education:

GS-1: No high school diploma

GS-2 (GS-3 for clerk-steno positions): High school diploma

GS-3: 1 year of full-time study after high school

GS-4: Associate degree or 2 years of full-time study after high school

GS-5 or GS-7: depending on agency policyand applicant's academic credentials Bachelor's degree or 4years of education after high school

GS-7: Bachelor's degree + 1 year

GS-9 (or GS-11 for some research positions): Master's degree or 2 years of graduate study

GS-9: Law degree

GS-11 (or GS-12 for some research positions): PhD., doctorate or advanced law degreeWhen applying to a government position, you should be familiar with the GS levels and what they stand for.Ensure that you are qualified for the position and that your resume is appropriately formatted for that level.

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Grade

Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Step 4 Step 5 Step 6 Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Step 10

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