FERS Guides
Pay and service credit
What counts as basic pay, how it compounds into your High-3, what unused leave is worth when you leave, and what happens if separation isn't your choice.
6 articles
Federal severance: 1 week per year (2 after year 10), plus 10% per year over age 40, capped at 52 weeks, and only if you can't take an immediate annuity.
At retirement, annual leave becomes a lump-sum check and sick leave becomes pension credit. The math, the 240-hour ceiling exception, and the best timing.
Why a GS salary and a GS paycheck differ: FERS, TSP, FEHB premium conversion, FICA, and 2026 tax brackets, traced line by line through a GS-12 example.
How GS step increases work: the 52/104/156-week waits, what a step is worth, the 18-year climb to Step 10, and why a late WGI raises your pension for life.
The 2026 GS pay scale: the 1.0% raise, locality pay from 17.06% to 46.34%, step increases, the $197,200 pay cap, and what it means for your pension.
A GS-12 Step 5 in Washington, DC earns $116,070 in salary but roughly $165,000–$170,000 in total compensation. Every component, priced with 2026 figures.