General Salary Increase

2026 General Salary Increase

President James B. Milliken approved a general salary increase of 4.0% for all eligible staff members. For monthly-paid employees, increases will be effective July 1, 2026, and for biweekly-paid employees, increases will be effective June 21, 2026.  Eligible employees will see the increase reflected in their July 31, 2026 (monthly) or July 29, 2026 (biweekly) paycheck.

Background

Guidelines and eligibility criteria are noted below. This program does not apply to represented employees whose salaries are determined in accordance with applicable collective bargaining agreements and/or meeting-and-conferring under the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA). Guidelines for academic appointees will be issued separately.

2026 Eligibility Guidelines

To be eligible for the 2026 General Salary Increase, employees must:

  • Be hired into a staff position at UC Merced on or before December 31, 2025; and
  • Meet the applicable criteria below

Career Employees:

  • Non-represented PSS policy-covered staff who successfully completed probation by July 1, 2026.
  • Non-represented MSP policy-covered staff who completed six continuous months of service in a staff position by July 1, 2026.

Contract Employees: 

  • Non-represented contract staff who completed six continuous months of service in a staff position by July 1, 2026.

Salary Basis for the Increase

The General Salary Increase is based on an employee's salary and appointment as of June 30, 2026. 

UC Merced Eligibility Exclusions

The following employees are not eligible for the 2026 General Salary Increase:

  • Career employees on probation status as of July 1, 2026.
  • Student employees -  (casual restricted appointments). Employment in a student position does not count towards eligibility for the staff General Salary Increase, including meeting the probationary period or hire-date requirement.
  • Academic appointees – guidelines for the Academic employee general salary increase program are issued separately. Please contact the Academic Personnel Office for additional information.
  • Rehired retirees.
  • Staff members whose most recent performance rating was “1 – Met Few Expectations,” or "2 – Met Some Expectations,” or who have documented corrective/disciplinary action during the review period, as documented by Human Resources.
  • Exclusively represented employees, whose salaries are determined in accordance with applicable collective bargaining agreements and/or meeting-and-conferring under the Higher Education Employer-Employee Relations Act (HEERA). 
  • Newly accreted or unionized employees: Employees in job titles that are accreted into a bargaining unit on or before July 1, 2026—and those newly represented by UAW (CMSP, RPSP, and SSAP)—are not eligible for the non-represented general salary increase. These employees will receive any applicable increases under the terms of their collective bargaining agreement.

Payout Information:

Salary increases will be effective July 1, 2026, for monthly-paid employees and June 21, 2026, for biweekly-paid employees.

Eligible employees can expect to see the General Salary Increase reflected in the following paychecks:

  • Monthly-paid employees: July 31, 2026

  • Biweekly-paid employees: July 29, 2026