Pay and money
The three main federal pay systems
GS, WG and SES side by side: who each covers, how the grades work, how pay is set, and whether your duty station changes it.
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Source: The three main federal pay systems — Military Transition Toolkit (https://www.militarytransitiontoolkit.com/diagrams/federal-pay-systems-gs-wg-ses)
<figure>
<img src="https://www.militarytransitiontoolkit.com/diagrams/federal-pay-systems-gs-wg-ses.png"
alt="Comparison of the three main federal pay systems. General Schedule covers professional, technical, administrative and clerical employees, grades GS-1 to GS-15 with steps 1 to 10, and locality pay is added on top of a national base table. The Federal Wage System covers trade, craft and labor positions, grades WG-1 to WG-15 plus WL leader and WS supervisor levels, with pay set from local prevailing private-sector wages by wage area rather than a national table. The Senior Executive Service covers executives reporting to presidential appointees, has no grades or steps, pays 151,661 to 228,000 dollars in 2026, and pay is set individually and adjusted on annual performance. Location changes your pay under GS and WG but not under SES. GS and WG tables reset each January."
width="720" height="396">
<figcaption>
The three main federal pay systems. Source:
<a href="https://www.militarytransitiontoolkit.com/diagrams/federal-pay-systems-gs-wg-ses">Military Transition Toolkit</a>
</figcaption>
</figure>Where this comes from
This diagram is drawn from Federal pay scales: GS, WG and SES, which cites the regulations and rate tables behind every figure shown here. If a rate changes, the guide and the diagram are updated together.