Pay ranges, grades and incentives are from USAJOBS Announcement BPA DH 27-1 (Border Patrol Agent, open to the public, posted October 1, 2026, and accepting applications on October 20, 2026). Pay tables are from OPM's 2026 special rate tables for law enforcement officers. Overtime rules are from 5 U.S.C. 5550, the Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Act of 2014. Checked October 20, 2026.
The Border Patrol agent salary on the current USAJOBS announcement runs from $51,632 to $124,717 a year, and the announcement says the ending figure includes overtime, if worked. So how much does a Border Patrol agent make? New agents are hired at GL-5, GL-7, GL-9 or GS-11 with promotion potential to GS-12, and a fully trained agent may be eligible for an additional 25% of base pay. This guide explains Border Patrol agent pay the way official sources set it: OPM's special rate tables for law enforcement, the overtime levels in federal law, incentives and the career ladder.
How much does a Border Patrol agent make?
Announcement BPA DH 27-1 lists a salary of $51,632 to $124,717 per year. Three points about that range matter:
- The bottom figure is the lowest entry rate. $51,632 is GL-5 step 1 on OPM's 2026 special rate table for the Rest of U.S. (table L046).
- The top figure includes overtime. The announcement says "The ending salary posted includes overtime, if worked." By our arithmetic, $124,717 is the GS-11 step 10 Rest of U.S. rate ($99,774) plus 25%, which comes to $124,717.50. It is not a base salary, and a new agent does not start there.
- Pay follows the 2026 OPM tables. The announcement says those tables do not include overtime, recruitment or location incentives or yearly cost-of-living increases, and that your pay is set after you complete all pre-employment processes.
So what a Border Patrol agent makes depends on three things: the grade you are hired at, the locality of your duty station and the overtime level you are on.
Border Patrol agent pay scale: OPM special rates
Border Patrol agents are paid from OPM's special rate tables for law enforcement, not from the plain General Schedule tables. OPM approved these tables on December 31, 2025 (memo CPM 2025-25), and the Department of Homeland Security coverage on each table names "GS-1896 Border Patrol Agents." The memo gives covered law enforcement personnel a 3.8 percent increase over 2025 rates. The table notes add three rules:
- Tables L001 through L059 cover law enforcement officers as defined in 5 U.S.C. 5541(3), one table for each locality pay area.
- Those tables cover all grades. Grades 3 to 10 use the "GL" pay plan code and higher grades use "GS," which is why the ladder runs GL-5, GL-7, GL-9, then GS-11 and GS-12.
- The rates take effect on the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2026.
These are the grades on the Border Patrol agent career ladder in Special Rate Table L046, Rest of U.S., which covers every place that is not in a named locality pay area:
| Grade | Step 1 | Step 10 |
|---|---|---|
| GL-5 | $51,632 | $64,191 |
| GL-7 | $58,771 | $74,330 |
| GL-9 | $65,545 | $84,579 |
| GS-11 | $76,745 | $99,774 |
| GS-12 | $91,985 | $119,583 |
Each grade has 10 steps. These figures are annual rates before any overtime supplement.
Border Patrol agent salary by state: Texas, Arizona and California
Each locality pay area has its own special rate table, so the same grade pays more in some places. OPM's 2026 locality pay area definitions list the counties in each area, and any county not listed falls in the Rest of U.S. area. Step 1 rates in 2026 for the three entry grades:
| Locality area (OPM table) | Counties near the border in the area | GL-5 | GL-7 | GL-9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rest of U.S. (L046) | Every county not in a named area | $51,632 | $58,771 | $65,545 |
| Laredo, TX (L031) | Jim Hogg, La Salle and Webb | $53,632 | $61,048 | $68,084 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX (L055) | Includes Bexar, Frio, Medina and McMullen | $52,391 | $59,636 | $66,510 |
| Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX (L010) | Includes Brooks, Duval, Kenedy and Kleberg | $51,885 | $59,060 | $65,867 |
| Tucson-Nogales, AZ (L056) | Cochise, Pima and Santa Cruz | $52,610 | $59,885 | $66,788 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (L050) | San Diego | $58,979 | $67,135 | $74,873 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA (L033) | Includes Imperial and Riverside | $60,194 | $68,518 | $76,415 |
Border Patrol agent salary in Texas
Texas has several locality areas. Webb County is in the Laredo area, where GL-5 step 1 pays $53,632. Duval, Brooks and Kenedy Counties are in the Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice area. Many other border counties, including El Paso, Hudspeth, Presidio, Brewster, Val Verde, Maverick, Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron, are not listed in any named area, so the Rest of U.S. table applies there ($51,632 at GL-5 step 1).
Border Patrol agent salary in Arizona
Cochise, Pima and Santa Cruz Counties make up the Tucson-Nogales area, where GL-5 step 1 pays $52,610 and GL-9 step 1 pays $66,788. Yuma County is not in a named area, so it uses the Rest of U.S. table. The Phoenix-Mesa area (Gila, Maricopa and Pinal Counties) has its own table, L041, with GL-5 step 1 at $54,009.
