1. What is GS Pay with Locality?

GS (General Schedule) pay with locality adjustment is the compensation system for most white-collar federal employees. The locality pay adjustment accounts for differences in living costs across geographic areas.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the GS pay with locality formula:

Where:

• \( base \) — Base GS pay (USD)
• \( locality\ multiplier \) — Locality pay adjustment (fraction)

Explanation: The locality multiplier is added to 1 to calculate the total pay including the base salary plus locality adjustment.

3. Importance of Locality Pay

Details: Locality pay helps federal employees in high-cost areas maintain comparable purchasing power to those in lower-cost areas. It's a critical component of federal compensation.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter base pay in USD and locality multiplier as a fraction (e.g., 0.15 for 15%). Both values must be positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Where can I find my locality multiplier?
A: The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) publishes locality pay tables annually for each geographic area.

Q2: How often does locality pay change?
A: Locality pay rates are typically adjusted annually, based on surveys of non-federal pay in each area.

Q3: Do all federal employees receive locality pay?
A: Most GS employees receive locality pay, but some special salary rate employees may have different pay systems.

Q4: How is the locality percentage determined?
A: It's based on salary surveys comparing federal and non-federal pay in specific geographic areas.

Q5: Can locality pay be negative?
A: No, locality pay adjustments are always positive or zero (for the "Rest of U.S." locality).