Government Pay Grades
TTS team members are hired for specific position descriptions at a specificgrade level from the federal General Schedule (GS) (excludingSenior Executive Servicepositions). The GS system is a pay system for civilian employees in thefederal government; evaluation and compensation varies by grade level. Thequalification requirements for each position at a specific GS level arebased on education, background, accomplishments, and experience. Thespecific requirements will always be listed in the job posting. Salariesof federal employees are public information, and your salary may becomepublicly available on sites such as FederalPay.org. Find out more about the GS system from the Office of Personnel Management.
Understanding Grade Levels
Federal employees on the general schedule range from GS-1 to GS-15. GS gradelevels specify a fixed compensation range for a particular position, inparticular geographic localities, within the federal government.Understanding the relationship between GS grade level, location, andcompensation is important to understanding how salaries work at TTS.
Each GS grade level contains a series of 10 steps. New employees are usuallyhired at Step 1 of a GS grade. However, in special circ*mstances, agenciesmay authorize a higher step rate for a newly-appointed federal employeebased on aspecial need of the agency or superior qualifications of the prospective employee.
Use thisOPM General Schedule (GS) Salary Calculatorto help you understand how GS level, step and locality affect compensation.The 2024 salary cap for all GS employees is $191,900 per year. You cannot beoffered more than this under any circ*mstance.
Raises and Bonuses
A step increase is the most common kind of raise for GS employees, and theamount of time between step increases is dependent on the step. As a GSemployee, you have to wait one year to increase to a step 2, 3, or 4. Youmust wait two years before increasing to step 5, 6, or 7. Lastly, you mustwait three years before increasing to step 8, 9, or 10. This means that ifyou join TTS at step 1, you’ll proceed to step 2 the following year. Ifyou join TTS at step 6, it will take two years to progress to step 7.
Bonuses are generally assessed after the year-end review process in lateSeptember and are awarded based on your performance review results. Youmust be a TTS employee for at least three months to get a performancereview. Bonuses are awarded as either a small percentage of your annualsalary or through allotment of additional paid leave.
Benefits and Leave
The benefits package for federal employees includes medical, vision, anddental insurance, FSA accounts, life insurance, paid leave, and the ThriftSavings Plan (the government version of a 401K) with up to five percentmatching. Our telework policy affords increased flexibility, and employeeswho use public transit to commute may claim commuter benefits.
TTS also supports employees’ ongoing professional development by providingtraining opportunities and encouraging employees to participate in conferences,consortia, and other industry events.
TheTTS Handbookhas more information about working at TTS, including:
