U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

OPM Authority

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) may establish higher rates of basic pay—special rates—for a group or category of General Schedule (GS) positions in one or more geographic areas to address existing or likely significant handicaps in recruiting or retaining well-qualified employees. OPM may establish special rates for nearly any category of employee—i.e., by series, specialty, grade-level, and/or geographic area.

Criteria

OPM may establish special rates to address staffing problems caused by—

• significantly higher non-Federal pay rates than those payable by the Federal Government within the area, location, or occupational group involved;
• the remoteness of the area or location involved;
• the undesirability of the working conditions or nature of the work involved; or
• any other circumstances OPM considers appropriate.

Additional information on establishing and adjusting special rates is contained in OPM regulations at 5 CFR 530.304.

Agency Headquarters Approval

Special rate requests must include the information required by OPM's Worksheet for Special Rate Requests, Form 1397 . The requests must come to OPM through agency headquarters (list of agency headquarters contacts).

Resources

5 U.S.C 5305 and 5 CFR part 530, subpart C