Salary Info

Rural Carrier Salary Schedule effective March 7, 2026 (PP 07-2026)

Annual Rates Click here (Acrobat Reader Required)

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) Effective March 7, 2026

Pursuant to the release of the January 2026 Consumer Price Index - Urban Wage and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), and in accordance with Article 9.1.E, the fourth COLA adjustment of the 2024-2027 National Agreement will result in a $250.00 increase for eligible rural carriers. This COLA adjustment will be effective March 7, 2026 (PP 2026-07). All COLA adjustments are based on a 40-hour evaluation with proportional application to those route evaluations over 40 hours. The increase should appear in paychecks dated March 27, 2026.

In accordance with Article 9.1.E.3, full COLA adjustments will apply to Table One and Step 15 of Table Two. COLA adjustments to Steps 1 through 14 of Table Two will be adjusted proportionally to each step’s percentage of Step 15.

NOTE: All leave replacement employees will receive an additional 1% salary adjustment annually in lieu of COLA adjustments.

Updated pay schedules can be found here* and will be included in the next edition of The National Rural Letter Carrier Magazine.

* new schedules will be posted when available

Rural Carrier Associates/Rural Carrier Relief/Assistant Rural Carrier Schedules

Straight time hourly rates effective November 15, 2025 (PP 2025-25)
Table Three, Schedule 1-- $26.82
Table Three, Schedule 2-- $31.35
Table Four, Step 1--$21.89
Table Four, Step 2--$22.89
Table Three, Schedule 1 applies to Rural Carrier Associates hired beginning August 24, 1991.
Table Three, Schedule 2 applies to Rural Carrier Associates and Rural Carrier Relief Employees on the rolls prior to August 24, 1991.
Table Four applies to Rural Carrier Associates hired on or after August 11, 2012.

EMA to Decrease 2.0 Cents to 95 Cents Per Mile Effective April 4, 2026

On March 11, 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the February 2026 Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Based on this release, the Equipment Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for rural carriers will decrease 2.0¢ to 95.0¢ per mile. This EMA rate will be effective April 4, 2026 (Pay Period 09-2026).

Rural Carriers

In accordance with the provisions of Article 9, Section 2.G.3 of the USPS/NRLCA National Agreement, effective April 4 (Pay Period 2026-09), the Equipment Maintenance Allowance (EMA) will decrease to 95.0¢ per mile, or a minimum of $38.00 per day, whichever is greater.

Auxiliary Rural Carriers, Rural Carrier Reliefs, Rural Carrier Associates, Rural Carrier Part Time Flexibles, and Auxiliary Assistance

Employees providing auxiliary assistance or serving auxiliary routes under the provisions of Article 9, Section 2.G.5, will receive EMA of 95.0¢ per mile or $10.10 per hour, whichever is greater. This EMA should not exceed the amount provided in the special EMA chart for route stops and miles.

This was the third opportunity for an EMA adjustment under the terms of the 2024-2027 USPS/NRLCA National Agreement. The next quarterly adjustment will occur after the release of the May 2026 Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) and will be effective the second full pay period after release of that index.

The full EMA schedules will be posted on the Rural Carrier EMA Rate Schedule page when available.

FREE SATURDAYS

In a directive issued by the USPS on 3 March 2004, a change was made in the long-standing and widely accepted practice of permitting "X", "O", and "Z" days to qualify a carrier for a free Saturday(s). According to the directive, effective pay period 06-04, the following rural DACA codes will not break the continuity for a free Saturday on a "J" or "H" route:

  • Annual Leave, DACA code A (055)
  • Sick Leave, DACA code S (056)
  • Donated Leave, DACA code D (046)
  • Court Leave, DACA code 6 (061)
  • Holiday Leave, DACA code H (058)

The use of any other DACA codes during a period of leave will break the continuity of the leave and therefore disqualify the carrier for a free Saturday.

Free Saturday Combined With Annual Sick Leave

A regular rural carrier or substitute rural carrier (Designation 72) or a rural carrier associate (Designation 74) in a leave earning capacity who has an approved absence on Saturday occurring within or at the beginning or end of a period of annual or sick leave is not charged such leave or loss of compensation, provided:

  1. There are more than 5 days of annual or sick leave within the period; or
  2. There are more than 4 days of annual or sick leave plus a holiday within the period. If a holiday falls on Saturday, which is a scheduled workday, absence on the preceding Friday will not be charged to leave. If the leave period is for 4 days, or less absence on the Friday will be charged to leave.
  3. Interruption during the approved period of annual or sick leave by court leave due to circumstances beyond the employee’s control shall not disqualify the carrier for coverage as provided in a. or b. above.

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