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Transition to a New Presidential Administration |
Pay and Leave
This section provides information on basic salary levels, locality pay, pay flexibilities available to address staffing difficulties, pay for reemployed annuitants, leave, and pay on separation from the Government.
Basic salary levels are set in several ways, including the following:
Executive Schedule. The law prescribes the salaries of most positions filled by Presidential appointees at levels I through V of the Executive Schedule. In 2000, Executive Schedule salaries range from $114,500 (level V) to $157,000 (level I).
Senior Executive Service. Agency heads may set the salaries of members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) at any one of six rates. In 2000, SES basic salaries range from $106,200 (ES-1) to $122,400 (ES-6), not including locality payments. (Note: The initial establishment of a pay rate for a new SES appointee is considered a pay adjustment. The agency must wait at least 12 months before changing the pay rate.)
Senior-Level Positions. The Senior-Level (SL) pay system includes high-level positions without executive responsibilities as well as positions that the law or the President excludes from the SES. Agency heads may set the pay of an SL employee at any rate within a range fixed by statute. In 2000, the basic pay for senior-level positions ranges between $93,137 and $122,400, excluding locality payments. There are some Schedule C employees under the SL pay system.
General Schedule. The General Schedule (GS) pay system has 15 grade levels, with 10 salary steps at each grade. The maximum rate of basic pay in 2000 is $100,897 (GS-15, step 10). A new GS employee generally enters at the first step of the appropriate grade. Most Schedule C employees are under the GS pay system.
Special Pay Authorities.
Some agencies have special authorities that govern the setting of
pay for all or certain employees. For example, the Administrator of
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may set pay for FAA employees.
The President may set the pay of certain White House employees.
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Most Federal employees -- including GS, SES, and Senior-Level
employees, but excluding officials paid under the Executive Schedule
-- are eligible for supplemental locality-based payments in addition
to the basic rate of pay. These payments apply only in the 48 contiguous
States. In 2000, the locality payments range from 6.78 to 15.01 percent.
The maximum locality-adjusted rate of pay for GS employees is the
rate for Executive Schedule level IV ($122,400); for SES and SL employees
the maximum rate is the rate for Executive Schedule level III ($130,200).
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Agencies may use a number of discretionary pay flexibilities to deal with well-documented staffing difficulties. Specific statutory and regulatory conditions govern the use of each of these flexibilities, including agency justification and documentation requirements. We caution agencies to exercise these flexibilities judiciously, especially when hiring other than career employees. These payments are subject to public scrutiny and third-party review. Use them only when absolutely necessary to address staffing problems.
Advance Payments. Agencies may provide for the advance payment of basic pay (including any locality payment) covering not more than two pay periods to any individual who is newly appointed to a position, except for appointment as agency head. [5 CFR part 550, subpart B]
Above Minimum Hiring Rates -- GS. Agencies may appoint individuals to General Schedule positions at a step above the first step of their grade based on the employee's superior qualifications or a special need of the agency for the employee's services. Agencies may make such appointments at any appropriate GS grade. Agencies may set pay at the higher step only upon initial appointment or upon reappointment after a 90-day break in service [5 CFR 531.203(b)(2)].
Pre-Employment Interviews -- Payment of Travel and Transportation Expenses. Agencies may pay travel and transportation expenses for travel to and from pre-employment interviews to any individual they consider for employment. (Travel expenses to attend confirmation hearings are considered part of the pre-employment interview process.) Agencies may also pay the travel expenses of a new appointee from his/her place of residence at the time of selection or assignment to the duty station. [5 CFR part 572]
Recruitment and Relocation Bonuses.
Agencies may make a lump-sum payment of up to 25 percent of basic
pay to a newly-appointed employee (i.e., a recruitment bonus) or to
an employee who must relocate (i.e., a relocation bonus) to fill a
position that would otherwise be difficult to fill. In return, the
employee must sign an agreement to fulfill a period of service with
the agency (6-month minimum for recruitment bonuses). Agencies may
pay recruitment and relocation bonuses to employees under the General
Schedule, Senior Executive Service, Senior-Level, Executive Schedule,
and certain other pay systems. Recruitment and relocation bonuses
are subject to the aggregate limitation on total pay that an employee
may receive in a calendar year (currently $157,000). [5 CFR part 575,
subparts A and B].
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Note: Agencies may not pay recruitment or relocation bonuses to the head of a Federal agency or an individual appointed to a position in the expectation of receiving an appointment as the head of an agency.