Border Patrol agent salary in California
San Diego County is the whole San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad area, with GL-5 step 1 at $58,979. OPM places Imperial and Riverside Counties in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area, where GL-5 step 1 is $60,194, the highest of the border examples here. Check the county of the station you are offered, not just the sector name.
Border Patrol agent salary per hour
OPM's special rate tables give annual rates only. Federal law, 5 U.S.C. 5504, says an hourly rate is derived by dividing the annual rate by 2,087. Our arithmetic from table L046 (Rest of U.S.):
| Grade | Step 1, per hour | Step 10, per hour |
|---|---|---|
| GL-5 | $24.74 | $30.76 |
| GL-7 | $28.16 | $35.62 |
| GL-9 | $31.41 | $40.53 |
| GS-11 | $36.77 | $47.81 |
| GS-12 | $44.08 | $57.30 |
These are basic hourly rates. The overtime levels below are figured from them.
Border Patrol overtime: the three pay levels in the law
The announcement says a fully trained agent "may be eligible for an additional 25% of base pay in accordance with the BPA Pay Reform Act of 2014," and that the schedule may include overtime on a regular and recurring basis. That law is 5 U.S.C. 5550, in effect since the first pay period on or after January 1, 2016. It sets three levels:
| Level | Hourly pay for regular time | Scheduled overtime | Extra overtime paid after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 1.25 times the hourly basic rate (a 25% supplement) | 2 hours each workday | 100 hours in a 14-day work period |
| Level 2 | 1.125 times the hourly basic rate (a 12.5% supplement) | 1 hour each workday | 90 hours in a 14-day work period |
| Basic | The hourly basic rate, with no supplement | Overtime assigned as needed | 80 hours in a 14-day work period |
The supplement is the pay for the scheduled overtime hours, so those hours earn no other pay or comp time. Work beyond each level's threshold is paid as overtime or comp time under the general overtime law. Other rules in the statute:
- Yearly election. Each agent elects a level for the coming year. An agent who does not elect on time is assigned to level 1, and agents assigned a canine are on level 1.
- Some jobs default to basic. Agents at CBP headquarters, training instructors, agents in administrative positions and fitness instructors are assigned to the basic rate unless CBP's staffing analysis says otherwise. CBP also moves an agent to basic if it finds the agent cannot work scheduled overtime every day.
- The 10 percent limit. CBP must keep no more than 10 percent of the agents at a location on level 2 or basic, and it may waive that limit. The 10 percent is a limit on agents, not a pay level.
- GS-12 special overtime payment. A 2023 amendment pays GS-12 agents an extra 50% of the hourly basic rate for scheduled overtime hours they actually work.
- Night, Sunday and holiday pay. Agents receive these premiums under the general premium pay laws, but not for the scheduled overtime hours. Agents are also eligible for hazardous duty pay.
- Retirement. The law treats the level 1 or level 2 supplement as basic pay for a few listed purposes, including the retirement law's definition of basic pay, but not for figuring overtime, night, Sunday or holiday pay.
What level 1 adds, by our arithmetic from table L046: GL-5 step 1 goes from $51,632 to $64,540, GL-9 step 1 from $65,545 to $81,931 and GS-12 step 1 from $91,985 to $114,981. Overtime is not promised. A note to the 2014 law tells CBP to avoid scheduled overtime "to the maximum extent practicable," and the announcement says only that a fully trained agent "may be eligible."
GL-5, GL-7, GL-9 or GS-11: which grade you start at
Your qualifications set the grade. In short, GL-5 takes one year of general experience or a bachelor's degree; GL-7 takes one year of specialized law enforcement experience, a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement or a year of graduate study; and GL-9 and GS-11 take a year of specialized law enforcement experience at the next lower grade. The full rules are in the Border Patrol agent requirements guide. Applicants selected at GL-5 or GL-7 must also pass the Border Patrol Agent Entrance Exam, covered in how the exam works.
In the Rest of U.S., the step 1 difference between GL-5 ($51,632) and GL-7 ($58,771) is $7,139 a year.
The career ladder to GS-12
Selections are made at GL-5, GL-7, GL-9 or GS-11, with promotion potential to GS-12. The announcement says promotions are at the agency's discretion, so no timeline is promised. At the top of the ladder, GS-12 runs from $91,985 to $119,583 in the Rest of U.S. and from $105,075 to $136,601 in San Diego in 2026, before overtime.
Recruitment and retention incentives
Announcement BPA DH 27-1 lists two incentives for newly appointed agents:
- Recruitment: up to $20,000. The first $10,000 is paid when you complete the academy. The other $10,000 is for accepting a prioritized location at the final offer: Sierra Blanca, Presidio, Sanderson, Comstock, Freer and Hebbronville, TX; Lordsburg, NM; and Ajo, AZ.
- Retention: up to $30,000 in additional incentives over the next three years. The announcement does not list the conditions.
