Pay ranges, incentives and grades are from USAJOBS Announcement CBPO DH 27-1 (Customs and Border Protection Officer, open to the public, accepting applications on October 19, 2026). Pay tables are from the OPM 2026 General Schedule salary tables. Overtime rules are from 19 U.S.C. 267 and DHS Office of Inspector General report OIG-24-54. Checked October 19, 2026.
The CBP officer salary on the current USAJOBS announcement runs from $41,863 to $127,464 a year, and the announcement says the ending figure includes overtime, if worked. New CBP officers are hired at GS-5, GS-7 or GS-9 with promotion potential to GS-12, and a fully trained officer is eligible for up to $45,000 in overtime pay on top of the starting salary. This guide explains CBP officer pay the way official sources set it: the General Schedule grade, locality pay for where you work, overtime and the career ladder.
How much does a CBP officer make?
Announcement CBPO DH 27-1 lists a salary of $41,863 to $127,464 per year. Two points about that range matter:
- The top figure includes overtime. The announcement says "The ending salary posted includes overtime, if worked." It is not a base salary.
- Pay follows the OPM tables. The announcement says pay rates are based on the 2026 OPM Salary Tables, which do not include overtime, recruitment or location incentives or cost-of-living increases. Your exact pay is set at the end of pre-employment processing.
So what a CBP officer makes depends on three things: the grade you are hired at, the locality pay area of your port and how much overtime you work.
CBP officer pay scale by GS grade
CBP officers are on the General Schedule (GS). OPM's Salary Table 2026-GS gives the base rates, before locality pay, effective January 2026 and incorporating the 1% General Schedule increase. Each grade has 10 steps. These are the grades on the CBP officer career ladder:
| Grade | Step 1 (base) | Step 10 (base) |
|---|---|---|
| GS-5 | $34,799 | $45,239 |
| GS-7 | $43,106 | $56,039 |
| GS-9 | $52,727 | $68,549 |
| GS-11 | $63,795 | $82,938 |
| GS-12 | $76,463 | $99,404 |
Locality pay is added on top of these base rates, as the next section shows.
Locality pay: why the same grade pays more in some places
OPM publishes a separate salary table for each locality pay area. Each one adds a locality payment to the base rate. Places that are not in a named locality area use the Rest of U.S. table. Three 2026 examples (Salary Table 2026-RUS, Salary Table 2026-NY and Salary Table 2026-SD), at step 1:
| Grade, step 1 | Rest of U.S. (17.06%) | New York-Newark (37.95%) | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad (33.72%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-5 | $40,736 | $48,005 | $46,533 |
| GS-7 | $50,460 | $59,465 | $57,641 |
| GS-9 | $61,722 | $72,737 | $70,507 |
| GS-11 | $74,678 | $88,005 | $85,307 |
| GS-12 | $89,508 | $105,481 | $102,246 |
At step 10, the same tables show GS-12 at $116,362 in the Rest of U.S., $137,128 in New York-Newark and $132,923 in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad.
CBP officer salary in New York
The New York-Newark locality area pays 37.95% on top of base, so a GS-5 step 1 salary is $48,005 and a GS-7 step 1 salary is $59,465 there in 2026. In New York State, OPM's locality pay area definitions put the Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester Counties in this area. Not every New York port is. The New York duty locations on the current announcement are northern border ports (Alexandria Bay, Champlain and Massena), in Jefferson, Clinton and St. Lawrence Counties, which OPM does not list in any named locality area, so the Rest of U.S. table applies there. San Diego County is the whole San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad area, which takes in the San Ysidro and Otay Mesa ports on the announcement.
CBP officer salary per hour
OPM also publishes hourly basic rates for each table. From the 2026-RUS hourly table and the 2026-NY hourly table:
| Grade | Rest of U.S., step 1 | Rest of U.S., step 10 | New York-Newark, step 1 | New York-Newark, step 10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-5 | $19.52 | $25.37 | $23.00 | $29.90 |
| GS-7 | $24.18 | $31.43 | $28.49 | $37.04 |
| GS-9 | $29.57 | $38.45 | $34.85 | $45.31 |
| GS-12 | $42.89 | $55.76 | $50.54 | $65.71 |
These are basic rates. Overtime and premium pay, below, are paid on top of them.