Retention Allowances. Agencies may make continuing (i.e., biweekly) payments of up to 25 percent of basic pay to an employee with unusually high or unique qualifications, or to an employee who is serving a special agency need that makes it essential to retain the employee if he/she would be likely to leave the Federal Government (for any reason, including retirement) in the absence of a retention allowance. Agencies may pay retention allowances to employees under the General Schedule, Senior Executive Service, Senior-Level, Executive Schedule, and certain other pay systems. Retention allowances are also subject to the aggregate limitation on total pay that an employee may receive in a calendar year (currently $157,000). [5 CFR part 575, subpart C]
Note: Agencies may not pay a retention allowance
to the head of a Federal agency.
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In most cases, when Federal retirees (covered by the
Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees Retirement
System) are re-employed in the Federal service, their salaries are
reduced by the amount of their annuities [5 U.S.C. 8344 and 8468].
The reduction also applies when retirees are appointed as experts
or consultants. However, there are some exceptions, so please consult
with the Human Resources Office in your employing agency.
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Officers and employees who are appointed by the President (PAS and PA) are not covered by the Federal leave system established by chapter 63 of title 5, United States Code. Presidential appointees do not earn annual and sick leave and cannot be charged leave for absences from work. Employees who are members of the SES and Schedule C appointees are covered by the Federal leave system.
Annual and Sick Leave. Employees earn 13, 20, or 26 days of annual leave a year, depending on years of service. Annual leave accrues incrementally, i.e., 4, 6, or 8 hours every 2 weeks. (SES members may carry over up to 90 days of annual leave to the next leave year; GS employees may carry over up to 30 days of annual leave.)
In addition, employees earn 13 days of sick leave each year (which accumulates without limit in succeeding years). Sick leave also accrues incrementally, i.e., 4 hours every 2 weeks. In certain situations, employees may use sick leave for family care purposes. They may use a total of up to 12 weeks of sick leave each year to care for a family member with a serious health condition. They may also use sick leave for adoption or bereavement.
Family and Medical Leave. Under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), an employee is entitled to a total of 12 workweeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for: (1) the birth of a child and care of the newborn; (2) the placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care; (3) the care of an employee's spouse, son or daughter, or parent with a serious health condition; and (4) an employee's own serious health condition that makes him/her unable to perform the duties of his/her position. An employee may substitute annual leave or sick leave, as appropriate, for unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Leave Transfer and Leave Bank Programs. An employee who has a personal or family medical emergency and who has exhausted his/her own leave may receive donated annual leave from other Federal employees through the voluntary leave transfer or leave bank programs. All agencies must have a leave transfer program. In addition, an agency may also choose to establish a leave bank for its employees.
Other Leave. In addition,
employees are entitled to court leave, military leave, leave for bone
marrow or organ donation, and other types of leave. You can obtain
additional information on the Federal Government's leave programs
at OPM's website at www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.htm.
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Certain payments may be payable to an individual who is separated from the Federal service.
Severance Pay. Employees who are covered by the severance pay law are entitled to a series of payments equal to their normal salary following an involuntary separation that is not for misconduct or unacceptable performance. Presidential appointees, noncareer SES appointees, Schedule C employees, and other similar political appointees are not eligible for severance pay.
Lump-Sum Payments for Unused Annual Leave. Employees who separate from Federal service and who are covered by the Federal leave system are entitled to a lump-sum payment for unused annual leave. The lump-sum payment equals the pay the employee would have received on a biweekly basis had he/she remained in Federal service on annual leave. This payment excludes any allowances that are paid for the sole purpose of encouraging an employee to remain in Government service, such as retention allowances and physicians comparability allowances. Most Presidential appointees (PAS and PA) are excluded from coverage under the Federal leave system.
A current Federal employee who receives a Presidential appointment does not receive a lump-sum payment for his/her unused annual leave. The unused annual leave is held in abeyance for recredit if and when the employee is subsequently reemployed in a position covered by the Federal leave system. If the individual separates from Federal service while under a Presidential appointment, he/she will receive a lump-sum payment for unused annual leave based on the rate of pay in effect for the position the employee held immediately before the employee accepted the Presidential appointment.
When an employee who received a lump-sum payment for unused annual leave is reemployed in the Federal service before the end of the annual leave period covered by the lump-sum payment, he/she must refund a portion of the lump-sum payment. The refunded portion covers the period between the date of reemployment and the expiration of the lump-sum leave period. The employing agency will recredit to the employee an amount of annual leave that is equal to the days or hours of work remaining between the date of reemployment and the expiration of the lump-sum leave period.
You can obtain additional information on lump-sum payments for annual leave at OPM's web site at www.opm.gov/oca/leave/index.htm. [TOP]
