GS pay cap 2026: the $197,200 limit and who it holds back
Enter a grade, step and area: the calculator shows the rate the table would give without the cap and how far the cap cuts it.
GS-15 step 10 in San Francisco
$197,200
Capped: the table would give $240,438, $43,238 above the limit.
| Base rate | $164,301 |
| Uncapped locality rate | $240,438 |
| Pay cap (EX-IV) | $197,200 |
| Cells capped in this area | 10 |
Prepared by Radif Partners · How the figures are built · read on opm.gov, ecfr.gov and ssa.gov · not an official determination
No General Schedule employee can be paid more than the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule, which is $197,200 in 2026, up from $195,200 in 2025. The limit comes from 5 U.S.C. 5304(g) and applies to the rate of basic pay with locality. When the base rate times one plus the locality percentage goes above it, OPM's table prints $197,200 instead. In 2026 that happens in 97 cells of the 58 locality tables, spread over 37 areas, all at GS-14 and GS-15. San Francisco, with the highest percentage, has 10 capped cells starting at GS-14 step 9; there, GS-15 step 10 would be $240,438 without the cap. An employee in a capped cell gains nothing from a step increase or a quality step increase, and in January 2026 received only the rise of the cap, $2,000, instead of the 1 % raise.
Where the limit comes from
Section 5304(g) of title 5 says that locality pay may not raise a General Schedule rate above the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule. The Executive Schedule is the pay system of political appointees and senior officials: level I is $253,100 in 2026, level II $228,000, level III $209,600, level IV $197,200 and level V $184,900. Level IV is the ceiling for every GS employee in every area.
The 97 capped cells
| Locality area | Percentage | Capped cells | First capped cell | GS-15 step 10 without cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | 46.34 % | 10 | GS-14 step 9 | $240,438 |
| New York | 37.95 % | 6 | GS-15 step 5 | $226,653 |
| Los Angeles | 36.47 % | 5 | GS-15 step 6 | $224,222 |
| Houston | 35 % | 5 | GS-15 step 6 | $221,806 |
| Washington DC | 33.94 % | 5 | GS-15 step 6 | $220,065 |
| San Diego | 33.72 % | 4 | GS-15 step 7 | $219,703 |
| Boston | 32.58 % | 4 | GS-15 step 7 | $217,830 |
| Alaska | 32.36 % | 4 | GS-15 step 7 | $217,469 |
| Hartford | 32.08 % | 4 | GS-15 step 7 | $217,009 |
| Seattle | 31.57 % | 4 | GS-15 step 7 | $216,171 |
| Chicago | 30.86 % | 4 | GS-15 step 7 | $215,004 |
| Denver | 30.52 % | 4 | GS-15 step 7 | $214,446 |
| Sacramento | 29.76 % | 3 | GS-15 step 8 | $213,197 |
| Detroit | 29.12 % | 3 | GS-15 step 8 | $212,145 |
| Philadelphia | 28.99 % | 3 | GS-15 step 8 | $211,932 |
| Minneapolis | 27.62 % | 3 | GS-15 step 8 | $209,681 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 27.26 % | 3 | GS-15 step 8 | $209,089 |
| Portland | 26.13 % | 2 | GS-15 step 9 | $207,233 |
| Miami | 24.67 % | 2 | GS-15 step 9 | $204,834 |
| Atlanta | 23.79 % | 2 | GS-15 step 9 | $203,388 |
| Phoenix | 22.45 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $201,187 |
| Milwaukee | 22.42 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $201,137 |
| Buffalo | 22.41 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $201,121 |
| Richmond | 22.28 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $200,907 |
| Raleigh | 22.24 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $200,842 |
| Cleveland | 22.23 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $200,825 |
| Hawaii | 22.21 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $200,792 |
| Columbus | 22.15 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $200,694 |
| Cincinnati | 21.93 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $200,332 |
| Huntsville | 21.91 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $200,299 |
| Laredo | 21.59 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $199,774 |
| Dayton | 21.42 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $199,494 |
| Pittsburgh | 21.03 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $198,854 |
| Albany | 20.77 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $198,426 |
| Austin | 20.35 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $197,736 |
| Colorado Springs | 20.15 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $197,408 |
| St. Louis | 20.03 % | 1 | GS-15 step 10 | $197,210 |
The pattern follows the percentage. GS-15 step 10 reaches the cap once the locality percentage passes 20.02 %; below that, nothing is held back, and the higher the percentage, the lower the first capped step. San Francisco is the only area where the cap reaches GS-14, at $197,200 for step 10 in San Francisco.
How close is your cell to the cap?
GS-15 step 5 in Washington DC
$191,850
| Base rate | $143,236 |
| Uncapped locality rate | $191,850 |
| Pay cap (EX-IV) | $197,200 |
| Cells capped in this area | 5 |
Pay compression
When several steps of the same grade pay the same, employees with very different seniority earn the same salary. In Washington, GS-15 step 6 and GS-15 step 10 both pay $197,200. A GS-14 step 10 promoted to GS-15 in San Francisco may get a raise of nothing at all, because both rates are capped. Supervisors can end up paid the same as the employees they supervise.
What the cap does to raises
For the 2026 adjustment, employees in uncapped cells received the 1 % on their base rate. Employees in capped cells received the rise of level IV, from $195,200 to $197,200, or 1.02 %. In years when the Executive Schedule is frozen and the GS table rises, more cells become capped and capped employees get nothing. The 2027 page keeps the cap at its 2026 level in every scenario for that reason.
How long until a step stops paying
For a GS-15 in a high area, the useful question is how many step increases are left before the cap. In Washington, step 6 is the first capped step, so a GS-15 hired at step 1 gains money from each increase until step 6, then nothing more until the cap moves. With on-time increases (52 weeks for steps 2 to 4, 104 weeks for steps 5 to 7, 156 weeks for steps 8 to 10), that is about 7 years. The calculator on the step increase page gives the date of each increase from the time you have already served in your step.
Because the cap is a single number, it also hides differences between areas. A GS-15 step 10 is paid $197,200 in every one of the 37 areas where that cell is capped, from St. Louis to San Francisco. Comparing job offers at the top of the scale therefore comes down to things other than salary: the location, the position's promotion potential, telework, and benefits.
Benefits computed on capped pay
Everything that is a percentage of basic pay follows the capped figure. Your TSP contributions and the agency's automatic and matching contributions are computed on $197,200, so the most a capped employee contributing 5 % can receive from the agency is $9,860 a year. Your FERS contribution is a percentage of the same figure, and so is your high-3 at retirement. Life insurance under FEGLI uses your annual rate of basic pay as well.
Awards and incentives above the cap
The cap limits the rate of basic pay. Performance awards, recruitment, relocation and retention incentives are paid on top of basic pay and are not limited by level IV, but by a separate aggregate limit on total pay in a calendar year, set at the rate for level I of the Executive Schedule, $253,100 in 2026. Overtime and other premium pay have their own limit as well, described on the hourly pay page.
Moving between areas
A capped GS-15 moving from San Francisco to a lower area may keep the same salary even though the locality percentage falls, because the uncapped rate in the new area is still above the cap. Conversely, moving from Rest of U.S. to Washington at GS-15 step 10 raises pay only to $197,200, not to the $220,065 the percentage would give. The locality pay page explains how your area is set, and the GS-15 page shows the grade in every area.