Executive Schedule — Federal Political Appointee Pay Levels
Cabinet secretaries, deputy secretaries, under secretaries, assistant secretaries, and many other Senate-confirmed federal officials are paid under the Executive Schedule rather than the General Schedule. OPM's official 2026 Executive Schedule table sets Level I at $253,100, Level II at $228,000, Level III at $209,600, Level IV at $197,200, and Level V at $184,900. These rates are national, not locality-based, and they often serve as caps or reference points elsewhere in federal pay law. That makes the Executive Schedule important well beyond political appointees themselves: it also affects senior career pay ceilings, special-rate limitations, and some statutory compensation comparisons across government.
Current Law (2026)
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Level I (cabinet + equivalent) | $253,100/year |
| Level II (deputy secretaries + equivalent) | $228,000/year |
| Level III (under secretaries + equivalent) | $209,600/year |
| Level IV (assistant secretaries + equivalent) | $197,200/year |
| Level V (lowest EX level) | $184,900/year |
| Annual adjustments | Automatically increases when GS pay is adjusted (§5318); tied to annual pay comparability adjustments |
| Locality pay | Not applicable — Executive Schedule pay is uniform nationally |
| Pay cap | Executive Schedule Level I serves as the pay cap for most federal employees; SES, GS, and other employees generally cannot earn more than Level I |
| Positions at Level I | The statute places 21 positions at Level I, including the heads of the 15 executive departments and several equivalent positions |
| Positions at Level II | The statute places a long list of deputy secretaries and equivalent senior officials at Level II, including OMB, DNI, CIA, FBI, Coast Guard, and Joint Chiefs leadership roles |
| Presidential discretion | President may assign up to 34 positions to Levels IV or V (§5317) |
Legal Authority
- 5 U.S.C. § 5311 — The Executive Schedule: creates the Executive Schedule as a five-level basic pay system for positions covered by this part of Title 5; SES positions are excluded from the Executive Schedule and paid separately
- 5 U.S.C. § 5312 — Positions at Level I: specifies the positions paid at Level I, including the heads of the 15 executive departments and several other top executive-branch positions
- 5 U.S.C. § 5313 — Positions at Level II: specifies deputy secretaries and other equivalent senior officials paid at Level II
- 5 U.S.C. § 5314 — Positions at Level III: specifies under secretaries and other equivalent positions paid at Level III
- 5 U.S.C. § 5315 — Positions at Level IV: assistant secretaries across all cabinet departments, general counsels of cabinet agencies, inspectors general, chairs and members of major regulatory commissions (FCC, FTC, SEC, NLRB, CPSC), and many other positions; Level IV is the most populous level of the Executive Schedule
- 5 U.S.C. § 5316 — Positions at Level V: a broad range of positions including assistant attorneys general, deputy administrators of major agencies, and similar senior staff; Level V is the floor of the Executive Schedule
- 5 U.S.C. § 5317 — Presidential discretion: the President may assign up to 34 positions to Level IV or V when an agency's organization, management duties, or workload justifies placing a position at the Executive Schedule level; this authority allows the President to bring specific positions under the Executive Schedule pay structure
- 5 U.S.C. § 5318 — Adjustments: when GS base pay is adjusted (typically effective the first pay period after January 1), Executive Schedule pay is automatically increased by the same percentage at the same time; Executive Schedule pay does not have a separate adjustment process
The Five-Level Structure in Practice
The Executive Schedule's five-level structure mirrors the organizational hierarchy of cabinet departments:
Level I — Cabinet and equivalent. The heads of the 15 executive departments and several other top positions are placed here by statute. OPM's 2026 official basic rate for Level I is $253,100.
Level II — Deputy secretaries and near-cabinet officials. This tier includes many deputy secretaries and other officials Congress has designated as equivalent in rank. The 2026 official rate is $228,000.
Level III — Under secretaries and comparable roles. This level covers many under secretaries and other high-ranking agency officials listed in § 5314. The 2026 official rate is $209,600.
Level IV — Assistant secretaries and many commission posts. Many assistant secretaries, commissioners, and similar Senate-confirmed positions sit here. The 2026 official rate is $197,200.
Level V — The lowest Executive Schedule tier. This level includes many assistant attorneys general, deputy administrators, and similar senior officials. The 2026 official rate is $184,900.
The Pay Cap Function
One of the Executive Schedule's most consequential effects is its function as a federal pay cap. In 2026, Executive Schedule levels continue to cap or limit pay in multiple other systems. For example, the SES maximum for agencies with a certified appraisal system is tied to Executive Schedule Level II, while many special-rate and premium-pay calculations use Executive Schedule Level IV or Level I as a ceiling.
That means Executive Schedule updates ripple outward. When OPM raises Executive Schedule basic rates, it can also raise ceilings for SES pay, special rates, and certain capped GS or premium-pay situations, even though the Executive Schedule itself applies only to designated high-level positions.
