GS-6 pay scale 2026 by step and locality
A grade of the one-grade-interval series: technicians and assistants who move up one grade at a time. Set your county to see your step.
GS-6 step 1, Washington DC, 2026
$51,957
Base $38,791 plus 33.94 % locality pay.
| Base pay (GS table) | $38,791 |
| Locality payment, Washington DC | $13,166 |
| Hourly rate | $24.90 |
| Biweekly paycheck (gross, 80 hours) | $1,992.00 |
| Same cell in 2025 | $51,442 (+$515) |
| Next step (52 weeks in step) | +$1,732 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · How the figures are built · 2026 OPM tables, rebuilt cell by cell
GS-6 belongs to the one-grade-interval world of the General Schedule: technical, clerical and assistant series where careers move 5, 6, 7, 8 rather than 5, 7, 9. Typical GS-6 employees are technicians and specialized assistants who apply established procedures to a full range of cases, and in some series GS-6 is the full-performance level. In 2026 the base GS-6 rates run from $38,791 at step 1 to $50,428 at step 10. With locality pay, step 1 is $45,409 in Rest of U.S., $45,645 in San Antonio, $51,037 in Seattle and $51,957 in the Washington area. Each within-grade increase adds $1,513 a year in Rest of U.S., and step 10 there pays $59,031. The hourly rate at step 1 is $21.76, with overtime at $32.64. A promotion from GS-5 to GS-6 typically adds a few thousand dollars, and the time-in-grade rule for it ends on January 19, 2027.
One grade at a time
The General Schedule has two kinds of career paths. In two-grade-interval series, the professional and administrative ones, grades go 5, 7, 9, 11 and GS-6 is skipped. In one-grade-interval series, the technical and assistant ones, every grade is used, and GS-6 is a normal rung: an engineering or medical technician, a program or management assistant, a specialized clerk with deep knowledge of one set of rules. The work is less about original analysis than about knowing procedures well and applying them without help. Classification standards for each series describe what separates GS-6 from GS-5 and GS-7, and the duties of the position decide the grade, not the person's education.
Getting to GS-6
GS-6 is the first grade covered by the time-in-grade rule. Until January 18, 2027, you need 52 weeks at GS-5 before a promotion to a GS-6 position in a one-grade-interval line. OPM's final rule published October 19, 2026 drops that requirement from January 19, 2027. What stays is the qualification standard: in general, one year of specialized experience equivalent to the next lower grade, so a year at GS-5 remains the typical path.
The pay gain follows the two-step rule. A GS-5 step 5 in Rest of U.S. earning $46,167 becomes GS-6 step 4, $49,950, a raise of $3,783. Only the lowest GS-5 steps land on GS-6 step 1: from step 3 up, the two-step target reaches into the middle of the new grade.
Your step timeline if GS-6 is your target grade
When GS-6 is the top of the position, step increases are the main raise. Suppose you are at step 4 with six months already served. Step 5 comes in about 18 months, step 7 in about 66 months, and step 10 in about 14 years, paying $59,031 at today's rates. A quality step increase for outstanding work moves you one step at once without changing the next waiting period.
GS-6 step increase dates from your current step
Next step: step 5
in 18 months
| Step 5 (104 weeks) | $51,463 |
| Step 6 (104 weeks) | $52,977 |
| Step 7 (104 weeks) | $54,490 |
The next rung: GS-7
Many GS-6 technicians and assistants move to GS-7 in the same series, still one grade at a time. In Washington, GS-6 step 3 pays $55,420; the promotion places you at GS-7 step 2, $59,661, a gain of $4,241. You can test other steps on the promotion calculator. A move from a one-grade series into a two-grade professional ladder is possible too, when you meet that series' standard, and it usually means a new application.
Hourly pay and overtime
Overtime at GS-6 is time and a half at every step, because the grade stays below the GS-10 step 1 hourly rate that caps overtime for FLSA-exempt employees: $28.29 at step 10 in Rest of U.S. against $32.57 for GS-10 step 1. The hourly pay page shows the computation for any grade, step and area.
