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Jan. 6, 2026
Memorandum for:
All General Services Administration and GSA Payroll Services Client Agency Employees
From:
GSA
Payroll Services Division
Office of Chief Financial Officer
The 2026 payroll newsletter provides general information for all GSA and client agency employees. As a reminder, the GSA Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Operations, provides payroll services for executive branch, legislative branch and quasi-federal employees. This newsletter covers many payroll issues and serves as a summary of changes effective in calendar year 2026.
Each pay period, you are provided with your ELS, which you can use to confirm the accuracy of your pay and leave.
Although your servicing HR office, supervisor, and the GSA Payroll Division has many internal controls in place and make every effort to process your personnel, timecard, and payroll actions promptly and without error, administrative errors can happen. One way to ensure that these errors are kept to a minimum is for you to review your biweekly ELS. You can access your ELS through the Employee Express portal and use it to check for errors in your pay, benefits, deductions, and leave balances.
Reviewing your ELS every pay period is important, especially at the beginning of the calendar year when many changes are implemented. If there is an error in your pay from either pay calculation or withholdings and you are overpaid, you will be required to pay back any overpayments received as a debt to the government.
The Comptroller General of the United States has repeatedly ruled that if an employee has information available to them regarding their pay and an error occurs, they must pay back any resulting overpayments. In rare instances and on a case-by-case basis, an erroneous overpayment may be waived. In that event, the erroneous overpayment becomes taxable and will be reportable to the Internal Revenue Service to determine if it is taxable income.
Differences in your pay beginning in the pay period ending, or PPE, on Jan. 24, 2026, and electronically transferred on Jan. 30, 2026, may be the result of one or more of the following changes:
The IRS Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, is used by employees to designate how much of their taxable income is to be withheld and remitted to the IRS as advance tax payments throughout the year. To help you with calculating your tax withholdings, the IRS provides a Tax Withholding Estimator.
Please note that the IRS Form W-4 does go through updates and changes. The GSA Payroll Division monitors and updates its payroll system to comply with these changes. Refer to the IRS website to download the latest form and research your questions when making and submitting your changes.
You can update your federal income tax withholdings one of two ways:
You may claim exemption from federal tax withholding for 2026 if you meet both of the following conditions: You had no federal income tax liability in 2025 and you expect to have no federal income tax liability in 2026. You had no federal income tax liability in 2025 if either of these is true:
If you claim exemption, you will have no income tax withheld from your paycheck and may owe taxes and penalties when you file your 2026 tax return. You have two options to claim exempt from federal tax:
Please note that effective Feb. 15, 2026, your prior year IRS Form W-4 (2025) filing “Exempt” status expires. If GSA Payroll has not received an IRS Form W-4 for the 2026 tax year by Feb. 17, 2026, we will begin withholding federal income tax under the “single/no exemption” formula as of PPE Feb. 21, 2026. There are no refunds of tax withholdings if the IRS Form W-4 claiming “Exempt” status is submitted late.
We will issue the 2025 IRS Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement through Employee Express. If you received your 2024 IRS Form W-2
electronically or you registered to receive an electronic 2025 IRS Form W-2 before the close of business on Dec. 13, 2025, you will receive your 2025 IRS Form W-2 via EEX.
We will make the online 2025 IRS Form W-2 available to all employees on or before Jan. 31, 2026, through the EEX website. If you elected to receive your IRS Form W-2 in paper format, your IRS Form W-2 will be postmarked and mailed by Jan. 31, 2026.
Upon an employee’s separation, we will automatically set the indicator to have your W-2 mailed to your address on record with Payroll Operations.
You should review your IRS Form W-2 closely for legibility, accuracy, and completeness. The instructional guide for reading the 2025 IRS Form W-2 is available may be found on the GSA Payroll website. You should compare the IRS Form W-2 with your final earnings and leave statement for PPE Dec. 13, 2025, to verify accuracy and completeness of the tax information included on the IRS Form W-2.
Report any discrepancies to us by email to kc-payroll.finance@gsa.gov.
Effective for 2025 through 2028, individuals who receive qualified overtime compensation may deduct the pay that exceeds their regular rate of pay — such as the “half” portion of “time-and-a-half compensation.
Taxpayer eligibility — Deduction is available for both itemizing and non-itemizing taxpayers.
We will furnish statements regarding overtime paid during the 2025 tax year by January 31, 2026.
We updated the 2026 federal tax rate changes in the payroll system. The changes were reflected on your ELS in PPE Dec. 27, 2025. In addition, the following states and localities also have new payroll tax formulas.
The IRS deferral limit for 2026 is $24,500. If you are turning 50 or are over the age of 50, you may contribute an additional $8,000 for a total of $32,500 in 2026. Under a change made in SECURE 2.0, a higher catch-up contribution limit applies for employees aged 60 to 63 who participate in these plans. For 2026, this higher catch-up contribution limit is $11,250 instead of $8,000. Taxpayers can deduct contributions to a traditional IRA if they meet certain conditions. Additional information regarding these rules can be found in IRS Notice 2025-67 [PDF].