GS-5 and GS-7: which grade you start at
The announcement fills jobs at GS-5, GS-7 and GS-9, and your qualifications set the grade. In short: GS-5 takes three years of general experience or a bachelor's degree; GS-7 takes one year of specialized experience, a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement or a full year of graduate study; and GS-9 takes one year of specialized law enforcement experience or a master's degree or law degree. The full rules are in the CBP officer requirements guide. Applicants selected at GS-5 or GS-7 must also pass the CBP Officer Entrance Exam, covered in how the exam works.
In the Rest of U.S., the step 1 difference between GS-5 ($40,736) and GS-7 ($50,460) is $9,724 a year.
CBP officer overtime and premium pay
The announcement says the work schedule "May include rotating shifts, assignments, and overtime on a regular and recurring basis," and that "A fully trained CBP Officer is eligible for up to $45,000 in overtime pay in addition to the starting salary."
Overtime and premium pay for customs officers are set by federal law, 19 U.S.C. 267, which the DHS Inspector General calls the Customs Officer Pay Reform Act and applies to the CBP officer job series (1895). The law says:
- Overtime: work officially assigned beyond 40 hours in the workweek or 8 hours in a day is paid at 2 times the officer's hourly rate of basic pay.
- Callback: when an officer is called back to the place of work for overtime, the work generally counts as at least 2 hours, and the officer may also be paid for commuting time at 3 times the hourly basic rate. The law sets conditions for both.
- Night work: 15% extra when most regularly scheduled hours fall between 3:00 PM and midnight, and 20% extra when most fall between 11:00 PM and 8:00 AM.
- Sunday: 50% extra for regularly scheduled work on a Sunday that is not a holiday.
- Holidays: 100% extra for regularly scheduled work on a holiday.
The yearly cap. The law caps overtime and premium pay at $25,000 per fiscal year, and the CBP Commissioner may waive the cap in individual cases. The DHS Inspector General (report OIG-24-54, September 17, 2024) says the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2018 raised the cap to $45,000, and that Congress set it at $45,000 in fiscal years 2021 through 2023. In those three years, 1,646 of 86,232 overtime records (1.9%) were above the cap, and 1,641 of them had an approved waiver.
Overtime is not promised. How much any one officer works depends on the port and its needs, and the $45,000 figure is a maximum, not an average.
The CBP officer career ladder: GS-5 to GS-12
Selections are made at GS-5, GS-7 or GS-9, with promotion potential to GS-11 and GS-12. The announcement says promotions are at the agency's discretion. An older announcement, CBPO 25-2 (November 2024), described the ladder as GS-5, 7, 9, 11 and 12, with eligibility for the next grade after 52 weeks in each grade, also at the agency's discretion. The current announcement does not repeat the 52-week rule.
At the top of the ladder, GS-12 step 1 pays $89,508 in the Rest of U.S., $105,481 in New York-Newark and $102,246 in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad in 2026, before overtime.
Recruitment incentive and relocation
Newly appointed officers who pick a prioritized location at the final offer may be offered up to a $15,000 incentive per year with a service contract:
- Three-year contract for ports such as Douglas, Lukeville, Nogales and San Luis, AZ; Calexico, CA; Honolulu, HI; Eastport, ME; Alexandria Bay, Champlain, Massena and Trout River, NY; Eagle Pass, TX; and Blaine, WA.
- Four-year contract for ports such as Otay Mesa, San Francisco, San Ysidro and Tecate, CA; Key West, FL; Calais and Houlton, ME; International Falls, MN; Pembina, ND; Presidio, TX; Derby Line and Highgate Springs, VT; and Oroville, WA.
The announcement lists the full set of ports. It also says relocation expenses are not reimbursed.
