In response to President Trump’s proposed 2026 federal pay raise, the Office of Personnel Management has published information about how the additional raise will work for certain categories of federal employees in law enforcement.
Under the president’s proposed pay raise, most federal employees would get a 1% across the board pay increase in 2026 with no increase in locality pay.
However, certain law enforcement personnel would get an additional 2.8% pay increase (3.8% total) matching the planned military pay raise for 2026. Implementing this additional pay increase for federal employees in law enforcement will be done through OPM’s special salary rate authority under 5 U.S.C. 5305 and 5 CFR 530, subpart C.
Which Federal Employees May Be Eligible for the Additional 2026 Federal Pay Raise?
While final eligibility is pending agency consultation, OPM said that it expects the following law enforcement categories are likely to be included:
- Customs and Border Protection (CBP) – law enforcement, including Border Patrol Agents, CBP Officers, Air and Marine Interdiction Agents
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel including – Criminal Investigators (Special Agents), Detention and Deportation Officers, Deportation Officers, and Technical Enforcement Officers
- Secret Service personnel – to include the Uniformed Division, Special Agents, and Technical Law Enforcement
- Federal Protective Service Officers
- Federal Bureau of Prisons Correctional Officers
- Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agents
- Drug Enforcement Administration Agents
- U.S. Marshals Service Officers
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Special Agents
- National Park Service – U.S. Park Police Officers
These positions are considered critical to the administration’s law enforcement and border security strategy. The special rate aims to address recruitment and retention challenges in these high-demand roles.
What Are Special Salary Rates?
Special salary rates may be established by OPM to address existing or likely significant recruitment or retention challenges faced by specific groups or categories of employees under the General Schedule and other pay systems. These challenges could arise from significantly higher non-Federal pay rates, location remoteness, unfavorable work/working conditions, or any other circumstances deemed appropriate by OPM.
Special rates are set higher than regular locality pay rates and are typically applied to particular geographic areas and/or job categories. These special rates serve as the basic pay for most purposes, including retirement, overtime pay, other premium pay, and incentives calculated as a percentage of base pay.
When Will the Special Rate Pay Tables Be Available?
OPM tentatively expects the special pay adjustments for law enforcement personnel to take effect with the first full pay period of 2026 (January 11, 2026). That is the same date the 2026 pay increase for the General Schedule will take effect for other federal employees.
Final pay tables, including special rates for law enforcement officers (LEOs), are expected to be published by OPM at the end of the calendar year.
While Congress retains the authority to override the president’s alternative pay plan, no legislative pay provisions have been enacted for FY 2026 as of early September. Assuming this does not happen, the president’s proposed pay raise will go into effect at the end of the year when he issues an executive order finalizing the pay raise.
