Federal Employee Pay 2026 Special Rate Tables
2026 Federal Special Rate Pay Tables — Search by Agency & Occupation
Special rate tables let OPM pay above the standard General Schedule for occupations, grades, and locations where the government struggles to recruit or retain staff. Because there are thousands of these tables — specific to agencies, occupational series, and areas — they are searchable through OPM’s dedicated tool below.
Browse the official Special Rate Tables
Special rate tables are agency- and occupation-specific and number in the hundreds, so OPM maintains them in a dedicated, always-current tool. Jump straight to the view you need:
Search tables
Find a table by year, table number, agency, occupational series, or location.
Open search →Browse by occupation
See special rates by occupational series — e.g., IT (2210), engineering, nursing, and other STEM and medical fields.
By occupation →Browse by agency
See which special rate tables apply to each federal department and agency.
By agency →Browse by location
Find special rates tied to specific geographic areas and duty stations.
By location →What special rates are
Under 5 U.S.C. 5305, OPM can set higher-than-normal pay rates — called special rates — for specific occupations, grades, and geographic areas where the government has trouble recruiting or keeping qualified employees because of higher non-federal pay or other labor-market conditions.
- A special rate replaces the employee's regular GS rate (including locality pay) when it is higher.
- Each table is identified by a table number and covers a defined set of occupational series, grades, and locations.
- Common areas include information technology, engineering, medical, and other STEM and hard-to-fill occupations.
- An employee always receives the higher of the applicable special rate or the locality-adjusted GS rate.