Federal Pay Raise 2027: GS, Military Pay and COLA Status
Christopher was selected for GS-13 on his first-ever USAJOBS application.
Christopher, E-7, Coast Guard, now writes policy for the work he did on active duty
You've got a tentative offer for a GS-11 job. The start date is in February. Now you want to know one thing. Will that salary go up in January 2027? Or is the offer number the one you'll live on?
As of early November 2026, this is where the federal pay raise for 2027 stands. The President's pay plan sets the 2027 raise for civilian base pay and locality pay at 0%. Congress can still change it. Military pay has a tiered raise from the President and a lower Senate number. Neither is law yet. Federal law enforcement has a separate 3.8% plan. Social Security has an official 3.6% increase. VA disability rates for 2027 aren't posted yet. Each of those is a different track, and the news mixes them up all the time.
This post sorts out what's decided, what's proposed, and what nobody knows yet. You'll get the source for each piece. Then you'll get what to do with a federal offer right now, before the final numbers land. For what happened in 2026, read the 2026 federal pay raise breakdown. For the table itself and how locality works, read the 2027 GS pay scale and locality guide. This page covers the raise news only. I'll update it when OPM posts the 2027 tables.
Will federal employees get a raise in 2027?
Right now, the plan says no. On August 26, 2026, the President sent Congress an alternative pay plan letter. Congress printed it as House Document 119-189. The key line says this:
"for 2027, base pay and locality pay for civilian Federal employees will not change from the 2026 rates."
So the across-the-board raise is set at zero. Locality pay is set at zero too. If that plan holds, your 2027 GS pay would match your 2026 GS pay, cell for cell.
The same letter also says what would have happened without the plan. Under the default formula, January 2027 would have brought a 3.1% across-the-board raise. It would also have brought an average locality increase of 20.6%. The letter uses its power to replace both of those numbers with zero.
What this means for a GS employee today
If you already work for the government, your paycheck in January 2027 would look like your paycheck now. That's the plan as written. Step increases run on their own clock, though. A within-grade step increase comes from time in the job and acceptable work. The pay plan sets the yearly adjustment to the table. So if your step date lands in 2027, you'd usually still move up a step on that table. Check your own step timing in our GS step increase timeline guide.
What this means for a veteran with an offer
Your offer is built on the 2026 table. If the plan holds, the 2027 table would carry the same numbers. So the salary on your offer letter is the salary to plan around. Any raise that shows up later is a bonus on top.
Can Congress still change the 2027 federal pay raise?
Yes. A pay plan letter isn't the final word. Congress can set a different civilian raise through a funding bill. As of early November 2026, no law has done that. So the 0% plan stands until something passes that says otherwise.
The timing usually works like this. The final pay numbers come from an executive order near the end of December. OPM then posts the new tables on its salaries and wages page. Last year shows the pattern. The order for 2026 pay, EO 14368, was signed on December 18, 2025. It gave a 1.0% across-the-board raise and held locality percentages at 2025 levels. You can see the result on OPM's 2026 General Schedule page.
On November 4, 2026, the newest folder on OPM's salaries and wages page was 2026. There was no 2027 folder yet. That's normal for this time of year.
Why you'll see different numbers in the news
You'll see 3.1% in some headlines. That's the formula number the letter replaced, so it isn't a raise anyone has approved. You may also see guesses about what Congress will do. A guess is not a pay table. Until a law or an executive order sets a different number, the plan on paper is 0%.
What is the 2027 military pay raise?
Military pay runs on its own track. Congress usually settles it in the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. For 2027, the President's August 26 letter sets tiered raises under 37 U.S.C. 1009(e). The letter says they take effect January 1, 2027. Congress can still set a different number in the NDAA, and the House and Senate bills don't match.
- House version: The House passed its NDAA, H.R. 8800, on July 22, 2026. The House-passed NDAA reflects the same tiers as the President's August 26 letter. It's 7.0% for E-1 to E-5. It's 6.0% for E-6 to O-3. It's 5.0% for O-4 and above.