Incentives change between postings. The July 2026 announcement, BPA DH 26-10, offered the same $20,000 recruitment incentive but up to $40,000 in retention incentives over four years. Both announcements say relocation expenses are not reimbursed.
Border Patrol pay in 2027
OPM's 2027 special rates page says the President's alternative pay plan of August 26, 2026, would freeze 2027 General Schedule base and locality rates at 2026 levels, while OPM plans a 3.8 percent increase for law enforcement personnel through new special rate tables. The tentative effective date is January 10, 2027, and OPM expects to release the tables by the end of 2026. The page does not yet name the covered positions, so this guide will be updated when the tables post.
Other pay facts on the announcement
- Retirement: the job is under the special retirement provisions for law enforcement officers under CSRS and FERS, with mandatory retirement.
- Union: the job is covered by the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC).
- Probation: one year in your first permanent federal appointment.
- Academy: you attend the U.S. Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, NM, for about 6 months; the steps before and after it are in the Border Patrol agent hiring process.
From the exam to the first paycheck
Pay starts once you finish pre-employment processing and accept a final offer. Read what a Border Patrol agent does, and compare pay and duties with the port-of-entry job in Border Patrol agent vs CBP officer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Border Patrol agent make?
Announcement BPA DH 27-1 lists $51,632 to $124,717 a year, and the top figure includes overtime, if worked. Base pay depends on your grade and locality. A GL-5 step 1 agent makes $51,632 in the Rest of U.S. and $58,979 in San Diego in 2026, before the overtime supplement.
What is the starting salary for a Border Patrol agent?
It depends on grade and place. At step 1 in the Rest of U.S. in 2026, GL-5 pays $51,632, GL-7 pays $58,771 and GL-9 pays $65,545. Once fully trained, an agent on level 1 overtime earns 25% more for regular hours.
What is the salary of a U.S. Border Patrol agent at the top of the ladder?
The announcement gives promotion potential to GS-12, at the agency's discretion. GS-12 runs from $91,985 to $119,583 in the Rest of U.S. in 2026, before overtime, and GS-12 agents also get a 50% special overtime payment for scheduled overtime hours worked.
What is Border Patrol agent pay per hour?
Using the federal formula (annual rate divided by 2,087), GL-5 step 1 in the Rest of U.S. is $24.74 an hour and GS-12 step 1 is $44.08. Level 1 pays 1.25 times the hourly basic rate for regular hours.
Is Border Patrol overtime 25%, 12.5% or 10%?
Under 5 U.S.C. 5550, level 1 is 25% and level 2 is 12.5%, and the basic level has no supplement. The 10 percent figure is a different rule: CBP must keep no more than 10 percent of agents at a location on level 2 or basic, unless it waives that limit.
How much do Border Patrol agents make in Texas?
It depends on the county. GL-5 step 1 pays $53,632 in the Laredo area, $52,391 in the San Antonio area and $51,885 in the Corpus Christi area. Counties such as El Paso, Val Verde and Hidalgo use the Rest of U.S. rate of $51,632.
How much do Border Patrol agents make in California and Arizona?
At GL-5 step 1 in 2026, San Diego County pays $58,979, and Imperial County, which OPM places in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area, pays $60,194. In Arizona, the Tucson-Nogales area pays $52,610 and Yuma County uses the Rest of U.S. rate.
Is there a signing bonus?
The current announcement offers up to $20,000 in recruitment incentives ($10,000 after the academy and $10,000 for a prioritized location) and up to $30,000 in retention incentives over three years. Relocation expenses are not reimbursed.
Is a "customs and border patrol agent" salary the same thing?
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has two main front-line jobs with separate pay: Border Patrol agents, covered here, and CBP officers at ports of entry. See Border Patrol agent vs CBP officer for how they differ.
Official sources
- USAJOBS: Border Patrol Agent, Announcement BPA DH 27-1
- USAJOBS: Border Patrol Agent, Announcement BPA DH 26-10 (closed July 31, 2026)
- OPM: 2026 Special Rate Table L046 (Rest of U.S.)
- OPM: 2026 Special Rate Table L031 (Laredo, TX)
- OPM: 2026 Special Rate Table L055 (San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX)
- OPM: 2026 Special Rate Table L010 (Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX)
- OPM: 2026 Special Rate Table L056 (Tucson-Nogales, AZ)
- OPM: 2026 Special Rate Table L041 (Phoenix-Mesa, AZ)
- OPM: 2026 Special Rate Table L050 (San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA)
- OPM: 2026 Special Rate Table L033 (Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA)
- OPM: CPM 2025-25, 2026 Special Rates for Certain Law Enforcement Personnel (PDF)
- OPM: 2026 Locality Pay Area Definitions
- OPM: 2027 Special Rates for Certain Law Enforcement Personnel
- 5 U.S.C. 5550, Border patrol rate of pay (U.S. Code, govinfo)
- 5 U.S.C. 5504, Biweekly pay periods; computation of pay (U.S. Code, govinfo)
PrepRaven is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Border Patrol or the Department of Homeland Security. Always confirm pay and rules in the current USAJOBS announcement.
Last updated October 2026