GS-14 pay scale 2026 by step and locality
A grade of supervisors, program managers and recognized experts, and the first where the pay cap touches a step. Choose your county below.
GS-14 step 1, Washington DC, 2026
$143,913
Base $107,446 plus 33.94 % locality pay.
| Base pay (GS table) | $107,446 |
| Locality payment, Washington DC | $36,467 |
| Hourly rate | $68.96 |
| Biweekly paycheck (gross, 80 hours) | $5,516.80 |
| Same cell in 2025 | $142,488 (+$1,425) |
| Next step (52 weeks in step) | +$4,798 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · How the figures are built · 2026 OPM tables, rebuilt cell by cell
GS-14 positions are mostly supervisors of a branch or office, program managers, and senior experts whose work sets policy or technical direction for others. Entry is almost always competitive, from GS-13 after at least a year of specialized experience at that level. In 2026 the GS-14 base rate goes from $107,446 to $139,684; with locality, step 1 pays $125,776 in Rest of U.S. and $143,913 in the Washington area, and step 10 pays $163,514 and $187,093. GS-14 is the lowest grade where the $197,200 pay cap, the Executive Schedule level IV rate, holds a cell down: in San Francisco, 2 steps stop at the cap. Overtime for FLSA-exempt employees is paid at straight time at every step. For FERS, a high-3 built on GS-14 steps 8 to 10 in Rest of U.S. averages $159,321, and retiring at 62 with 25 years at the 1.1 % multiplier pays about $43,813 a year.
Who holds GS-14
GS-14 is a management and expertise grade. In headquarters it is often the chief of a branch or the manager of a program; in the field it can be the head of a large office. Non-supervisory GS-14 positions exist too, for experts whose judgment others rely on across an agency. Since few positions sit at this level, promotions come through announcements rather than a ladder. A GS-13 step 4 in Washington who is selected moves from $133,964 to GS-14 step 1 at $143,913. The 52-week time-in-grade wait at GS-13 applies until January 18, 2027 and ends on January 19, 2027, while the year of GS-13 level experience stays in the qualification standard.
Where the cap starts to bite
Locality pay is capped at the rate of Executive Schedule level IV, $197,200 in 2026. At GS-14 it binds only in one area, San Francisco, where the uncapped table would give step 10 more than the cap. There, step 8 pays $193,930 and steps 9 and 10 both pay $197,200. In New York, step 10 is $192,694, still under the line. A GS-14 at step 9 in San Francisco therefore gains nothing from the step 10 increase, a preview of what happens across many areas at GS-15.
Is your GS-14 step at the pay cap?
GS-14 step 10 in San Francisco
$197,200
| Base rate | $139,684 |
| Uncapped locality rate | $204,414 |
| Pay cap (EX-IV) | $197,200 |
| Cells capped in this area | 10 |
The 1.1 % multiplier and the GS-14 high-3
Many GS-14 employees reach this grade late in their career, so the years here usually make the high-3. The multiplier rises from 1 % to 1.1 % for an employee who separates at 62 or older with at least 20 years. Take someone born in 1964 with 25 years of service and a high-3 of $159,321, the average of GS-14 steps 8, 9 and 10 in Rest of U.S. Leaving at 60 gives an immediate annuity of $39,830 a year at 1 %. Waiting until 62 gives $43,813, a difference of $3,983 a year for life, before any survivor election or COLA. The retire at 62 page covers the rule in detail.
Overtime and the road to GS-15
Every GS-14 hourly rate is above GS-10 step 1, so FLSA-exempt overtime pays straight time, and overtime never counts in the high-3. A move to GS-15 from step 6 in Rest of U.S. lands at GS-15 step 3, $157,809, a raise of $11,067. See the pay cap page for all capped cells.
GS-14 in all 58 locality areas
| Locality area | Step 1 | Step 5 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $157,236 | $178,204 | $197,200 |
| New York | $148,222 | $167,987 | $192,694 |
| Los Angeles | $146,632 | $166,185 | $190,627 |
| Houston | $145,052 | $164,395 | $188,573 |
| Washington DC | $143,913 | $163,104 | $187,093 |
| San Diego | $143,677 | $162,836 | $186,785 |
| Boston | $142,452 | $161,448 | $185,193 |
| Alaska | $142,216 | $161,180 | $184,886 |
| Hartford | $141,915 | $160,839 | $184,495 |
| Seattle | $141,367 | $160,218 | $183,782 |
| Chicago | $140,604 | $159,353 | $182,790 |
| Denver | $140,239 | $158,939 | $182,316 |
| Sacramento | $139,422 | $158,014 | $181,254 |
| Detroit | $138,734 | $157,235 | $180,360 |
| Philadelphia | $138,595 | $157,076 | $180,178 |
| Minneapolis | $137,123 | $155,408 | $178,265 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $136,736 | $154,970 | $177,762 |
| Portland | $135,522 | $153,594 | $176,183 |
| Miami | $133,953 | $151,816 | $174,144 |
| Atlanta | $133,007 | $150,744 | $172,915 |
| Phoenix | $131,568 | $149,112 | $171,043 |
| Milwaukee | $131,535 | $149,076 | $171,001 |
| Buffalo | $131,525 | $149,064 | $170,987 |
| Richmond | $131,385 | $148,905 | $170,806 |
| Raleigh | $131,342 | $148,857 | $170,750 |
| Cleveland | $131,331 | $148,844 | $170,736 |
| Hawaii | $131,310 | $148,820 | $170,708 |
| Columbus | $131,245 | $148,747 | $170,624 |
| Cincinnati | $131,009 | $148,479 | $170,317 |
| Huntsville | $130,987 | $148,455 | $170,289 |
| Laredo | $130,644 | $148,065 | $169,842 |
| Dayton | $130,461 | $147,858 | $169,604 |
| Pittsburgh | $130,042 | $147,383 | $169,060 |
| Albany | $129,763 | $147,066 | $168,696 |
| Austin | $129,311 | $146,555 | $168,110 |
| Colorado Springs | $129,096 | $146,311 | $167,830 |
| St. Louis | $128,967 | $146,165 | $167,663 |
| Charlotte | $128,581 | $145,727 | $167,160 |
| Las Vegas | $128,473 | $145,605 | $167,020 |
| Burlington | $128,344 | $145,459 | $166,853 |
| Harrisburg | $128,323 | $145,435 | $166,825 |
| Tucson | $128,162 | $145,252 | $166,615 |
| Kansas City | $127,829 | $144,875 | $166,182 |
| Davenport | $127,786 | $144,826 | $166,126 |
| Virginia Beach | $127,646 | $144,668 | $165,945 |
| San Antonio | $127,624 | $144,643 | $165,917 |
| Albuquerque | $127,141 | $144,095 | $165,288 |
| Birmingham | $127,044 | $143,986 | $165,162 |
| Omaha | $127,033 | $143,973 | $165,148 |
| Indianapolis | $126,947 | $143,876 | $165,037 |
| Des Moines | $126,797 | $143,705 | $164,841 |
| Palm Bay | $126,711 | $143,608 | $164,729 |
| Rochester | $126,657 | $143,547 | $164,659 |
| Spokane | $126,432 | $143,291 | $164,366 |
| Fresno | $126,410 | $143,267 | $164,338 |
| Corpus Christi | $126,389 | $143,243 | $164,310 |
| Reno | $126,271 | $143,109 | $164,157 |
| Rest of U.S. | $125,776 | $142,549 | $163,514 |