Federal Pay Raise 2027: Civilian Freeze Proposed, Military Raise of 5% to 7% and Key Dates

The President’s alternative pay plan, House Document 119-189 dated Aug. 26, 2026, says base pay and locality pay for civilian federal employees “will not change from the 2026 rates” in 2027. The plan was transmitted to the Speaker of the House. It also sets military basic pay raises of 5.0 to 7.0 percent. None of it is final yet: Federal News Network reported on Aug. 28, 2026 that the amounts “will not be final until the president signs an executive order to officially set the rates.”

Who gets what in 2027?

The table puts the President’s plan next to the two defense bills and the automatic formula. It uses only the figures in the plan letter, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA). A dash means the sources we used give no figure.

Group	President’s plan (Aug. 26, 2026)	House defense bill (H.R. 8800)	Senate committee bill (S. 4784)	Automatic formula
Civilian General Schedule (GS) base and locality pay	Freeze at 2026 rates	-	-	Locality pay “would automatically increase by an average of 20.6 percent” (plan letter)
Law enforcement personnel	+3.8 percent	-	-	-
Military grades E1 to E5	+7.0 percent	+7 percent	+3.6 percent	3.6 percent
Military grades E6 to O3	+6.0 percent	+6 percent	+3.6 percent	3.6 percent
Military grades O4 and above	+5.0 percent	+5 percent	+3.6 percent	3.6 percent

The plan cites authority under Title 5 of the U.S. Code for the civilian adjustments. The 20.6 percent figure is the plan letter’s own description of what locality pay would do without the plan.

What is the civilian freeze proposal?

House Document 119-189 is titled “Alternative Plan for Pay Adjustments.” It says base pay and locality pay for civilian federal employees will not change from the 2026 rates. Without the plan, the document says, locality pay would automatically increase by an average of 20.6 percent. For law enforcement, it directs the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to “increase 2027 compensation for law enforcement personnel by 3.8 percent.”

For comparison, in 2026 Executive Order 14368, signed Dec. 18, 2025, set a 1.0% across-the-board increase for statutory pay systems and kept locality rates at 2025 levels. That was last year’s order, not a 2027 figure.

How much would military pay rise?

The plan sets monthly basic pay raises of 7.0 percent for grades E1 to E5, 6.0 percent for grades E6 to O3 and 5.0 percent for grades O4 and above. CRS Insight IN12706, dated July 14, 2026, says the fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget includes “$5.8 billion for a 7-6-5 percent targeted military pay raise effective on January 1, 2027.” CRS describes that as “larger than the automatic annual adjustment of 3.6% for calendar year 2027,” which comes from 37 U.S.C. 1009 and is tied to the Employment Cost Index.

Where does the National Defense Authorization Act stand?

MOAA reported on Oct. 7, 2026 that the House passed H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), by 216-212 on July 22, 2026, with the 7/6/5 tiers. The Senate Armed Services Committee’s S. 4784, reported June 15, funds 3.6 percent across the board. MOAA wrote that “NDAA negotiations will begin in earnest after the election.”

Which dates come next?

Date	Step	Source
Tue., Nov. 3, 2026	Election Day; NDAA talks expected after	MOAA
Fri., Dec. 11, 2026	Government funding deadline (see our funding deadline story)	Our story
Late December 2026	Executive order setting final rates	FedSmith, Aug. 28, 2026
Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Military raise effective date in the budget request	CRS

FedSmith reported that the order usually comes in the last two weeks of December. OPM had not posted 2027 salary tables as of Oct. 25, 2026, and effective dates for civilian pay follow the final order. The December 2026 printable calendar and the January 2027 printable calendar cover the window.

What else is open for federal employees?

Federal Benefits Open Season runs alongside this debate; our open season dates and premiums story has the details. Observed holiday dates for the year are in our 2027 federal holidays list.