GS-6 in all 58 locality areas
| Locality area | Step 1 | Step 5 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $56,767 | $64,335 | $73,796 |
| New York | $53,512 | $60,647 | $69,565 |
| Los Angeles | $52,938 | $59,996 | $68,819 |
| Houston | $52,368 | $59,350 | $68,078 |
| Washington DC | $51,957 | $58,884 | $67,543 |
| San Diego | $51,871 | $58,787 | $67,432 |
| Boston | $51,429 | $58,286 | $66,857 |
| Alaska | $51,344 | $58,189 | $66,747 |
| Hartford | $51,235 | $58,066 | $66,605 |
| Seattle | $51,037 | $57,842 | $66,348 |
| Chicago | $50,762 | $57,530 | $65,990 |
| Denver | $50,630 | $57,381 | $65,819 |
| Sacramento | $50,335 | $57,046 | $65,435 |
| Detroit | $50,087 | $56,765 | $65,113 |
| Philadelphia | $50,037 | $56,708 | $65,047 |
| Minneapolis | $49,505 | $56,106 | $64,356 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $49,365 | $55,947 | $64,175 |
| Portland | $48,927 | $55,451 | $63,605 |
| Miami | $48,361 | $54,809 | $62,869 |
| Atlanta | $48,019 | $54,422 | $62,425 |
| Phoenix | $47,500 | $53,833 | $61,749 |
| Milwaukee | $47,488 | $53,820 | $61,734 |
| Buffalo | $47,484 | $53,815 | $61,729 |
| Richmond | $47,434 | $53,758 | $61,663 |
| Raleigh | $47,418 | $53,740 | $61,643 |
| Cleveland | $47,414 | $53,736 | $61,638 |
| Hawaii | $47,406 | $53,727 | $61,628 |
| Columbus | $47,383 | $53,701 | $61,598 |
| Cincinnati | $47,298 | $53,604 | $61,487 |
| Huntsville | $47,290 | $53,595 | $61,477 |
| Laredo | $47,166 | $53,455 | $61,315 |
| Dayton | $47,100 | $53,380 | $61,230 |
| Pittsburgh | $46,949 | $53,208 | $61,033 |
| Albany | $46,848 | $53,094 | $60,902 |
| Austin | $46,685 | $52,909 | $60,690 |
| Colorado Springs | $46,607 | $52,822 | $60,589 |
| St. Louis | $46,561 | $52,769 | $60,529 |
| Charlotte | $46,421 | $52,611 | $60,347 |
| Las Vegas | $46,382 | $52,567 | $60,297 |
| Burlington | $46,336 | $52,514 | $60,236 |
| Harrisburg | $46,328 | $52,505 | $60,226 |
| Tucson | $46,270 | $52,439 | $60,151 |
| Kansas City | $46,150 | $52,303 | $59,994 |
| Davenport | $46,134 | $52,285 | $59,974 |
| Virginia Beach | $46,084 | $52,228 | $59,908 |
| San Antonio | $46,076 | $52,219 | $59,898 |
| Albuquerque | $45,901 | $52,021 | $59,671 |
| Birmingham | $45,866 | $51,982 | $59,626 |
| Omaha | $45,863 | $51,977 | $59,621 |
| Indianapolis | $45,832 | $51,942 | $59,581 |
| Des Moines | $45,777 | $51,881 | $59,510 |
| Palm Bay | $45,746 | $51,846 | $59,470 |
| Rochester | $45,727 | $51,824 | $59,445 |
| Spokane | $45,645 | $51,731 | $59,339 |
| Fresno | $45,638 | $51,722 | $59,329 |
| Corpus Christi | $45,630 | $51,714 | $59,318 |
| Reno | $45,587 | $51,665 | $59,263 |
| Rest of U.S. | $45,409 | $51,463 | $59,031 |