Step increases are one of the most reliable parts of your postal pay progression, but most employees don’t fully understand how they work until they notice one is late or missing. Here’s how the system works across every major craft, what each step is worth, and how to make sure you’re getting paid correctly.
How Step Increases Work
When you’re hired or converted to career, you’re placed at a specific grade and step on your craft’s pay schedule. Your grade reflects the job classification (PS-05, PS-06, etc. for clerks; CC-01, CC-02 for carriers). Your step reflects your time in that grade. As you accumulate time, you automatically advance to the next step after a set waiting period.
Step increases are not the same thing as COLAs or general wage increases. Those apply to everyone at once across the entire pay schedule. Step increases are individual — they’re based on your own service time and happen on your own schedule.
The key things to know: step increases are automatic (no application or supervisor approval needed), they’re based on weeks of service in your current step, and they can be delayed by extended LWOP or certain disciplinary actions — but under normal circumstances they happen on schedule.
APWU Step Increase Waiting Periods
APWU-represented employees (clerks, maintenance, MVS, support services) have the shortest step increase waiting periods of any postal union contract. The schedule differs depending on whether you’re on Schedule 1 (hired before May 23, 2011) or Schedule 2 (hired on or after that date).
Schedule 1 (Pre-May 2011 Hires)
| Step | Waiting Period | Cumulative Time |
|---|---|---|
| A → B | 36 weeks | 36 weeks |
| B → C | 36 weeks | 72 weeks |
| C → D | 36 weeks | ~2 years |
| D → E | 36 weeks | ~2.8 years |
| E → F | 36 weeks | ~3.5 years |
| F → G | 36 weeks | ~4.2 years |
| G → H | 36 weeks | ~4.8 years |
| H → I | 36 weeks | ~5.5 years |
| I → J | 36 weeks | ~6.2 years |
| J → K | 36 weeks | ~6.9 years |
| K → O (top) | 36 weeks | ~7.6 years |
Schedule 1 employees reach top step in roughly 7–8 years. Every step uses the same 36-week waiting period.
Schedule 2 (Post-May 2011 Hires)
| Step | Waiting Period | Cumulative Time |
|---|---|---|
| A → B | 46 weeks | 46 weeks |
| B → C | 46 weeks | 92 weeks |
| C → D | 46 weeks | ~2.7 years |
| D → E | 46 weeks | ~3.5 years |
| E → F | 46 weeks | ~4.4 years |
| F → G | 46 weeks | ~5.3 years |
| G → H | 46 weeks | ~6.2 years |
| H → I | 46 weeks | ~7.1 years |
| I → J | 46 weeks | ~7.9 years |
| J → K | 46 weeks | ~8.8 years |
| K → top* | 46 weeks | ~9.7 years |
*Under the 2024–2027 contract, new top steps are being added to Grades 4–7 on the Schedule 2 pay scale, effective September 19, 2026 (Pay Period 21-2026). Grade 4 gets Step J, Grade 5 gets Step L, Grades 6 and 7 get Step M.
NALC Step Increase Waiting Periods
City carriers under the NALC contract have a different structure. All steps use a 46-week waiting period, and the pay schedule runs from Step A (or AA for Table 2 carriers hired before July 2025) through Step O or P depending on which table you’re on.
Table 1 (hired before January 12, 2013): Carriers on this table have reached or are near top step. Waiting periods are 46 weeks per step from A through O (top step).
Table 2 (hired on or after January 12, 2013): Same 46-week waiting period per step. The pay schedule runs A through P, with Step P being the top step for Table 2 carriers. Under the 2023–2026 contract, Steps AA and A were eliminated from Table 2 effective July 2025, and a $1,000 adjustment was added to Step P.
CCAs (City Carrier Assistants): Non-career carriers do not receive step increases. CCA pay is a flat hourly rate that only changes through contractual general wage increases. Step progression begins when you convert to career.
NPMHU Step Increase Waiting Periods
Mail handlers under the NPMHU contract follow a step increase schedule similar to NALC — 46-week waiting periods between steps. Career mail handlers progress through their grade’s step schedule automatically based on time in grade.
MHAs (Mail Handler Assistants) do not receive step increases until conversion to career status, similar to CCAs.
What Each Step Is Worth
The dollar value of each step varies by grade, but here’s a rough idea for APWU Schedule 2 employees:
| Grade | Approx. Per-Step Increase | Annual Impact |
|---|---|---|
| PS-05 | ~$0.40–0.55/hr | ~$830–1,140/yr |
| PS-06 | ~$0.45–0.60/hr | ~$935–1,250/yr |
| PS-07 | ~$0.50–0.65/hr | ~$1,040–1,350/yr |
| PS-08 | ~$0.55–0.70/hr | ~$1,145–1,455/yr |
These amounts are approximate and vary by step position. Steps closer to the top of the pay scale tend to have slightly larger dollar increases. You can see your exact current and next-step pay on the APWU pay scale tables.
How to Check Your Next Step Date
PS Form 50 is your primary source. Every time a personnel action happens — conversion, promotion, step increase, reassignment — you get a new PS Form 50. The form shows your current grade and step, and the effective date of your last step increase. Add the appropriate waiting period (36 or 46 weeks) to that date to calculate your next step.
PostalEase / LiteBlue shows your current pay rate, which you can cross-reference with the pay tables to confirm your step. If your pay doesn’t match what the table says for your grade and step, something may be wrong.
Your earnings statement shows your hourly rate. Compare it to the published pay scale for your craft. If you’ve passed the waiting period and your rate hasn’t increased, flag it immediately.
What Can Delay a Step Increase
Extended LWOP is the most common cause. If you take leave without pay for an extended period, that time generally doesn’t count toward your step increase waiting period. The specific rules vary by contract, but the general principle is that your waiting period clock pauses during extended LWOP.
Disciplinary actions can also delay a step increase in rare cases. Under some contracts, a less-than-satisfactory performance rating can result in a step increase being withheld. This is uncommon for bargaining unit employees but worth knowing about.
System errors happen. The payroll system is not perfect, and step increases occasionally get missed or delayed due to programming issues — especially after major contract implementations. If yours is late, file a grievance through your steward. Step increase errors are among the most straightforward grievances to resolve.
Step Increases and Retirement
Your step matters for retirement because your FERS annuity is based on your high-3 average salary — the highest three consecutive years of basic pay. Every step increase raises your high-3, which permanently increases your pension. An employee who reaches top step three years before retirement will have a meaningfully higher annuity than one who topped out earlier and has been flat since.
This is one reason it’s worth tracking your steps carefully. A missed step increase doesn’t just cost you money now — it can reduce your retirement income for life.
See exactly what your paycheck looks like at your current grade and step, including all deductions and take-home pay.
Calculate Your Take-Home Pay →Sources: APWU 2024–2027 Contract Summary, NALC contract resources, ELM Section 422 (Salary Schedules for Bargaining Unit Employees).