- Senate version: The Senate Armed Services Committee reported S. 4784 on June 15, 2026. It sets 3.6% across the board. The full Senate hasn't passed it. A July 14 vote to start debate failed, 50-46.
The two chambers still have to settle on one number. MOAA's write-up of the two bills expects those talks after the election. The NDAA usually becomes law in December. After that, DFAS posts the new military pay tables.
So if you're still in uniform, don't plan your last few months around 7%. Don't plan around 3.6% either. The President's tiers are on paper for January 1, but the NDAA can still change them. The final number may land between the two, or somewhere else.
Why this matters if you're getting out
Your terminal leave pay and your last paychecks follow the military table. Your federal civilian offer follows the GS table. Those two tables could move in very different ways in January 2027. Keep the math for each one separate. Don't let a military raise headline make a federal offer look bigger than it is.
Do federal law enforcement officers get a bigger raise in 2027?
Some may. The same letter told OPM to raise 2027 law enforcement pay by 3.8%. OPM is to use its own authority to do it. It's doing that through special rates. Those are separate pay tables, set higher than regular GS locality rates.
As of early November 2026, OPM's 2027 law enforcement special rates page says this:
- The goal: a 3.8% total increase for people covered by the 2026 special rate tables.
- The date: a tentative effective date of January 10, 2027.
- The tables: expected by the end of 2026, after OPM talks with agencies.
- Who's covered: the President directed a broader group than in 2026. The final list isn't set.
- The cap: pay can't go above Executive Schedule Level IV, which is $197,200.
The coverage item is the big one. OPM hasn't posted a final list of covered jobs. So if you hold a law enforcement offer, don't assume your job is on the list. Ask HR one plain question. "Is this job on a law enforcement special rate table?" Then wait for the posted tables before you count on the 3.8%.
Is there a COLA for federal employees in 2027?
Not in the way many people mean it. Federal workers on the GS table in the lower 48 states and D.C. don't get a COLA. They get a yearly pay adjustment, which is the across-the-board raise plus locality. For 2027, that adjustment is planned at 0%, as covered above.
A COLA, or cost-of-living adjustment, is a benefit increase. It goes to people who get benefits, not to a federal paycheck. Two COLAs matter to many veterans.
Social Security: 3.6% is official
The Social Security Administration announced the 2027 COLA on October 14, 2026. The exact line is in SSA's COLA update for 2027. "For 2027, Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments will increase by 3.6%." That number is final.
VA disability: the 2027 table isn't posted yet
VA disability pay has its own yearly increase. As of November 4, 2026, the VA compensation rates page still shows rates effective December 1, 2025. VA hasn't posted its 2027 table. Any 2027 VA disability chart you see somewhere else is a guess until VA posts its own. Check that VA page in December.
One thing worth knowing if you're job hunting. Your VA disability pay and a federal salary are two separate checks. A 0% GS plan doesn't touch your VA rating or your VA pay.
Will VA nurses get a raise in 2027?
No one can say yet. VA registered nurses are paid under Title 38, not the regular GS table. VA sets nurse pay through locality pay schedules at each facility. So a VA nurse's pay is usually tied to the local schedule where they work.
As of early November 2026, nothing 2027-specific was posted for VA nurse pay. No 2027 schedules. No VA announcement. So any answer to "will VA nurses get a raise in 2027" is a guess right now.
If you're a medic, corpsman or military nurse eyeing VA work, start with what's posted. Our VA nurse pay scale for 2026 covers how nurse grades and steps work. The Title 38 pay scale breakdown covers the wider Title 38 system. Then ask the facility recruiter for the current nurse schedule at that site.
Title 38 resumes have one more twist. Most federal jobs want two pages. VA clinical jobs under Title 38 and hybrid Title 38 can be an exception. Check the announcement, because it tells you what it wants.
What should you do with a federal job offer right now?
This is the part you can control. The pay news is noise you can't change. Your offer is real and in front of you. Work it in four steps.
Step 1: Run the math on the 2026 tables
Use the 2026 table for your grade, step and locality area. If the 0% plan holds, the 2027 numbers would be the same. Take this example from OPM's 2026 GS base table. GS-12 base pay runs from $76,463 at step 1 to $99,404 at step 10. That's before locality. Your locality area adds a percentage on top. Our guide to locality pay shows how that works. The GS pay calculator walkthrough helps you run your own number.
