News & information

Pay tables, COLA info, annuity projections

This page contains the latest information on current NALC pay tables, NALC contract cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) and FERS and CSRS annuity projections. The page also contains a graph showing changes to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, the index used to calculate Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) that apply to active and retired carriers.

You also will find information about Postal Service performance and information about developments in the postal sector generally.

Letter carrier pay table

2023-2026 National Agreement

Under the terms of the 2023-2026 National Agreement between the National Association of Letter Carriers and the United States Postal Service, this salary and rate schedule is the current paychart for all NALC represented employees:

Click the table above to open it as a PDF

Selected previous National Agreement pay tables are available below.

Cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs)

—click on image to see a larger version (opens a new window)

May 2025 cost-of-living adjustment memo

May 13, 2025

5th Contract COLA: Accumulated COLA is $457 through May 2025

The projected accumulation toward the seventh regular COLA under the 2019-2023 National Agreement was $457 in May following the release of the April 2025 Consumer Price Index.

On May 13, 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W, 1967=100) stood at 966.033 in April, 61.562 points above the base level of 874.441 in January 2023. The accumulated COLA through May stood at 22 cents per hour or $457 annually.

The fifth COLA will be based on the increase in the CPI-W between the base index month and July 2025, less any previously calculated COLAs, and will be payable the second full pay period following the release of the July 2025 index. The four COLAs that have been calculated under the 2023-2026 National Agreement, totaling 131 cents per hour, are as follows: the 1st COLA, 47 cents per hour ($978 annually), the 2nd COLA, 17 cents per hour ($353 annually), the 3rd COLA, 47 cents per hour ($978 annually), and the 4th COLA, 20 cents per hour ($416 annually).

2026 Retiree COLAs Projection: CSRS is 1.8% and FERS is 1.8% as of May 2025

The 2026 COLAs for CSRS and FERS benefits are based on the increase in the average CPI-W between the 3rd quarter of 2024 (308.729) and the 3rd quarter of 2025.

Based on the April 2025 CPI-W (1982-84) of 314.243, the increase in the CPI is 1.8%. The projected 2026 COLA for CSRS is 1.8% and FERS is 1.8%. The 2026 retiree COLA calculation will be finalized in October 2025 with the release of the CPI-W for September 2025.

2026 FECA COLA Projection: 1.7% as of May 2025

Based on the release of the April 2025 CPI-W (1982-84=100), the 2026 FECA COLA projection is 1.7%. The April 2025 CPI-W of 314.243 was 1.7% above the December 2024 base index (309.067). The 2026 FECA COLA calculation will be finalized when the December 2025 CPI-W is published during the month of January 2026.

FECA COLAs are applicable only in cases where death or disability occurred more than one year prior to the adjustment’s effective date.