Wikipedia / Executive Schedule
Wikipedia / Executive Schedule
Executive Schedule () 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.
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.
Calculation of pay rate
Many political appointees have had their pay rate frozen at lower levels. According to , 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. 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.
Level I
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. 21 positions exist in this level, which are as follows:
Department staff
Executive Office of the President
United States Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador
Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Director of National Drug Control Policy, Office of National Drug Control Policy
Independent agencies
Commissioner of Social Security, Social Security Administration
Former United States Presidents
Level II
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.
Department deputy secretaries
Other department officials
Defense
Homeland Security
Justice
Transportation
Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration
Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration
Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration
Executive Office of the President
Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers
Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy
Deputy Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget
Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget and Federal Chief Performance Officer
Independent agencies
Intelligence Community
Director of the National Counterterrorism Center
Other independent agencies
Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development
Director of the United States Office of Personnel Management
Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency
Deputy Commissioner of the Social Security Administration
Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation
Chair of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Director of the National Science Foundation
Director of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Vice Chair for Supervision of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (4)
Level III
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.
Department under secretaries
Under Secretaries of Defense (5)
Other department officials
Department of Energy
Director of Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy
Department of Health and Human Services
Administrator, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Department of Homeland Security
Director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services
Commissioner of United States Customs and Border Protection
Deputy Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Deputy Administrator for Resilience of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Department of Justice
Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration
Director, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives
Department of State
Department of Transportation
Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration
Administrator, United States Maritime Administration
Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration
Department of the Treasury
Director of the Office of Financial Research
Independent Member with Insurance Expertise of the Financial Stability Oversight Council
Note: The Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision was level III before that office was abolished by the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010.
Executive Office of the President
Three deputy trade representatives within the Office of the United States Trade Representative, currently:
Deputy United States Trade Representative for Europe, The Middle East, and Industrial Competitiveness, with the rank of Ambassador, in Washington, D.C.
Deputy United States Trade Representative for Investment, Services, Labor, Environment, Africa, China, and the Western Hemisphere, with the rank of Ambassador, in Washington, D.C.
Deputy United States Trade Representative and Permanent Representative of the United States of America to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland
Chief Agricultural Negotiator, with the rank of Ambassador, Office of the United States Trade Representative
Chief Innovation and Intellectual Property Negotiator, with the rank of Ambassador, Office of the United States Trade Representative
Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy
Administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget
Administrator of the Office of Electronic Government and Federal Chief Information Officer of the United States
Controller of the Office of Federal Financial Management, Office of Management and Budget
Deputy Director for Demand Reduction, Office of National Drug Control Policy
Deputy Director for Supply Reduction, Office of National Drug Control Policy
Deputy Director for State, Local, and Tribal Affairs, Office of National Drug Control Policy
Executive Secretary, National Space Council
Independent agencies
Directors
Administrator, General Services Administration
Administrator, Small Business Administration
Director, Peace Corps
Chairman and president of the Export-Import Bank of the United States
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Farm Credit Administration
Executive Director, Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board
Director of the United States Trade and Development Agency
Director, Office of Government Ethics
Director, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation
Director of the Congressional Research Service
Deputy directors
Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Deputy Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Deputy Administrator, United States Agency for International Development
Deputy Director, National Science Foundation
Deputy Director, Office of Personnel Management
Deputy Administrator, Environmental Protection Agency
Deputy Librarian of Congress
Boards and commissions
Chairman, Merit Systems Protection Board
Chairwoman, Federal Communications Commission
Chairman, Board of Directors, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Chairman, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Chairman, Federal Trade Commission
Chairman, Surface Transportation Board
Chairman, National Labor Relations Board
Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission
Chairman, National Mediation Board
Chairman, Railroad Retirement Board
Chairman, Federal Maritime Commission
Chairman, National Transportation Safety Board
Chairman, National Endowment for the Arts
Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities
Chairman, Postal Regulatory Commission
Chairman, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Chairman, Consumer Product Safety Commission
Chairman, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board - (1) Chairman; (2) Vice Chairman; (3) Member; (4) Member; (5) Member
Nuclear Regulatory Commission - Four Commissioners
Obsolete positions
Director of the Office of Emergency Planning
Chairman, Federal Housing Finance Board
Level IV
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. Annual pay for General Schedule employees, including locality pay and special rates, may not exceed this level.