Supplemental wages are non-regular wage payments to an employee. They include payments such as awards, overtime, severance pay, back pay, voluntary separation incentive payments, amended timecards and retroactive pay increases.
The federal income tax withholding rate for supplemental wages for 2026 will continue to be 22 percent (as in 2025). State and local taxes are applied as well.
We must also withhold Social Security and Medicare (FICA) taxes on supplemental wages.
If a federal government agency, financial institution, or a credit union cancels or forgives a debt owed of $600 or more, an IRS Form 1099-C, Cancellation of Debt, will be provided to you.
Generally, you must include all canceled amounts, even if less than $600, on the “Other income” line of IRS Form 1040, U.S.
Individual Income Tax Return. IRS Form 1099-C, Cancellation of Debt [PDF], will be mailed to you by Jan. 31, 2026.
If you have additional questions on preparing your individual tax return please consult with the IRS or your personal financial adviser.
The 2025 and 2026 wage base limits for these two programs are shown in the table below. In 2026, the Medicare tax rate is 1.45%.
The OASDI tax rate is 6.2%.
| Year | OASDI wage base limit | Medicare wage base limit |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $176,100 | Unlimited* |
| 2026 | $184,500 | Unlimited* |
*Under a provision of the Affordable Care Act, the employee-paid portion of the Medicare tax is subject to the 0.9 percent additional Medicare tax on amounts over the statutory thresholds that are not inflation-adjusted and thus apply to more employees each year.
An individual is liable for additional Medicare tax if the individual’s wages, compensation, or self-employment income (together with that of his or her spouse, if filing a joint return) exceed the threshold amount for the individual’s filing status:
| Filing status | Threshold amount |
|---|---|
| Married filing jointly | $250,000 |
| Married filing separate | $125,000 |
| Single | $200,000 |
| Head of household (with qualifying person) | $200,000 |
| Qualifying widow(er) with dependent child | $200,000 |
Note: An employer is responsible for withholding the additional Medicare tax from wages or railroad retirement, RRTA, compensation it pays to an employee in excess of $200,000 in a calendar year, without regard to filing status.
The IRS increased the Flexible Spending Account, FSAFEDS, Health Care employee contribution limit by $100, from $3,300 in 2025 to $3,400 for 2026.
The 2026 FSAFEDS Health Care carryover is $680. This is an increase of $20 from the 2025 carryover limit of $660.
The IRS regulations allow employees to use pre-tax earnings to pay for the monthly cost of qualified vanpools, qualified parking expenses, or transit passes (where the agency does not provide a transit pass issued directly to their employees).
Employees can claim up to $340 per month for transportation in a commuter highway vehicle (a vehicle seating six or more passengers, not counting the driver). The $340 monthly benefit for a commuter highway vehicle, when combined with the Transit Fare Subsidy, cannot exceed the $340 per month limitation.
Reminder for all GSA employees already enrolled in the TEA-21 benefit program: if your monthly costs change or you no longer qualify for the pre-tax transportation benefit, complete GSA Form 3667 Application for Pretax Transportation Fringe Benefits (TEA21) Program. If you are an employee of a GSA Payroll client agency use Optional Form 3667 to update or cancel your participation in the TEA-21 benefit program. Links to these forms can be found on the GSA website under the “Forms, Documents and Other Links” tab.
Once an employee completes the appropriate Form 3667, send the form to the GSA Payroll at:
KC-Payroll.Finance@gsa.gov
816-823-5435
GSA Payroll (BGC) 2300 Main Street 2NW Kansas City, MO 64108
Employees of the Railroad Retirement Board, RRB, should contact Patricia Hopkins at 312-751-4511, 708-943-8604, or patricia.hopkins@rrb.gov with questions specifically related to the RRB Pre-Tax Transit Benefits Program.
Employees of the Senate Restaurant Associates are not eligible for the Pre-tax Qualified Transportation Fringe Benefits Program through the GSA Payroll.
All employee 2026 CFC contributions will take effect in the PPE Jan. 24, 2026 (EFT pay date Jan. 30, 2026). Please verify your CFC withholding for this PPE by checking your ELS against your pledge receipt. The 2026 CFC pledges received for new employees will take effect in the first pay period after receipt.
Certain location-based pay entitlements (such as locality payments, special rate supplements and non-foreign area cost-of-living allowances) are based on the location of the employee’s official worksite associated with the employee’s position of record. An agency must document an employee’s official worksite on the employee’s Notification of Personnel Action (Standard Form 50 or equivalent). See “Duty Station” blocks 38 and 39 of the Standard Form 50 showing the city/county and state in which the official worksite is located.
Your official worksite is generally the location where you regularly perform your duties. If your work involves recurring travel or your work location varies on a recurring basis, your official worksite is the location where the work activities of your position of record are based, as determined by your employing agency, subject to the requirement that your official worksite must be in a locality pay area where you regularly perform work.
