

GS-12 Pay Scale - General Schedule 2010

GS-12 Yearly Pay
$60,274.00 - $78,355.00
GS-12 Monthly Pay
$5,022.83 - $6,529.58
GS-12 Hourly Pay
$28.88 - $37.54
Per-Step Increase
Education Req's
Master's or Ph.D.

GS-12 is the 12th paygrade in the General Schedule (GS) payscale, the payscale used to determine the salaries of most civilian government employees. The GS-12 pay grade is generally held by white-collar employees in mid-level positions.

GS-12 is the highest grade one can achieve before the position becomes "Career Competitive" meaning that the position must be listed on and be available any qualified U.S. citizen to apply. Because of positions receive above GS-12 are competitive and thus harder to obtain many scientists and engineers will reach GS-12 within the first 3 to 5 years of their career and then spend significantly longer as a GS-12 before being promoted.

Starting salary for a GS-12 employee is $60,274.00 per year at Step 1, with a maximum possible base pay of $78,355.00 per year at Step 10. The hourly base pay of a Step 1 GS-12 employee is $28.88 per hour1.

The table on this page shows the base pay rates for a GS-12 employee. To calculate pay with locality adjustments taken into account, use our General Schedule pay calculator.



How much will I actually earn as a GS-12 employee?

The salary table and hourly rates listed above are the base pay for a GS-12 employee, which will be determined by your paygrade and step. However, the actual pay you will earn will be higher, based on the cost-of-living adjustment for the locality in which you work.

In 2010, the actual salary adjustments for a GS-12 employee will range from a maximum cost-of-living raise of 35.15% for employees working in San Francisco, to a minimum of a 14.16% cost-of-living raise in areas without a specified cost-of-living adjustment. To determine the adjusted base pay for a GS-12 in your area, visit the Locality Adjustments Table or use our GS Salary Calculator

How do I get a promotion to GS-12?

Within the GS scale, promotions between grades (like a promotion from GS-11 to GS-12) come from advancing up the "career ladder" associated with a position, or by moving to a job with a higher starting pay grade then your current GS grade.

The basic requirements for advancing to the GS-12 paygrade are: At least 1 year experience at GS-11 or equivalent.

What kind of jobs are paid at GS-12 rates?


Job Series Job Category Starting Paygrade Maximum Paygrade
ChemistryProfessional and ScientificGS-6GS-15
Budget AnalysisAdministrative and ManagementGS-4GS-15
Correctional Institution AdministrationAdministrative and ManagementGS-4GS-15
Wage and Hour InvestigationAdministrative and ManagementGS-4GS-15
Photographic TechnologyProfessional and ScientificGS-6GS-15
Search For GS-12 Jobs Now

What military rank is GS-12 comparable to?

A GS-12 employee in civilian government is rougly equivalent to an O-4 in the military, in terms of compensation. In the U.S. Army, O-4 is ranked Major.


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