Department assistant secretaries
Assistant Secretaries of Agriculture (3)
Assistant Secretaries of Commerce (11)
Assistant Secretaries of Defense (16)
Assistant Secretaries of the Department of Homeland Security
Assistant Secretaries of Labor (10), one of whom shall be the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training
Assistant Secretaries of State (24) and four other Department of State officials to be appointed by the president, by and with the advice and consent of the United States Senate
Deputy Under Secretaries of the Treasury (or Assistant Secretaries of the Treasury) (2)
Assistant Secretaries of Veterans Affairs (7)
General counsels
General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture
General Counsel of the Department of Commerce
General Counsel of the Department of Education
General Counsel of the Department of Health and Human Services
General Counsel of the Department of Homeland Security
General Counsel of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
General Counsel of the Department of Transportation
General Counsel of the Department of the Treasury
General Counsel of the Department of Veterans Affairs
General Counsel of the Office of the Director of the National Intelligence
Chief Counsel for Advocacy, Small Business Administration
Inspectors general
Inspector General of the Central Intelligence Agency
Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services
Inspector General of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Inspector General of the Export-Import Bank
Inspector General of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Inspector General of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
Inspector General of the General Services Administration
Inspector General of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Inspector General of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Inspector General of the Office of Personnel Management
Inspector General of the Railroad Retirement Board
Inspector General of the Resolution Trust Corporation
Inspector General of the Small Business Administration
Inspector General of the Social Security Administration
Inspector General of the Tennessee Valley Authority
Inspector General of the United States Environmental Protection Agency
Inspector General of the United States Postal Service
Chief financial officers
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Agriculture
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Commerce
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Education
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Energy
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Health and Human Services
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Homeland Security
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of the Interior
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Justice
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Labor
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of State
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Transportation
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of the Treasury
Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Veterans Affairs
Chief Financial Officer of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Chief Financial Officer, United States Environmental Protection Agency
Chief information officers
Chief Information Officer of the Department of Agriculture
Chief Information Officer of the Department of Commerce
Chief Information Officer, Department of Defense (unless the official designated is listed under section 5312, 5313, or 5314 of this title)
Chief Information Officer of the Department of Education
Chief Information Officer of the Department of Energy
Chief Information Officer of the Department of Health and Human Services
Chief Information Officer of the Department of Homeland Security
Chief Information Officer, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Chief Information Officer of the Department of Housing and Urban Development
Chief Information Officer of the Department of the Interior
Chief Information Officer of the Department of Justice
Chief Information Officer of the Department of Labor
Chief Information Officer of the Department of State
Chief Information Officer of the Department of Transportation
Chief Information Officer of the Department of the Treasury
Chief Information Officer of the Department of Veterans Affairs
Chief Information Officer of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Chief Information Officer of the United States Agency for International Development
Chief Information Officer, United States Environmental Protection Agency
Chief Information Officer, General Services Administration
Chief Information Officer, National Science Foundation
Chief Information Officer, Nuclear Regulatory Agency
Chief Information Officer, Office of Personnel Management
Chief Information Officer, Small Business Administration
Other department officials
Department of Agriculture
Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service
Department of Commerce
Director of the Bureau of the Census
Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
Department of Defense
Department of Education
Director of the Office of Educational Technology
Commissioner, National Center for Education Statistics
Department of Energy
Administrator, Energy Information Administration
Director, Office of Science
Principal Deputy Administrator, National Nuclear Security Administration
Additional deputy administrators of the National Nuclear Security Administration (3) (two if the Deputy Administrator for Naval Reactors is a United States Navy officer on active duty)
Department of Health and Human Services
Department of Homeland Security
Federal Insurance Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency
Department of Housing and Urban Development
President, Government National Mortgage Association
Department of Justice
Director, Community Relations Service
Director, Bureau of Prisons
Director of the National Institute of Justice
Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics
Administrator, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Department of Labor
Administrator of the Wage & Hour Division
Department of State
Special Representatives of the President for arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament matters, Department of State
Department of Transportation
Administrator of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation
Deputy Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
Other independent agency officials
United States Agency for International Development
Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance
Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Economic Growth, Education and Environment
Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Global Health
Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Legislative and Public Affairs
Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Management
Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Africa
Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Asia
Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Europe and Eurasia
Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean
Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for the Middle East
Other independent agencies
President, National Consumer Cooperative Bank
Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services
Commissioner, Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation
Director of the International Broadcasting Bureau
Deputy Administrator, Small Business Administration
First Vice President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States
Assistant Secretary for History and Art, Smithsonian Institution
Executive Vice President, Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Director of Nuclear Reactor Regulation, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Director of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Director of Nuclear Regulatory Research, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Executive Director for Operations, Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Deputy Director, Institute for Scientific and Technological Cooperation
Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances, United States Environmental Protection Agency
Assistant Administrator, Office of Solid Waste, United States Environmental Protection Agency
Assistant Administrators, United States Environmental Protection Agency (8)
Associate Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Executive Office of the President
Boards and commissions
Chairman, Federal Labor Relations Authority
Chairman, Board of Veterans' Appeals
Chairman, United States Parole Commission
Members, United States International Trade Commission (5)
Members, Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States
Members, Federal Communications Commission
Member, Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
Directors, Federal Housing Finance Board
Members, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Members, Federal Trade Commission
Members, Surface Transportation Board
Members, National Labor Relations Board
Members, Securities and Exchange Commission
Members, Merit Systems Protection Board
Members, Federal Maritime Commission
Members, National Mediation Board
Members, Railroad Retirement Board
Members, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (4)
Members, National Transportation Safety Board
Members, National Credit Union Administration Board (2)
Members, Postal Regulatory Commission (4)
Members, Consumer Product Safety Commission (4)
Members, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Obsolete positions
Level V
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.
