Expert: Nicholas P Previsich - 11/15/2000

Question
could please tell me how long it  would take  to go from a  gs5 to gs7 ? i could find the  pay scales at  the goverment site but  there  was no info on length of time...  iam considering a job as customs  inspector is  every agency  different ?  thanks  alot  frank  

Answer
Hi, Frank. Normally it takes about a year per grade until you reach your max (in this case, 7) for the position, so it should be about two years. There's also "step increases" to consider: e.g., if you're hired as a GS-05 step 1 you would move up to a step 2 the following anniversary of your hire. If you also are eligible to move up to the next grade, you'd then be a GS-6 step 2. These are pay raises given for longevity and there's 10 steps in the GS pay scale. Ultimately you'd peak out as a GS-7 step 10 (although the last 3 steps have longer waiting times- three years for the last, I think). Hope this clarifies things a bit- Nick