This memorandum announces the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM’s) 2020 annual review of existing special rates authorized under 5 U.S.C. 5305 and 5 CFR part 530, subpart C, for certain General Schedule (GS) employees.  OPM authorizes higher rates of pay for specific occupations, grades, and locations to alleviate existing or likely significant recruitment or retention difficulties.  Under 5 CFR 530.307(a), OPM conducts periodic reviews of existing special rates to see if they should be terminated, reduced, or increased based on recent staffing considerations.  This memorandum provides for a general review of special rates to support possible pay actions to take effect in January 2021.  In conducting this review, we rely on agencies to review special rate tables covering their employees following the attached instructions.  However, we recognize that agency leaders need to prioritize issues related to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).  Agencies should only respond to this data call to request a January 2021 special rate adjustment different from the default January 2021 adjustment for special rates.

Historically, the default January adjustment for special rates has been equal to the January across-the-board adjustment for GS base rates (as permitted by 5 CFR 530.307).  I have determined that the default January 2021 adjustment for special rates will be equal to the January 2021 across-the-board adjustment for GS base rates, which the President has determined will be 1.0 percent.  (See the President’s alternative pay plan for January 2021 pay adjustments, which is posted at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/message-congress-2021-alternative-plan-pay-adjustments/.)

You must respond to this data call only if requesting (1) any January 2021 increase in special rates different from the default adjustment or (2) the reduction or termination of a special rate schedule to take effect in January 2021.  If responding to this data call for either of those two reasons, please submit all annual review materials requested in the attachment to this memorandum to OPM by Friday, October 30, 2020.  Please note, however, that the October 30 deadline applies only for adjustments agencies would like to take effect in January 2021.  Agencies can submit special rate requests at any time throughout a calendar year.

Agency headquarters staff having questions regarding special rates should contact OPM’s Special Rates Team at pay-leave-policy@opm.gov.

Attachment (see 508-conformant PDF below)

cc:  Deputy Chief Human Capital Officers, and Human Resources Directors