Step 2: Treat any 2027 raise as upside
Build your budget on the offer as written. If Congress adds a raise, great. If the 0% plan holds, you didn't plan on money that never came. That matters most for rent, a car payment or a move. Don't sign a lease that only works with a raise nobody has approved.
Step 3: Ask about your step before you accept
With no yearly raise planned, your starting step carries more weight. Many offers start at step 1. But an agency can set a new hire's pay above step 1 when the candidate has superior qualifications. The rule is 5 CFR 531.212. It can apply to a first civilian federal appointment. The agency has to approve it in writing before you start work.
That timing matters most. I sat on hiring panels and picked from the cert for openings I oversaw. The step talk happened between the tentative offer and the start date. After the start date, that window is gone. So ask early and back it up. Point to your experience and your quals. The agency can't use your current pay or a competing offer's salary to set your step. Our guide on how to negotiate a GS offer walks through the ask. The tentative vs final offer timeline shows when each window opens and closes.
The agency doesn't have to say yes. But a higher step is worth more than a raise that may not come. A step bump stays with you, and every later step builds on it.
Step 4: Watch for the late-December order
Put a note on your calendar for the last two weeks of December. That's when the pay order usually comes out. Then OPM posts the tables. If something changed, you'll know before your first January paycheck. I'll update this page when OPM posts the 2027 tables, so check back then.
What if you don't have an offer yet?
Then the 2027 pay news matters even less to you today. Federal hiring keeps going while pay talks happen. Postings open and close every week. A job you apply to this month pays on the table in force when you start.
What matters now is whether your resume can win the job. Each announcement lists the specialized experience it wants, and your resume has to show it. Each job needs month and year dates and hours per week. The duties need enough detail to show you've done the work. Most federal jobs now cap the resume at two pages. Some announcements are exceptions, so check the announcement. Our federal resume format guide covers what OPM asks for.
A 0% year doesn't change the grade you land. Your grade comes from the scope of what you ran. How many people, how much gear, how much money. Put that on the page and the grade follows. A higher grade is the biggest raise you can give yourself in 2027. And it's the one you control.
What to Do Next
Your short list for this week:
- Run your offer, or your target job, on the 2026 table for your grade and locality.
- Plan your budget as if the 2027 number matches 2026.
- If you have a tentative offer, ask about a higher step before your start date.
- Set a reminder to check OPM's tables in late December.
- Get your federal resume ready for the next posting you'd take.
That last one is the step that moves your pay the most. BMR's Federal Resume Builder builds a federal resume with the details federal jobs ask for. Paste a job announcement and it tailors your resume to that posting's own words. It flags when you don't meet the minimum qualification. It can also condense a tailored resume down to two pages. The free plan gives you one federal tailored resume and one private one. Start with the job you want most.
The 2027 numbers will settle in a few weeks. Your resume is the part you can finish now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will federal employees get a raise in 2027?
What is the 2027 GS pay raise?
What is the 2027 military pay raise?
Is there a COLA for federal employees in 2027?
Will VA nurses get a raise in 2027?
Do federal law enforcement officers get a 3.8% raise in 2027?
When will the 2027 GS pay tables come out?
Should I wait for the 2027 raise before accepting a federal job offer?
About the author
Brad Tachi is the CEO and founder of Best Military Resume and a 2025 Military Friendly Vetrepreneur of the Year award recipient for overseas excellence. A former U.S. Navy Diver with over 20 years of combined military, private sector, and federal government experience, Brad brings unparalleled expertise to help veterans and military service members successfully transition to rewarding civilian careers. Having personally navigated the military-to-civilian transition, Brad deeply understands the challenges veterans face and specializes in translating military experience into compelling resumes that capture the attention of civilian employers. Through Best Military Resume, Brad has helped thousands of service members land their dream jobs by providing expert resume writing, career coaching, and job search strategies tailored specifically for the veteran community.
