I Look up your rate
What Does This GS-9 Actually Pay?
II The full table
| Step | Base | Rest of U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $57,118 | $66,862 |
| 2 | $59,022 | $69,091 |
| 3 | $60,926 | $71,320 |
| 4 | $62,830 | $73,549 |
| 5 | $64,734 | $75,778 |
| 6 | $66,638 | $78,006 |
| 7 | $68,542 | $80,235 |
| 8 | $70,446 | $82,464 |
| 9 | $72,350 | $84,693 |
| 10 | $74,254 | $86,922 |
In Washington–Baltimore the range runs $76,504 to $99,456. In San Jose–San Francisco, $83,586 to $108,663.
III Geography beats grade
At the lower grades the locality spread is wide enough to swamp a promotion, which matters when you are comparing offers.
| Position | Step 1 pay |
|---|---|
| GS-9, San Jose–San Francisco | $83,586 |
| GS-11, Rest of U.S. | $80,897 |
| GS-9, Rest of U.S. | $66,862 |
A GS-9 in the highest-paying area out-earns a GS-11 in most of the country — two grades lower, higher pay. Cost of living is the obvious counterweight, and it is not measured by locality pay, which is set against local labour market rates rather than living costs.
Locality is basic pay, so it feeds the high-3 behind a FERS annuity and agency TSP contributions — unlike non-foreign COLA or overseas allowances, which raise take-home and build no pension at all. A high-locality career builds a materially larger annuity.
IV Getting in at GS-9
You do not have to reach GS-9 by promotion. For many professional and administrative series, a master’s degree or equivalent graduate education qualifies a candidate directly — as does two years of progressively higher level graduate education — without the year of specialised experience at GS-7 the experience route requires.
Which routes apply is set by the qualification standard for the series, and which one the agency is using is stated in the announcement. See USAJOBS strategy for reading that correctly.
V What GS-11 would pay
GS-9 and GS-11 sit two grades apart, and that changes how the promotion lands.
From GS-9 step 5
GS-11 step 1 is $69,107 — already higher.
You land on step 1. So does someone promoted from step 3. On a two-grade ladder the two-step rule usually produces nothing beyond step 1, so take the promotion as soon as it is offered rather than waiting to build steps you are about to lose.
Getting your own number right
- Check the locality area on your SF-50, not where you live.
- When comparing offers, compare locality-adjusted pay, not grade.
- Find the full performance level of your position.
- On a two-grade ladder, promote as early as you can.
- Confirm your next within-grade increase date.
- Check whether a special rate table applies to your occupation.
- Read the qualification standard before assuming you need more experience.
- Remember locality counts toward the high-3; allowances do not.
Questions
The base rate runs from $57,118 at step 1 to $74,254 at step 10, with locality added on top. In the Rest of U.S. area that is about $66,862 to $86,922. In Washington-Baltimore it is about $76,504 to $99,456, and in San Jose-San Francisco about $83,586 to $108,663. A GS-9 in the highest-paying area therefore out-earns a GS-11 in the lowest, which is worth knowing before comparing offers across locations.
Frequently, yes. For many professional and administrative series a master's degree or equivalent graduate education qualifies a candidate for GS-9 directly, as does two years of progressively higher level graduate education, without the year of specialised experience at GS-7 that the experience route would require. The qualification standard for the series states which routes apply, and the job announcement states which the agency is using.
On these figures, from GS-9 step 5 you would land at GS-11 step 1. The two-step rule entitles you to at least the equivalent of two within-grade increases at your current grade, which from step 5 gives a target of $68,542 — below GS-11 step 1 at $69,107. Because GS-9 and GS-11 sit two grades apart, the rule frequently produces nothing beyond step 1 of the new grade, and the steps you accumulated at GS-9 carry across only if you promote from very high in the range.
Generally not, on a two-grade ladder. If you land at GS-11 step 1 whether you promote from GS-9 step 3 or step 6, the extra years produced current pay but no lasting advantage. The calculation is different on a single-grade jump such as GS-12 to GS-13, where the two-step rule does bite and promoting from a higher step lands you higher in the new range. Know which kind of ladder you are on before timing anything.
Eighteen years without a promotion or a quality step increase, which is the same at every grade. The waiting periods run 52 weeks for each of the first three increases, then 104 weeks for each of the next three, then 156 weeks for each of the last three. In practice almost no one reaches GS-9 step 10, because a normal career ladder promotes to GS-11 within a couple of years.
About $1,904 in base pay at GS-9, the same at every step because the General Schedule uses even increments within a grade. Locality multiplies it, so the same increase is worth roughly $2,229 in the Rest of U.S. area and $2,550 in Washington-Baltimore. Against a promotion to GS-11, which on these figures is worth several times more, a single step increase is a small event.
Yes. Locality pay is part of basic pay, so it counts toward the high-3 average salary behind a FERS annuity and toward agency contributions to your Thrift Savings Plan. Allowances such as non-foreign COLA and overseas post allowances do not. At GS-9 you are early enough in a career that grade progression will move that number far more than geography, but the principle holds throughout.
Yes, and substantially where one applies. OPM may establish special rate schedules under 5 U.S.C. 5305 for occupations with recruitment or retention difficulties, and where a special rate governs it replaces the ordinary locality-adjusted figure rather than adding to it. You are entitled to the highest applicable rate of basic pay, so you receive whichever of the two is greater. Many technical and medical series carry special rates at GS-9, so check your SF-50 before relying on the table above.