U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce
MAXIMUM GENERAL SCHEDULE PAY LIMITATIONS
TYPE OF PAY LIMIT |
MAXIMUM LIMIT |
REFERENCE |
|---|---|---|
General Schedule (excluding any locality payment or special rate supplement) |
Level V of Executive Schedule |
5 U.S.C. 5303(f) |
General Schedule, plus special rate supplement (5 U.S.C. 5305) |
Minimum rate may not exceed 30% of maximum rate for grade; maximum rate may not exceed level IV of Executive Schedule |
5 U.S.C. 5305(a) and 5 CFR 530.304(a) |
General Schedule, plus locality payment |
Level IV of Executive Schedule |
5 U.S.C. 5304(g)(1) and 5 CFR 531.606(a) |
Biweekly limitation on premium pay |
Greater of biweekly rate payable for GS-15, step 10, OR level V of Executive Schedule |
5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105 |
Annual limitation on premium pay for emergency work or for work critical to the mission of an agency (See note 2.) |
Greater of annualized rate payable for GS-15, step 10, OR level V of Executive Schedule |
5 U.S.C. 5547(b)(1) and (b)(2) and 5 CFR 550.106 and 550.107 |
Aggregate limitation on pay (See note 3.) |
Level I of Executive Schedule |
5 U.S.C. 5307 and 5 CFR 530.203 |
NOTES
Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, GS employees may receive certain types of premium pay in a pay period only to the extent that the aggregate of basic pay and premium pay for the pay period does not exceed the greater of the biweekly rate payable for (1) GS-15, step 10 (including any applicable locality payment or special rate supplement), or (2) level V of the Executive Schedule. (See notes 2 and 4 for exceptions to this rule.)
Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106 and 5 CFR 550.107, the head of an agency may apply an annual pay cap to certain types of premium pay for any pay period for (1) employees performing work in connection with an emergency, including work performed in the aftermath of such an emergency, or (2) employees performing work critical to the mission of the agency. Such employees may receive certain types of premium pay only to the extent that the aggregate of basic pay and premium pay for the calendar year does not exceed the greater of the annualized rate payable at the end of the calendar year for (1) GS-15, step 10 (including any applicable locality payment or special rate supplement), or (2) level V of the Executive Schedule. (See 5 CFR 550.107(d) regarding method of computing this annualized rate.)
A GS employee may not receive any portion of any allowance, differential, bonus, award, or other similar payment under title 5, United States Code, in any calendar year, which when combined with the employee's basic pay would cause the employee's aggregate compensation (including premium pay) to exceed the rate for level I of the Executive Schedule at the end of the calendar year. See 5 CFR 530.202 for definitions of "basic pay" and "aggregate compensation."
Under section 1105 of the Fiscal Year 2007 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 109-364), the head of an agency may waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547 in calendar year 2007 for an employee who performs work while in an overseas location that is in the area of responsibility of the commander of the United States Central Command, in direct support of or directly related to a military operation (including a contingency operation as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101(13)). Under the waiver authority, a covered employee may receive premium pay in calendar year 2007 to the extent that such premium pay would not cause the employee's aggregate amount of basic pay and premium pay payable in calendar year 2007 to exceed $212,100. (See CPM 2006-11.)
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