Executive Schedule (5 U.S.C. §§ 5311–5318) is the system of salaries given to the highest-ranked appointed officials in the executive branch of the U.S. government. The president of the United States appoints individuals to these positions, most with the advice and consent of the United States Senate. They include members of the president's Cabinet, several top-ranking officials of each executive department, the directors of some of the more prominent departmental and independent agencies, and several members of the Executive Office of the President.
There are five pay rates within the Executive Schedule, denoted with a Roman numeral with I being the highest level and V the lowest. Federal law lists the positions eligible for the Executive Schedule and the corresponding level. The law also gives the president the ability to grant Executive Schedule IV and V status to no more than 34 employees not listed.[1]
Certain job titles tend to be placed at certain levels of the Executive Schedule. For example, in the executive departments, secretaries are on Level I; deputy secretaries are on Level II; under secretaries are mostly on Level III; and assistant secretaries, general counsels, inspectors general, chief financial officers, and chief information officers are mostly on Level IV. The directors of departmental and independent agencies vary widely in their placement, and are represented in every level from I to V, with their subordinates being placed on levels below them. A few agencies have general counsels, inspectors general, chief financial officers, or chief information officers on Level IV along with their departmental counterparts, although agency officials with these titles may instead be on another pay scale such as the Senior Executive Service.
Many political appointees have had their pay rate frozen at lower levels.[3] According to 5 U.S.C. § 5318, at the beginning of the first pay period for any position under the Executive Schedule, the amount of pay will be adjusted and rounded to the nearest multiple of US$100. If this amount is found to be midway between multiples of $100, then it will be rounded to the next highest multiple of $100.
Section 738 of division E of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115-141, March 23, 2018), continued the freeze on the payable pay rates for certain senior political officials at 2013 levels through January 5, 2019. The failure to enact new appropriations legislation may allow the freeze to expire. However, the officially established and posted pay rates (or pay ranges) for 2018 are in effect and used for determining pay for other employees. For more information, please see Compensation Policy Memorandum 2018-08 at https://chcoc.gov/content/continued-pay-freeze-certain-senior-political-officials-2.
Executive Schedule rates indirectly affect the rates of pay for other pay scales such as the General Schedule, Senior Executive Service, Senior Level, Senior Foreign Service, and other federal civilian pay systems, as well as the pay of uniformed military personnel, because various federal laws establishing those pay systems normally tie the maximum amount payable to various levels of the Executive Schedule. For example, federal employees paid on the General Schedule may not earn more than the rate for Level IV of the Executive Schedule, after factoring in GS special rates and locality pay.[4] Because of these pay caps and freezes to the Executive Schedule, federal workers at the top of their pay bands are often unable to receive pay increases, resulting in salary compression.[5][6]
5 U.S.C. § 5312 lists the positions that receive pay at Level I of the Executive Schedule. As of January 2025, the annual rate of pay for Level I positions is $250,600.[2] 21 positions exist in this level, which are as follows:
5 U.S.C. § 5313 lists the positions that receive pay at Level II of the Executive Schedule. As of January 2025, the annual rate of pay for Level II positions is $225,700.[2]
Defense
Homeland Security
Justice
Transportation
Intelligence Community
Other independent agencies
5 U.S.C. § 5314 lists the 125 positions that receive pay at Level III of the Executive Schedule. As of January 2025, the annual rate of pay for Level III positions is $207,500.[2]
Department of Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Justice
Department of State
Department of Transportation
Department of the Treasury
Note: The Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision was level III before that office was abolished by the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010.
Directors
Deputy directors
5 U.S.C. § 5315 lists 346 non-obsolete positions that receive pay at Level IV of the Executive Schedule. As of January 2025, the annual rate of pay for Level IV positions is $195,200.[2] Annual pay for General Schedule employees, including locality pay and special rates, may not exceed this level.[4]
Department of Agriculture
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Education
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of Labor
United States Agency for International Development
5 U.S.C. § 5316 lists 143 positions that receive pay at Level V of the Executive Schedule As of January 2025, the annual rate of pay for Level V positions is $183,100.[2]
Per 5 U.S.C. § 5317, the president can at any time appoint no more than 34 individuals to pay rates Level IV and V, provided that they are viewed as a necessary change to organization, management responsibility, or workload within a specific agency. This figure is in addition to Level IV and V positions specifically authorized in the bill. However, Senate consent is required and the pay rate takes effect only upon a new appointment to that position. All actions taken during this process are to be published in the Federal Register, except when it is deemed that such publication would stand in conflict to national security. The president may not take action under this section with respect to a position, the pay for which is fixed at a specific rate by this subchapter, or by statute enacted after 14 August 1964.
The following positions are granted Level IV pay status of the Executive Schedule:
The following positions are granted Level V pay status: