- Myles Farfield
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Federal Entry-Level Salary Calculator
Your Estimated Annual Earnings
Quick Takeaways
- The base pay for a GS‑1 employee in 2025 starts at $20,444 annually.
- Entry‑level positions under the Federal Wage System (FWS) begin at $25,256 per year.
- Hourly rates translate to about $9.84 for GS‑1 and $12.15 for FWS entry‑level.
- Location, COLA and overtime can push earnings well above the base.
- Current rates are published by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) each January.
When people ask “lowest federal salary,” they usually want to know the absolute floor of pay for anyone working for the United States government. The answer isn’t a single number-it depends on the pay system, the job category, and where the employee lives. Below we break down the two main entry‑level pay systems, show how the numbers translate into hourly and monthly figures, and point you to the official sources so you can check the latest data.
What “lowest federal salary” actually means
Federal government salary is a compensation amount paid to civilian employees of the United States federal government, determined by a set of standardized pay scales. The federal workforce is organized into several pay systems, but the two that contain the very bottom of the ladder are the General Schedule (GS) a pay scale that covers most professional, technical, and administrative positions and the Federal Wage System (FWS) a structure for trades, crafts, and labor‑intensive jobs. Both are managed by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) the agency that publishes official federal pay tables each year, which releases the official tables every January.
The General Schedule covers most professional, technical, and administrative positions. Its entry‑level grade is GS‑1. The Federal Wage System covers trades, crafts, and labor‑intensive jobs; its lowest grade is typically “WG‑1” (Wage Grade 1). Because the two systems use different formulas, the base salaries are not identical.
Base pay for the two entry‑level grades in 2025
| Pay System | Grade | Annual Base Salary | Hourly Rate (40‑hr week) |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Schedule | GS‑1 | $20,444 | $9.84 |
| Federal Wage System | WG‑1 | $25,256 | $12.15 |
Those numbers come straight from the OPM’s “2025 General Schedule Salary Table” and the “2025 Federal Wage System Wage Grade Table.” They represent the base pay before any locality adjustments, overtime, or special pay. The Annual salary the total amount paid to an employee before taxes and deductions over a 12‑month period for a GS‑1 is $20,444, while a WG‑1 employee earns $25,256.
How the floor has moved over the past decade
In 2015 the GS‑1 entry‑level annual salary was $16,202. A series of annual cost‑of‑living adjustments and a modest 2% raise in 2020 lifted the 2025 figure to $20,444, a 26% increase over ten years. The FWS entry‑level grew from $20,704 in 2015 to $25,256 in 2025, reflecting similar COLA trends. The steady rise shows that even the lowest federal pay is adjusted to keep pace with inflation, though it still lags behind many private‑sector entry‑level wages in high‑cost cities.
How locality and Cost‑of‑Living Adjustments (COLA) change the picture
The Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) percentages added to the base salary to reflect regional price differences are percentages added to the base salary to reflect the price differences between the employee’s work location and the national average. For example, a GS‑1 working in Washington, D.C., picks up a 30% locality boost, raising the annual salary to about $26,576 (hourly $12.79). In contrast, a GS‑1 in a low‑cost area like Fort Wayne, Indiana, might see only a 5% increase, bringing the annual figure to $21,466.
Similarly, the FWS uses “locality pay zones” that can add anywhere from 5% to 35% to the WG‑1 base. The result is that a tradesperson in San Francisco can earn well over $40,000 a year, even though the base appears low.
Overtime, hazard pay, and other premiums
Federal employees in both systems may be eligible for overtime (time‑and‑a‑half) if they work more than 40 hours per week. Hazard pay, night‑shift differentials, and special duty pay can also stack on top of the base salary. While these premiums are not guaranteed, they often push the effective earnings of the lowest‑paid employees into the $30,000‑$35,000 range annually.
How the “lowest federal salary” stacks up against the federal minimum wage
The United States has a statutory minimum wage the federal legal floor of $7.25 per hour for covered workers of $7.25 per hour, unchanged since 2009. Even the bare‑bones GS‑1 hourly rate of $9.84 already exceeds that floor by more than 35%. When locality adjustments and overtime are factored in, the gap widens further. This is why the phrase “lowest federal salary” can be misleading-while it is the minimum for federal employees, it is still well above the national minimum wage.
Where to find the most up‑to‑date numbers
Every January, the OPM releases the new salary tables. They are freely available on the OPM website under the “Pay & Leave” section. For quick reference, you can also check the “Federal Pay Calculator” provided by the Department of Defense’s Defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS). Both tools let you input a grade, step, and location to see the exact take‑home amount after taxes and deductions.
If you are researching a specific agency, many post‑employment transparency portals (like USAspending.gov) also publish salary data for individual employees, which can be useful for confirming whether a particular job is truly at the entry‑level pay scale.
Quick checklist for anyone needing the exact figure
- Identify the pay system (GS vs. FWS) that applies to the job title.
- Locate the 2025 base salary for the relevant grade (GS‑1 or WG‑1).
- Apply the locality adjustment for the work city using OPM’s locality tables.
- Add any applicable overtime, hazard, or special‑duty pay.
- Use the OPM or DFAS calculators to verify the final annual and hourly amounts.
Bottom line
If you strip away all adjustments, the absolute floor for a federal employee in 2025 is $20,444 a year for a GS‑1 and $25,256 for an FWS entry‑level worker. In practice, most people earning the “lowest federal salary” see higher numbers because of location‑based pay and overtime. The key is to look at the official OPM tables and apply the relevant locality factor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the absolute lowest salary a federal employee can earn?
The base pay for a GS‑1 employee in 2025 is $20,444 per year, which is the lowest salary in the General Schedule. The Federal Wage System’s entry‑level grade, WG‑1, starts at $25,256.
How do locality adjustments affect the lowest salary?
Locality adjustments add a percentage based on the cost of living in the employee’s work area. For example, a GS‑1 in Washington, D.C., receives about a 30% boost, raising the annual salary to roughly $26,600.
Is the lowest federal salary higher than the federal minimum wage?
Yes. Even the base GS‑1 hourly rate of $9.84 exceeds the $7.25 federal minimum wage, and most employees receive locality or overtime pay that pushes the effective rate even higher.
Where can I find the most recent salary tables?
The Office of Personnel Management publishes the tables each January on its website. The DFAS Federal Pay Calculator also provides up‑to‑date figures.
Can overtime or special pay make a low‑grade employee earn more than a higher‑grade one?
In some cases, yes. If a GS‑1 or WG‑1 employee works extensive overtime or receives hazard pay, their total earnings can surpass the base salary of a higher‑grade employee who does not qualify for those premiums.