Congress has carved out exceptions to the Level I cap for certain categories — some federal judges earn more, and certain specialized technical positions in intelligence and defense have separate pay authorities that exceed the cap.
How It Affects You
If you're considering or pursuing a presidential appointment: The real cost of federal service is rarely salary — it's compensation loss combined with compliance burden. Cabinet secretaries at Level I earn $253,100/year in 2026; most assistant secretary-level appointees earn $197,200 (Level III) to $209,600 (Level II). If you're a senior attorney, executive, or consultant earning $400K–$1M+ in the private sector, the pay cut is enormous — and the ethics compliance requirements may require you to divest stock holdings, resign from corporate boards, and recuse yourself from matters affecting former clients for one to two years. The financial disclosure process involves filing OGE Form 278 within 30 days of confirmation and annually thereafter, disclosing all assets over $1,000, income sources, liabilities over $10,000, and positions held outside the government. Your ethics agreement (negotiated with your agency's ethics officer and OGE) may impose additional restrictions beyond the statutory baseline. The Office of Government Ethics publishes plain-English guidance at oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/Financial+Disclosure. The Partnership for Public Service's political appointee guide at ourpublicservice.org/political-appointees is one of the clearest resources for navigating the confirmation and onboarding process, including what Senate confirmation actually requires and how long it typically takes (median: 4-6 months for Senate-confirmed positions).
If you work in federal HR, agency budget, or legislative affairs: Executive Schedule positions are enumerated by name in 5 U.S.C. §§ 5312–5316 — meaning adding or reclassifying Level I or Level II positions requires Congress to amend the statute. The President's authority under 5 U.S.C. § 5317 to place up to 34 additional positions at Level IV or V provides limited flexibility, but most structural changes require NDAA or standalone legislation. The current 5-level salary structure also operates as a cap on SES (Senior Executive Service) pay — SES pay bands are keyed to ES levels, so when Congress freezes ES rates (as it did through a continuing appropriations act through January 2026), it automatically compresses SES pay as well. When the President submits an alternative pay plan under 5 U.S.C. § 5305, it can affect both the ES and SES simultaneously. For HR planning purposes, OPM's 2026-EX Salary Table and the current SES pay band limits are published at opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages.
If you track agency leadership and policy direction: The Executive Schedule level of a position is the clearest indicator of its statutory authority. Level I positions (the 15 Cabinet secretaries) report directly to the President and have independent statutory authority over their departments — no intermediate layer. Level II positions (Deputy Secretaries, the handful of named sub-cabinet officials) are the operating COOs of cabinet departments, handling day-to-day management while the secretary handles political and interagency coordination. Level IV positions — the most numerous ES tier — include Assistant Secretaries, Administrators, Directors, and Commissioners who actually run program offices and make the regulatory and enforcement decisions that affect regulated industries. Knowing the ES level of a new appointee tells you whether they need Senate confirmation (most Level I–III require it; many Level IV do as well), how much statutory authority they carry, and who in the White House they're accountable to. The Plum Book (officially the Policy and Supporting Positions, published by Congress after each election) lists every ES and Schedule C position in the executive branch by agency with the position's ES level and confirmation status — available at gpo.gov/plumbook and govinfo.gov.
If you're a senior career official in the Senior Executive Service: ES Level IV ($197,200 in 2026) is the statutory cap on SES base pay under most circumstances. The SES pay band runs from a minimum set at 120% of GS-15 step 1 to a maximum of ES Level IV — meaning the highest SES positions pay exactly the same as Level IV ES political appointees. This compression is intentional but creates real recruitment and retention pressure at the top of the career workforce. If your agency has a certified SES performance appraisal system, OPM may authorize a higher SES pay cap (up to ES Level II, or $228,000 in 2026) — check your agency's HR office for its current certification status. SES members also receive distinct benefits: Senior Executive Service eligibility for sabbaticals (5 U.S.C. § 3396), enhanced retirement credits, and a different performance management system than GS employees. The Senior Executives Association (SEA) at seniorexecs.org advocates for career SES interests and publishes comparative pay and benefit analyses.
State Variations
The Executive Schedule applies exclusively to the federal government. State governments have their own pay structures for political appointees and senior officials, which vary widely by state.
Pending Legislation (119th Congress)
As of April 8, 2026, no enacted federal law has changed the Executive Schedule structure described above. The main live issues for this page are the annual OPM rate table and any temporary statutory pay freezes affecting the payable rates for certain senior political officials.
Recent Developments
- January 2026: OPM published Salary Table
2026-EX, setting official Executive Schedule basic rates at$253,100,$228,000,$209,600,$197,200, and$184,900for Levels I through V. - November 12, 2025 / January 30, 2026: OPM also noted that, under the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2026, a freeze on the payable rates for the Vice President and certain senior political appointees continued through January 30, 2026.
- 2026: OPM's broader 2026 pay tables continue to use Executive Schedule levels as ceilings and reference points for SES pay and some GS special-rate tables, reinforcing that Executive Schedule updates matter outside the political-appointee workforce itself.