United States · General Schedule (GS) · FY 2026
AAJ-AA-3 Grade Salary
Administrative Appeals Judge AA-3.
2026 salary range
$151,900 – $151,900
Annual base in USD ($). Excludes locality pay, allowances, and performance bonuses.
Step-by-step pay table
| Step | Annual | Monthly (approx) | Hourly (approx) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $151,900 | $12,658 | $73 |
Hourly computed assuming 2,080 annual working hours. Actual hourly rates on official tables may differ slightly.
Locality pay — total after geographic adjustment
Most US federal employees receive locality pay on top of the AAJ-AA-3 base. OPM sets the uplift per metro area each January. Below is the locality-adjusted annual salary range for AAJ-AA-3, applied to base step 1 and step 10 respectively.
| Locality Area | Adjustment | Step 1 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCBWashington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA | +33.94% | $203,455 | $203,455 |
| NYNew York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA | +37.95% | $209,546 | $209,546 |
| SFSan Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | +46.34% | $222,290 | $222,290 |
| LALos Angeles-Long Beach, CA | +36.47% | $207,298 | $207,298 |
| CHIChicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI | +30.86% | $198,776 | $198,776 |
| RUSRest of U.S. | +17.06% | $177,814 | $177,814 |
| ALAlbany-Schenectady, NY-MA | +20.77% | $183,450 | $183,450 |
| AQAlbuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM | +18.33% | $179,743 | $179,743 |
| ATLAtlanta--Athens-Clarke County--Sandy Springs, GA-AL | +23.79% | $188,037 | $188,037 |
| AUAustin-Round Rock-Georgetown, TX | +20.35% | $182,812 | $182,812 |
| BHBirmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL | +18.24% | $179,607 | $179,607 |
| BNBurlington-South Burlington-Barre, VT | +19.45% | $181,445 | $181,445 |
| BOSBoston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME-VT | +32.58% | $201,389 | $201,389 |
| BUBuffalo-Cheektowaga-Olean, NY | +22.41% | $185,941 | $185,941 |
| CCCorpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX | +17.63% | $178,680 | $178,680 |
| CINCincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN | +21.93% | $185,212 | $185,212 |
| CLECleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA | +22.23% | $185,667 | $185,667 |
| COLColumbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH | +22.15% | $185,546 | $185,546 |
| CSColorado Springs, CO | +20.15% | $182,508 | $182,508 |
| CTCharlotte-Concord, NC-SC | +19.67% | $181,779 | $181,779 |
| DAYDayton-Springfield-Kettering, OH | +21.42% | $184,437 | $184,437 |
| DENDenver-Aurora, CO | +30.52% | $198,260 | $198,260 |
| DETDetroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI | +29.12% | $196,133 | $196,133 |
| DFWDallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK | +27.26% | $193,308 | $193,308 |
| DMDes Moines-Ames-West Des Moines, IA | +18.01% | $179,257 | $179,257 |
| DVDavenport-Moline, IA-IL | +18.93% | $180,655 | $180,655 |
| FNFresno-Madera-Hanford, CA | +17.65% | $178,710 | $178,710 |
| HARHartford-East Hartford, CT-MA | +32.08% | $200,630 | $200,630 |
| HBHarrisburg-Lebanon, PA | +19.43% | $181,414 | $181,414 |
| HNTHuntsville-Decatur, AL-TN | +21.91% | $185,181 | $185,181 |
| HOUHouston-The Woodlands, TX | +35.00% | $205,065 | $205,065 |
| INDIndianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN | +18.15% | $179,470 | $179,470 |
| KCKansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS | +18.97% | $180,715 | $180,715 |
| LRLaredo, TX | +21.59% | $184,695 | $184,695 |
| LVLas Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ | +19.57% | $181,627 | $181,627 |
| MFLMiami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL | +24.67% | $189,374 | $189,374 |
| MILMilwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI | +22.42% | $185,956 | $185,956 |
| MSPMinneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI | +27.62% | $193,855 | $193,855 |
| OMOmaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA | +18.23% | $179,591 | $179,591 |
| PBPalm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | +17.93% | $179,136 | $179,136 |
| PHLPhiladelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD | +28.99% | $195,936 | $195,936 |
| PITPittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV | +21.03% | $183,845 | $183,845 |
| PORPortland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA | +26.13% | $191,591 | $191,591 |
| PXPhoenix-Mesa, AZ | +22.45% | $186,002 | $186,002 |
| RARaleigh-Durham-Cary, NC | +22.24% | $185,683 | $185,683 |
| RCHRichmond, VA | +22.28% | $185,743 | $185,743 |
| RNReno-Fernley, NV | +17.52% | $178,513 | $178,513 |
| RTRochester-Batavia-Seneca Falls, NY | +17.88% | $179,060 | $179,060 |
| SACSacramento-Roseville, CA-NV | +29.76% | $197,105 | $197,105 |
| SDSan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | +33.72% | $203,121 | $203,121 |
| SEASeattle-Tacoma, WA | +31.57% | $199,855 | $199,855 |
| SLSt. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL | +20.03% | $182,326 | $182,326 |
| SNSpokane-Spokane Valley-Coeur d'Alene, WA-ID | +17.67% | $178,741 | $178,741 |
| SOSan Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX | +18.78% | $180,427 | $180,427 |
| TUTucson-Nogales, AZ | +19.28% | $181,186 | $181,186 |
| VBVirginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC | +18.80% | $180,457 | $180,457 |
Locality data sourced from U.S. Office of Personnel Management — Locality Pay XML tables. Last refreshed 2026-04-20. RUS ("Rest of U.S.") is the default for areas not otherwise listed. Law-enforcement, special-rate, and capped schedules not shown — see the OPM tables for specifics.
Frequently asked
How much does a AAJ-AA-3 make in the United States federal government?
A AAJ-AA-3 in the United States federal civil service earns between $151,900 and $151,900 per year in 2026, before locality adjustments, allowances, and bonuses. These figures are published by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
Is the AAJ-AA-3 grade the same in every agency?
The base pay scale is set centrally by U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and applied uniformly across eligible federal employers, but agency-specific supplements, locality pay, and bargaining agreements can produce meaningful differences in take-home pay.
Where does this data come from?
Directly from U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/. Each page on FedSalary carries the retrieval date and a link back to the primary source.