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 paychart for all NALC represented employees effective Sept. 6:

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)

September 2025 cost-of-living adjustment memo

September 11, 2025

6th Contract COLA: Accumulated COLA is $146 through September 2025

The projected accumulation toward the sixth regular COLA under the 2023-2026 National Agreement was $146 in September following the release of the August 2025 Consumer Price Index.

On September 11, 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that the CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W, 1967=100) stood at 945.157 in August, 70.176 points above the base level of 874.441 in January 2023. The accumulated COLA through September stood at 7 cents per hour or $146 annually.

The sixth COLA will be based on the increase in the CPI-W between the base index month and January 2026, less any previously calculated COLAs, and will be payable the second full pay period following the release of the January 2026 index. The five COLAs that have been calculated under the 2023-2026 National Agreement, totaling 169 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), the 4th COLA, 20 cents per hour ($416 annually), and the 5th COLA, 38 cents per hour ($790 annually).

2026 Retiree COLAs Projection: CSRS is 2.8% and FERS is 2.0% as of September 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 August 2025 CPI-W (1982-84=100) of 317.306, the increase in the CPI is 2.8%. The projected 2026 COLA for CSRS is 2.8% and FERS is 2.0%. 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: 2.7% as of September 2025

Based on the release of the August 2025 CPI-W (1982-84=100), the 2026 FECA COLA projection is 2.7%. The August 2025 CPI-W of 317.306 was 2.7% above the December 2024 base index (309.067). The 2026 FECA COLA calculation will be finalized in January 2026 with the release of the CPI-W for December 2025.

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