Whenever you receive a notification of a HR personnel change, it is your responsibility to verify the accuracy of the change and report to your servicing HR office if you find an error. If you have any questions about your duty station, please contact your servicing HR Office. If there is an error in your pay because of a change in your official duty station and you are overpaid, you will be required to pay back any overpayments received as a debt to the government.
Within-grade increases, or WGI, are pay increases received by federal employees after they have served a specific amount of time at a certain grade level and demonstrated at least an acceptable level of performance.
A WGI is effective on the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after the completion of the required waiting period. You can calculate your next WGI by finding the effective date on the SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action for your last WGI and using the chart below.
Whenever you have a personnel change, it is your responsibility to verify the accuracy of the change and report to your servicing HR office and supervisor if you find an error. If you have any questions about your WGI date, please contact your servicing HR office. If there is an error in your WGI effective date and you are overpaid, you will be required to pay back any overpayments received as a debt to the government.
| WGI step | Waiting period between steps |
|---|---|
| 2, 3, and 4 | 52 calendar weeks (1 year) |
| 5, 6, and 7 | 104 calendar weeks (2 years) |
| 8, 9, and 10 | 156 calendar weeks (3 years) |
The Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) governs employee allowances and benefits available to the U.S. Government civilians assigned to foreign areas. If you are an employee who is assigned to a foreign area, you should check both the DSSR and your agency’s implementing policies for guidance on a specific allowance. The DSSR and other information of foreign allowances may be found on the State Department’s website.
GSA employees may refer to HRM 9592.1A GSA Policy on Allowances and Differentials Payable in Foreign Areas.
The GSA VLTP allows employees to donate annual leave to employees who are experiencing (or whose family member is experiencing) a medical emergency. Your donation may not exceed the lesser of:
Approved donated leave recipients should contact their timekeeper or supervisor if you have questions on your donated leave balance. Also, remember it is your responsibility to review your ELS and work with your timekeeper and supervisor to ensure that the correct amount of donated leave is charged to your time and attendance records. For more information on the GSA Voluntary Leave Transfer Program visit the VLTP website.
Our Office of the Chief Financial Officer, OCFO, partners with The Work Number®, or TWN, from Equifax to provide automated income and employment verifications. Visit our TWN page for further information about this program.
GSA and client agency employees can view their ELS electronically through the Office of Personnel Management’s Employee Express website. Employee Express provides timely access to your pay and leave data as early as the Thursday afternoon following the end of the pay period. You have online access to current pay period, prior pay period and year-to-date pay and leave data, and topical information regarding payroll issues.
Employee Express also allows you to view and change the following payroll information (for personnel changes use HR Links employee self-service area):
The Office of Personnel Management’s Employee Express application has security procedures that will lock all EEX user accounts that have been inactive for 12 months.
Be sure to log into Employee Express at least every 12 months to ensure your account remains active. You can enter a personal email address, if you prefer, to allow you to receive inactivity notifications without access to your GSA email account.
If your account becomes locked, click the “Submit Help Request” button on the EEX homepage to contact the EEX Help Desk. In the help request form, include a short message (such as “EEX account locked”) in the comments section to expedite the process.
If you need technical assistance, contact the EEX Help Desk by clicking “Submit Help Request” on the EEX website, and complete the request form. Questions concerning specific personnel information should be directed to your servicing HR Office.
For payroll information, contact the GSA Payroll Customer Service Center at:
KC-Payroll.Finance@gsa.gov
844-303-6515
816-823-5435
GSA Payroll (BGC) 2300 Main Street 2NW Kansas City, MO 64108
There are 27 pay periods in 2026 and a copy of the 2026 payroll calendar and the following additional information may be of interest:
If you have payroll questions or concerns contact us at:
KC-Payroll.Finance@gsa.gov
844-303-6515
816-823-5435
GSA Payroll (BGC) 2300 Main Street 2NW Kansas City, MO 64108
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Rates for Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories and possessions are set by the Department of Defense.
Rates for foreign countries are set by the Department of State.
Rates are available between 10/1/2023 and 09/30/2026.
The End Date of your trip can not occur before the Start Date.
Traveler reimbursement is based on the location of the work activities and not the accommodations, unless lodging is not available at the work activity, then the agency may authorize the rate where lodging is obtained.
Unless otherwise specified, the per diem locality is defined as "all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city, including independent entities located within those boundaries."
Per diem localities with county definitions shall include"all locations within, or entirely surrounded by, the corporate limits of the key city as well as the boundaries of the listed counties, including independent entities located within the boundaries of the key city and the listed counties (unless otherwise listed separately)."
When a military installation or Government - related facility(whether or not specifically named) is located partially within more than one city or county boundary, the applicable per diem rate for the entire installation or facility is the higher of the rates which apply to the cities and / or counties, even though part(s) of such activities may be located outside the defined per diem locality.
U.S. General Services Administration