What GS means in federal jobs (GS-5, GS-7, GS-9…)

What the General Schedule is

GS stands for General Schedule, the main pay scale for white-collar federal civilian employees. It runs from grade GS-1 to GS-15, and each grade has 10 steps of within-grade increases. Higher grades carry more responsibility and pay.

When you see an announcement like 'GS-07', the number indicates the position's level. Many announcements publish a range (for example GS-5/7/9), meaning you can enter at the grade your qualifications support and progress from there.

How the salary is determined

The salary for each grade and step is published annually by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in official tables, and it varies by geographic area through locality pay. The USAJOBS announcement always shows the position's exact salary range; that is the reliable figure for that position and locality.

On MyPRjobs we display the salary range exactly as USAJOBS publishes it, with no estimates of our own.

Which grade matches your background

As a general reference (each announcement defines its own requirements): GS-2 through GS-4 are usually support positions with a high school diploma; GS-5 and GS-7 are typical entry levels for bachelor's graduates; GS-9 usually requires a master's degree or equivalent specialized experience; and from GS-11 up, progressively greater specialized experience is required.

'Specialized experience' (experience directly related to the position's duties) can substitute for education in most series. The announcement always states the accepted combinations.

Other scales you will see

Not every federal job is GS. You will see WG/WL/WS (Wage Grade, trades and manual work, paid hourly), and agency-specific scales. The announcement always identifies the position's pay plan and salary range.