What is the high-3 average salary?
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By the OnPAR Federal Retirement Education editorial team · Last updated
Your high-3 is the average of your highest basic pay over any 3 consecutive years, usually your last 3. It includes locality pay but not overtime, bonuses or most allowances.
As of October 2026, a "high-5" proposal was dropped from the 2025 budget law and is not current law (see Updates).
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