2026 Senior Level (SL) and Scientific or Professional (ST) pay range

OPM's Salary Table No. 2026-SL/ST gives the 2026 SL/ST range as $151,661 to $228,000 for "Agencies with a Certified SL/ST Performance Appraisal System" and $151,661 to $209,600 for "Agencies without a Certified SL/ST Performance Appraisal System", effective January 2026 (first pay period January 11, 2026). The two maximums are Executive Schedule levels II ($228,000) and III ($209,600); the four figures are the same as the 2026 Senior Executive Service table.

Source: OPM, SLST.xml (1,681 bytes, SHA-256 ee173d0195dd…) from the 2026 Executive & Senior Level page, fetched October 18, 2026.

Basic Rates of Pay for Employees in Senior-Level and Scientific or Professional Positions, 2026

OPM's footnote: Under a provision in the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026 (November 12, 2025), the freeze on the payable pay rates for the Vice President and certain senior political appointees continues through January 30, 2026. Future Congressional action will determine whether these frozen rates continue beyond that date.

What SL and ST positions are, as OPM states it

OPM's SL and ST page: "Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 5108, OPM determines the maximum number of positions that may be classified above GS-15. ... an SL allocation issued by OPM may only be used for a position the agency has determined is properly classified above GS-15 based upon non-executive duties and responsibilities". And for ST: "Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 3104, OPM determines the maximum number of scientific and professional (ST) positions that may be established in an agency. An ST position must be engaged in research and development in the physical, biological, medical, or engineering sciences, or a closely related field." Within an agency subject to the SES, a position above GS-15 that meets the SES functional criteria in 5 U.S.C. 3132(a)(2) "must be established in the SES".

Pay for these positions is set under 5 U.S.C. 5376 and 5 CFR part 534, subpart E: a range whose minimum is 120 percent of GS-15 step 1 ($126,384 in the 2026 base table) and whose maximum is Executive Schedule level III, or level II where the agency's appraisal system is certified under 5 U.S.C. 5307(d). The table above prints the four figures OPM publishes; the certification status of a given agency is OPM's and the agency's to state.

OPM's footnote on the 2026 table: "Under a provision in the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026 (November 12, 2025), the freeze on the payable pay rates for the Vice President and certain senior political appointees continues through January 30, 2026. Future Congressional action will determine whether these frozen rates continue beyond that date."

Related

• The 2026 Executive Schedule and the Senior Executive Service table.
• The GS base table for GS-15 step 1.