TSA Paycheck Calculator
The 2026 TSA pay bands from the official compensation chart, the TSO career path from Band D to F, and what each band actually takes home after taxes. Enter your adjusted salary (base + locality) and your airport's state below.
401(k), HSA, health insurance premiums
Estimated take-home pay
$2,092.60
per bi-weekly paycheck · $54,408 / year
- Gross pay
- $2,500.00
- Federal income tax
- − $216.15
- Social Security · 6.2%
- − $155.00
- Medicare · 1.45%
- − $36.25
- Florida state income tax
- $0.00
- Net pay
- $2,092.60
Effective tax rate
16.3%
Marginal bracket
12.0%
Uses the 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction and FICA rates. Your pay stub may differ by a few dollars because payroll rounds through the IRS withholding tables.
2026 pay bands
TSA basic pay, Band B to L
Effective January 11, 2026. Basic pay only - locality is added on top.
| Band | Minimum | Maximum | Starting hourly | ≈ GS | TSO role | Prefill calculator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | $30,764 | $37,118 | $14.74 | GS-3 | — | |
| C | $31,379 | $42,251 | $15.04 | GS-4 | — | |
| D | $34,799 | $48,560 | $16.67 | GS-4/5 | TSO year 1 | |
| E | $43,106 | $56,039 | $20.65 | GS-5/6 | TSO year 2 | |
| F | $52,727 | $68,549 | $25.26 | GS-7 | TSO year 3+, lead | |
| G | $63,795 | $82,938 | $30.57 | GS-9 | Supervisory TSO | |
| H | $76,463 | $99,404 | $36.64 | GS-11 | — | |
| I | $90,925 | $118,204 | $43.57 | GS-12 | — | |
| J | $107,446 | $139,684 | $51.48 | GS-13 | — | |
| K | $126,384 | $164,301 | $60.56 | GS-14 | — | |
| L | $129,348 | $195,435 | $61.98 | GS-15 | — |
Click a band to load its Rest-of-U.S. adjusted minimum into the calculator above.
Hourly figures use the federal 2,087-hour divisor on base pay before locality. The GS column is approximate - TSA's bands don't map one-to-one to GS grades; it's the grade whose 2026 salary range each band most overlaps. Adjusted pay (base + locality) is capped at $205,353 for 2026.
TSO career path
Take-home pay, Band D to F
With 17.06% Rest-of-U.S. locality, single filer, biweekly, no-income-tax state, 2026 federal rates.
| Step | Adjusted pay | Net per check | Net / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Band D minimum (new TSO) | $40,736 | $1,343 | $34,911 |
| Band E minimum (year 2) | $50,460 | $1,643 | $42,725 |
| Band F minimum (year 3) | $61,722 | $1,991 | $51,774 |
| Band F maximum (step 10) | $80,243 | $2,511 | $65,281 |
New TSOs promote from D to E after year one and E to F after year two, then earn step increases within F. State income tax (not shown) reduces these figures in most states - pick your airport's state in the calculator, or start from the take-home pay calculator. TSA also withholds FERS retirement (typically 4.4% for recent hires) and any FEHB health premium, which this estimate doesn't include.
By airport
What locality pay does at the big hubs
2026 OPM locality rates applied to TSO band minimums. Basic pay is the same everywhere - the airport's metro area sets the adjustment.
| Locality area | Airports | Adjustment | Band D start | Band F start |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rest of U.S. (smaller airports) | the baseline | 17.06% | $40,736 | $61,722 |
| Washington-Baltimore | DCA, IAD, BWI | 33.94% | $46,610 | $70,623 |
| Houston | IAH, HOU | 35.00% | $46,979 | $71,181 |
| Los Angeles | LAX, BUR, ONT | 36.47% | $47,490 | $71,957 |
| New York-Newark | JFK, LGA, EWR | 37.95% | $48,005 | $72,737 |
| San Francisco | SFO, OAK, SJC | 46.34% | $50,925 | $77,161 |
The same new TSO starts $10,189 a year higher at SFO than at a Rest-of-U.S. airport - before state tax takes its cut the other way (California withholds, Texas and Florida don't). Put your adjusted figure and your airport's state into the calculator above to see the real difference in take-home.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much does TSA pay to start in 2026?+
New Transportation Security Officers start in Band D at $34,799 of basic pay (2026 chart, effective January 11, 2026). Locality pay is added on top - at the 17.06% "Rest of U.S." minimum that's about $40,736 a year, and high-cost airports pay more. After federal taxes a single filer in a no-income-tax state keeps roughly $1,343 per biweekly check.
What are the TSA pay bands?+
TSA uses lettered pay bands (B through L) under its Transportation Security Compensation Plan instead of the GS grade system, though since the 2023 pay equity update band rates track GS-equivalent levels. Screening officers climb D, E, F with time in service; supervisory TSOs sit in Band G; management and specialized roles run H through L, topping out at $195,435 basic pay.
How much does TSA make an hour?+
Using the federal 2,087-hour divisor: a new Band D officer earns $16.67 an hour in basic pay - $19.52 with the minimum 17.06% locality, and over $24.40 at San Francisco rates. A Band F officer at the minimum makes $29.57+ an hour adjusted. TSA officers are paid a salary, so the hourly figure is a conversion, not a wage rate.
Do TSA officers get paid during a government shutdown?+
Not on time. TSOs are excepted employees, so they must keep working through a funding lapse and are paid only once funding returns - the 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act guarantees the back pay. In the DHS partial shutdown that began February 14, 2026, officers worked more than 40 days unpaid before back pay covering their missed checks started arriving March 30, 2026.
How much is TSA pay after taxes?+
A Band F officer at the $52,727 minimum earns about $61,722 with Rest-of-U.S. locality, and a single filer in a no-income-tax state takes home roughly $1,991 every two weeks ($51,774 a year, 16.1% effective tax). In a state with income tax the state's own withholding comes out too - run your airport's state in the calculator above.
Sources
- TSA, 2026 Transportation Security Compensation Plan pay chart (effective Jan 11, 2026)
- TSA jobs, pay bands overview
- OPM, 2026 Rest of U.S. salary table (17.06% locality)
- NPR, TSA officers receive back pay as 2026 DHS partial shutdown continues
Band figures are the official 2026 TSA compensation chart (basic pay, effective January 11, 2026); take-home estimates use 2026 federal rates and exclude FERS, FEHB and state tax unless selected in the calculator. Not affiliated with TSA.
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