Fedweek

The executive order carrying out the raises–they will be paid as of the first full pay period of the new year, which begins January 10 for most–also raised the executive schedule rates by which salaries are capped in several high-level pay systems for career employees, including the SES. Political appointees and political SES members will not actually receive a raise–their actual salaries have been frozen since 2010–but the pay cap for others at high levels is rising to $185,100. There is a separate pay cap for the GS, which will rise to $160,300. That will not be a factor in all localities, but in some it applies to GS-15 employees at the highest steps–in the San Francisco area, the highest-paid, at step 6 and above. The order also sets new salary rates in several other specialized salary systems, for example capping pay for administrative law judges at $170,400. Separately, OPM has set the “special rate” raise at 1 percent, matching the across the board component. There are about 40,000 employees who receive that form of additional pay for high-demand positions; they do not receive locality pay unless that form of pay in their area exceeds the special rate, in which case the special rate is eliminated.