Agency directors
Director, United States Travel Service (defunct), Department of Commerce
National Export Expansion Coordinator, Department of Commerce
Director, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Department of Defense
Administrator, Bonneville Power Administration, Department of Energy
Chairman, Foreign Claims Settlement Commission of the United States, Department of Justice
Commissioner of Vocational Rehabilitation, Department of Health and Human Services
Commissioner of Welfare, Department of Health and Human Services
Commissioner, Administration for Children and Families
Director, Indian Health Service, Department of Health and Human Services
Director, United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior
Director, United States Bureau of Mines, Department of the Interior
Director, United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior
Director, Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior
Director, National Park Service, Department of the Interior
Director, Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (defunct), Department of Justice
Administrator, Wage and Hour and Public Contracts Division, Department of Labor
Administrator, National Capital Transportation Agency (defunct)
Chairman of the Federal Renegotiation Board
Chairman of the Subversive Activities Control Board (defunct)
Commissioner, Federal Supply Service, General Services Administration
Commissioner, Public Buildings Service, General Services Administration
Commissioners, Indian Claims Commission (5)
Staff Director, Commission on Civil Rights
Director, United States National Museum, Smithsonian Institution
Director, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Smithsonian Institution
Administrator, Environmental Science Services Administration
Executive Director, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
Commissioners, United States Parole Commission (4)
Other officials
Associate Administrators, Small Business Administration (4)
Associate Administrators, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (7)
Associate Deputy Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Deputy Associate Administrator, National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Assistant and Science Adviser to the Secretary of the Interior
Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Nuclear & Chemical & Biological Defense Programs, Department of Defense
Chief Counsel for the Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury
Deputy Commissioner of Internal Revenue, Department of the Treasury
Deputy General Counsel, Department of Defense
Associate Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
Associate Director for Volunteers, Peace Corps
Associate Director for Program Development and Operations, Peace Corps
Assistants to the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of Justice (2)
Assistant Directors, Office of Emergency Planning (3)
General Counsel of the Agency for International Development
General Counsel of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
General Counsel of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Members, Federal Renegotiation Board
Members, Subversive Activities Control Board (defunct)
Deputy Under Secretaries of Defense for Research and Engineering, Department of Defense (4)
Assistant Administrator of General Services
Assistant Director (Program Planning, Analysis and Research), Office of Economic Opportunity
Deputy Director, National Security Agency
Assistant Secretary for Administration, Department of Transportation
Associate Directors, Office of Personnel Management (5)
Deputy Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Deputy Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Assistant Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
Vice Presidents, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (defunct) (3)
Deputy Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, Department of Transportation
General Counsel, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Additional officers, Department of Energy (14)
Additional officers, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (5)
Assistant Administrator for Coastal Zone Management, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Assistant Administrators, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (3)
General Counsel, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Members, Federal Labor Relations Authority (2)
General Counsel, Federal Labor Relations Authority
Additional officers, Institute for Scientific and Technological Cooperation (2)
Additional officers, Office of Management and Budget (6)
Associate Deputy Secretary, Department of Transportation
Chief Scientist, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Deputy Administrator, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Department of Justice
Presidential authority to place positions at levels IV and V
Per , 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:
Counselor to the Secretary, United States Department of the Treasury
Deputy Under Secretary for International Labor Affairs, United States Department of Labor
Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Executive Secretary of the National Security Council
Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Director of the Office for Victims of Crime
Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance
Director of the National Institutes of Health
Members of the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (5)
Commissioner on Aging (now Assistant Secretary for Aging, Department of Health and Human Services)
The following positions are granted Level V pay status:
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, Department of Defense
Deputy Under Secretary for Education, Department of Education
Commissioner of the Administration for Native Americans
References
External links