Tools

2026 Foreign Service Pay Scale

Every 2026 Foreign Service class and step in one table, for Washington, DC, overseas or any U.S. locality. Pick your class and step to see what your next step or a promotion would pay, or switch on special agent rates. For your full pay at a post, with allowances and taxes, use the Salary Calculator.
Unofficial, personal project: not affiliated with the U.S. Department of State. Always check your Leave and Earnings Statement. If you find a problem, contact us at myforeignservicepal@gmail.com.

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2026 Foreign Service pay in Washington, DC (base pay plus 33.94% locality pay)
ClassStep 1Step 2Step 3Step 4Step 5Step 6Step 7Step 8Step 9Step 10Step 11Step 12Step 13Step 14
FS-01$169,279$174,358$179,588$184,975$190,524$196,241$197,200*$197,200*$197,200*$197,200*$197,200*$197,200*$197,200*$197,200*
FS-02$137,167$141,281$145,520$149,886$154,382$159,014$163,785$168,697$173,759$178,972$184,340$189,871$195,567$197,200*
FS-03$111,146$114,480$117,915$121,453$125,096$128,849$132,714$136,695$140,796$145,021$149,371$153,852$158,467$163,222
FS-04$90,061$92,763$95,546$98,412$101,364$104,406$107,538$110,764$114,087$117,510$121,035$124,666$128,406$132,258
FS-05$72,977$75,167$77,421$79,744$82,136$84,601$87,139$89,753$92,445$95,219$98,075$101,018$104,049$107,169
FS-06$65,239$67,196$69,212$71,290$73,427$75,631$77,900$80,237$82,644$85,123$87,676$90,306$93,016$95,806
FS-07$58,321$60,071$61,874$63,730$65,641$67,610$69,639$71,728$73,880$76,097$78,379$80,731$83,153$85,647
FS-08$52,137$53,702$55,313$56,971$58,682$60,442$62,255$64,122$66,046$68,028$70,068$72,171$74,335$76,565
FS-09$46,610$48,008$49,448$50,932$52,460$54,034$55,655$57,324$59,043$60,815$62,640$64,519$66,454$68,449

* Limited by the 2026 pay cap of $197,200. Source: the Executive Order on 2026 pay (Foreign Service Schedule and locality rates).

About this tool

How the Foreign Service Pay Scale works

This page shows the full 2026 Foreign Service pay scale, class by class and step by step, for Washington, DC, overseas or any U.S. locality. Pick your class and step and it shows what you earn now, what your next step pays and what a promotion would pay. It's built for the quick lookup: where am I on the table, and what comes next?

What you enter

  • Your class (FS-01 to FS-09) and step (1 to 14).
  • Where the pay is for: Washington, DC, overseas, base pay, or any of the other U.S. locality areas.
  • Optionally, special agent, for the law enforcement rate and LEAP.

What you get

  • Your yearly pay, the same step's pay in Washington, DC, overseas and base pay, and a row of all 14 steps in your class.
  • A quick compare for your next step or a promotion, with the raise in dollars and how long the next step takes.
  • A chart of where each class's pay range sits, so you can see how the classes overlap.
  • The full table for the pay you picked, with your cell marked.
  • The Civil Service General Schedule table for 2026, for comparison or for a tandem spouse.

Where the numbers come from

  • Base pay: the Foreign Service Schedule in the Executive Order on 2026 pay. It's the same table the Salary Calculator uses.
  • Locality pay: the 2026 locality rates from the same Executive Order. Pay is base pay times the locality rate, limited by the 2026 pay cap of $197,200.
  • Overseas: the State Department's 2026 overseas table, which adds overseas comparability pay to base pay.
  • Special agents: the Office of Personnel Management's 2026 law enforcement special rates.

What it leaves out

The table is salary only. Post allowances, hardship and danger pay, language incentive pay, deductions and taxes aren't here; the Salary Calculator adds all of them for any post. The page doesn't show Senior Foreign Service rates, and it doesn't show earlier years yet.

Common questions

Is this an official State Department table?

No. myFSpal is an unofficial personal project and isn't affiliated with the U.S. Department of State. The numbers come from the official 2026 pay tables, but your Leave and Earnings Statement is the final word.

How often do I move up a step?

You move up a step after a year (52 weeks) in each of steps 1 to 9. From step 10 on, each step takes two years (104 weeks). Those are the waiting periods in the Foreign Service Act (22 U.S.C. 3966). A step increase also needs a satisfactory performance rating.

How is my pay set when I'm promoted?

You move to the lowest step of the new class whose base pay is at least two steps more than you earn now in your current class, or 6% more, whichever is greater. That's the rule in 3 FAH-1 H-2325. The Promotion button on this page works it out for your class and step.

Why is the pay the same for several steps at the top of FS-01?

Pay can't go above the 2026 pay cap of $197,200, which is level IV of the Executive Schedule. Where base pay plus locality pay would pass the cap, the table shows the cap and marks the cell with an asterisk.

What does overseas pay include?

Base pay plus overseas comparability pay, as in the State Department's 2026 overseas table. Post allowances and differentials come on top. To see them for a real post, use the Salary Calculator.

How is special agent pay different?

Special agents are paid from the Office of Personnel Management's law enforcement special rates, which add a little more than locality pay alone. In Phoenix, for example, the rate goes from 22.45% to 25.84%. Overseas, the same increase is applied to overseas pay, as in our Salary Calculator. LEAP (law enforcement availability pay) adds 25% on top, and the page shows that line too.

Where is the Senior Foreign Service?

Senior Foreign Service pay is set differently, without classes and steps, and it isn't the same as the Senior Executive Service. We don't have the 2026 Senior Foreign Service rates yet, so the tab shows no numbers rather than a guess. The Salary Calculator lets you enter your own Senior Foreign Service salary.

Why do I see a General Schedule table?

Many Foreign Service families include a Civil Service spouse, and the General Schedule is a common comparison. The page shows the 2026 General Schedule for Washington, DC, base pay or any U.S. locality. General Schedule employees overseas don't get locality pay.

Does myFSpal see or save what I pick?

No. Your choices stay in your browser and are never sent to us.

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