General

In certain temporary situations, an agency may designate the location of the agency worksite for a General Schedule employee’s position (i.e., the place where the employee would normally work absent a telework agreement) as the official worksite for location-based pay purposes even though the employee is not able to report at least twice each biweekly pay period on a regular and recurring basis to the agency worksite (5 CFR 531.605(d), 5 CFR 530.302, and 5 CFR 591.201 and OPM’s fact sheet Official Worksite for Location-Based Pay Purposes).

• The current pandemic is an example of an appropriate temporary situation for which an agency may apply this exception to the twice-a-pay-period reporting standard if the telework employee is expected to return to the agency worksite at some point in the future on a regular and recurring basis.
• An agency may also apply this exception during the current pandemic to any new or current employee if the employee’s position is based out of an office in a different geographic location and the employee would be working at that office in the absence of the pandemic and the employee signs a telework agreement.
• It is the responsibility of the agency to determine when it is no longer appropriate to apply the temporary exception. There is no time limit in the regulations on what is considered a temporary situation. An agency should consider any applicable OPM or OMB guidance in making these determinations.
• However, if a teleworking employee is not expected to report to the agency worksite on a regular and recurring basis in the future, the temporary exception would no longer be appropriate. See the next FAQ. Agencies may want to review periodically an employee’s temporary full-time telework arrangement to certify that any approved temporary exception continues to apply.