Other pay facts on the announcement
- Retirement: the job has primary CBP officer special retirement coverage, with mandatory separation provisions.
- Union: the job is in a bargaining unit represented by the National Treasury Employees Union (NTEU).
- Probation: one year in your first permanent federal appointment.
From the exam to the first paycheck
Pay starts once you finish pre-employment processing and accept a final offer. See the CBP officer hiring process for the steps, read what a CBP officer does and compare the two border jobs in CBP officer vs Border Patrol agent.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a CBP officer make?
Announcement CBPO DH 27-1 lists $41,863 to $127,464 a year, and the top figure includes overtime, if worked. Base pay depends on your grade (GS-5, GS-7 or GS-9 at hire) and your locality. A GS-5 step 1 officer makes $40,736 in the Rest of U.S. and $48,005 in New York-Newark in 2026, before overtime.
What is the salary for a customs and border protection officer starting out?
It depends on grade and place. At step 1 in 2026, GS-5 pays $40,736 and GS-7 pays $50,460 in the Rest of U.S. The posted range starts at $41,863, and the announcement does not explain that figure.
What is CBP officer salary per hour?
OPM's 2026 hourly tables show GS-5 step 1 at $19.52 an hour in the Rest of U.S. and $23.00 in New York-Newark. GS-12 step 1 is $42.89 and $50.54. Overtime is paid at 2 times the hourly basic rate under 19 U.S.C. 267.
How much overtime do CBP officers get?
The announcement says a fully trained officer is eligible for up to $45,000 in overtime pay on top of the starting salary. That is a maximum, not a promise. Federal law caps overtime and premium pay at $25,000 a year unless waived, and Congress set the cap at $45,000 for fiscal years 2021 through 2023.
What is the CBP officer salary in New York?
In the New York-Newark locality area, 2026 step 1 pay is $48,005 at GS-5, $59,465 at GS-7 and $105,481 at GS-12. The New York ports on the current announcement (Alexandria Bay, Champlain and Massena) are outside that area and use the Rest of U.S. table.
What is the difference between GS-5 and GS-7 for CBP officers?
The grade depends on your experience and education. GS-7 needs one year of specialized experience, a bachelor's degree with Superior Academic Achievement or a year of graduate study. In the Rest of U.S., GS-7 step 1 pays $9,724 more a year than GS-5 step 1.
How high can CBP officer pay go?
The announcement gives promotion potential to GS-12, at the agency's discretion. GS-12 runs from $89,508 to $116,362 in the Rest of U.S. in 2026, before overtime.
Is there a signing bonus?
The announcement offers up to a $15,000 recruitment incentive per year to new officers who take a prioritized port, with a three-year or four-year service contract. Relocation expenses are not reimbursed.
Do CBP officers get night and Sunday pay?
Yes, under 19 U.S.C. 267: 15% or 20% extra for night shifts depending on the hours, 50% extra for regularly scheduled Sunday work and 100% extra for regularly scheduled holiday work.
Official sources
- USAJOBS: Customs and Border Protection Officer, Announcement CBPO DH 27-1
- USAJOBS: Customs and Border Protection Officer, Announcement CBPO 25-2 (closed November 2024)
- OPM: Salary Table 2026-GS
- OPM: Salary Table 2026-RUS (Rest of U.S.)
- OPM: Salary Table 2026-NY (New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA)
- OPM: Salary Table 2026-SD (San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA)
- OPM: Salary Table 2026-RUS, hourly rates
- OPM: Salary Table 2026-NY, hourly rates
- OPM: 2026 Locality Pay Area Definitions
- 19 U.S.C. 267, Overtime and premium pay for customs officers (U.S. Code, govinfo, PDF)
- DHS Office of Inspector General, OIG-24-54: CBP's Office of Field Operations Used Overtime in Accordance with Policies and Procedures (PDF)
PrepRaven is an independent study resource. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection or the Department of Homeland Security. Always confirm pay and rules in the current USAJOBS announcement.
Last updated October 2026