2026 GS Pay Scale & Military Crosswalk
Map military pay grades to federal civil service salaries with 2026 OPM locality pay and calculate FERS military deposit buyback ROI.
General Schedule Civil Service Pay Engine
General Schedule (GS) Grade & Step Parameters
Select federal GS grade, step progression, and OPM locality area.
Official OPM 2026 adjusted federal civil service salary for GS-7 Step 1 in 16.82% locality area.
FERS Military Deposit Buyback ROI Analysis
Buying back military service time adds 1.0% per year to your lifetime FERS civil service pension under 5 U.S.C. Chapter 84.
How the Federal Civil Service System Evaluates Military Experience
Understanding General Schedule grade qualifications, OPM locality adjustments, and FERS pension credit.
The General Schedule (GS) is the primary pay classification system for civilian federal employees in the United States executive branch, established by Title 5 U.S. Code Chapter 53. Transitioning military veterans qualify for veteran preference hiring under the Veterans' Preference Act of 1944 (5 U.S.C. § 2108) and special direct-hire appointing authorities such as Veterans' Recruitment Appointment (VRA) and 30% or More Disabled Veteran appointments.
FERS Military Deposit Buyback Formula (5 U.S.C. § 8422)
Because a 3% one-time deposit permanently credits all military service years toward your FERS pension, most veterans recoup their entire deposit within 1.5 to 2.5 years of retirement.