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Policy, Data, Oversight Pay & Leave

 

Overview

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) provides leadership on pay administration for civilian Federal employees. We accomplish this by developing and maintaining Governmentwide regulations and policies on authorities such as basic pay setting, locality pay, special rates, back pay, pay limitations, premium pay, grade and pay retention, severance pay, and recruitment, relocation, and retention incentives. Ultimately, each Federal agency is responsible for complying with the law and regulations and following OPM's policies and guidance to administer pay policies and programs for its own employees.

Pay Policy Updates

Highlights

Pay Administration Alerts Email List

Related Information

Special-Status Foreign Areas

Special pay and benefits apply to eligible civilian Federal employees assigned to duty in certain foreign areas, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. The Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the Department of Labor administer many of the pay and benefits programs provided to such employees. Certain foreign areas may have a special status due to the conduct of U.S. military operations in the area or for other reasons. Pay and benefits may vary depending on the employee's pay system, assignment location, scope and nature of duties, and nature of assignment. Please check with your agency's local human resources office to verify the benefits that apply to you.

As missions in overseas locations change, certain authorities and benefits can also change. We recommend that employees contact their agency's human resources and/or benefits officers to determine if their overseas location qualifies for the authorities listed below.

Pay and Benefits for Federal Civilian Employees in Special-Status Foreign Areas

Below is a brief list of some of the major authorities currently available to agencies that may help attract and retain Federal civilians in special-status foreign areas.

  • The Department of State Standardized Regulations (DSSR) provide a number of important allowances, such as post differential (for hardship conditions) and danger pay in various foreign areas, including special-status locations.
  • Effective January 1, 2017, section 1137 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2017 (Public Law 114-328, December 23, 2016), extended to calendar year 2017 the authority provided in section 1101 of Public Law 110-417, October 14, 2008, for the head of an agency to waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547. The waiver authority expires December 31, 2017. Please see CPM 2017-04 for additional information.

    Note:

    Section 1101 of Public Law 110-417 was previously amended by various sections of the National Defense Authorization Acts for FY 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015—respectively, section 1106 of Public Law 111-84, October 28, 2009; section 1103 of Public Law 111-383, January 7, 2011; section 1104 of Public Law 112-81, December 31, 2011; section 1101 of Public Law 112-239, January 2, 2013; section 1101 of Public Law 113-66, December 26, 2013; section 1101 of Public Law 113-291, December 19, 2014; and section 1108 of Public Law 114-92, November 25, 2015.

  • Section 1133 of the FY 2017 NDAA (Public Law 114-328, December 23, 2016) amended section 1603(a)(2) of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery, 2006 (Public Law 109-234, June 15, 2006), to extend the discretionary authority of the head of an agency—for an employee on official duty in Pakistan or a combat zone, as defined by section 112(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986—to provide allowances, benefits, and gratuities comparable to those provided by the Secretary of State to members of the Foreign Service under section 413 and chapter 9 of title I of the Foreign Service Act of 1980. This authority is provided until September 30, 2018. Please see CPM 2017-04 for additional information.

    Note:

    Section 1603(a)(2) of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery, 2006 (Public Law 109-234, June 15, 2006), was added by section 1102 of the NDAA for FY 2009 (Public Law 110-417, October 14, 2008) and previously amended by section 1112 of the NDAA for FY 2012 (Public Law 112-81, December 31, 2011), section 1104 of the NDAA for FY 2013 (Public Law 112-239, January 2, 2013), section 1102 of the NDAA for FY 2014 (Public Law 113-66, December 26, 2013), section 1102 of the NDAA for FY 2015 (Public Law 113-291, December 19, 2014), and section 1102 of the NDAA for FY 2016 (Public Law 114-92, November 25, 2015).

  • • Section 7082 of Public Law 113-76, January 17, 2014, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2014, expanded death benefits payable under the Foreign Service Act of 1980 by increasing the existing lump-sum death gratuity and, in cases of deaths that occur as a result of terrorism, introducing a new life insurance supplement payment and educational benefit for eligible survivors. It also extends potential eligibility for those benefits to all State employees, and employees of other U.S. agencies, serving under chief of mission authority abroad. The death gratuity payment was increased from one year's salary at the time of the employee's death to level II of the Executive Schedule under 5 U.S.C. 5313 at the time of an employee's death. In 2017, the EX-II rate is $187,000. The Department of State has issued detailed guidance governing the eligibility for and amounts of these death benefits at 3 FAM 3653.
  • OPM regulations give agencies the discretionary authority to provide recruitment, relocation, and retention incentive payments (of as much as 25 to 100 percent of basic pay, in some cases) to address difficulties in recruiting or retaining eligible employees in any appropriate location, including special-status foreign areas. (See 5 CFR part 575, subparts A, B, and C.) 
  • Going to a combat zone can be considered "a life event" that allows employees an opportunity to elect different health insurance coverage or enhanced life insurance coverage. This election only applies to service in connection to a contingency operation. Please contact your agency's Benefits Officer for a determination if the area qualifies as a contingency operation and a change in election coverage.
  • The ceiling on the amount of annual leave that may be carried over to the next year is 360 hours for employees stationed overseas (including special-status locations), compared to 240 hours for those stationed in the U.S. An employee is considered "stationed" based on his or her official duty station—which is changed for permanent changes of station (PCS) and temporary changes of station (TCS) under 5 U.S.C. 5737. Thus, the higher annual leave accrual does not apply to employees serving in overseas assignments while on detail or in temporary duty travel (TDY) status.
  • Agencies have the ability to offer time-off awards in appropriate circumstances, which may include circumstances involving employees serving in special-status foreign locations. (See 5 U.S.C. 4502(e).)
  • The Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA), 5 U.S.C. 8101 et seq., provides comprehensive workers' compensation coverage for deployed employees in foreign areas where armed conflict may take place. (See also 20 CFR Part 10, Federal (FECA) Procedure Manual and related guidance available from the website identified below.) A wide variety of benefits are available under FECA including medical and wage-loss benefits, schedule awards for permanent impairment due to loss of hearing, vision or certain organs, vocational rehabilitation for injured employees; survivor benefits are available if an employee is killed in performance of duty or if an employee later dies from a covered injury. The Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs is authorized to pay an additional death gratuity of up to $100,000 to the survivor(s) of an “employee who dies of injuries incurred in connection with the employee's service with an Armed Force in a contingency operation,” but this amount is reduced by the amount of other federal death gratuities based on the same death.” For more information, please refer to the Department of Labor's website on these provisions. An employee may designate a beneficiary other than survivors in the statutory order of precedence.

Medical Care for Federal Civilian Employees in Special-Status Foreign Areas

In many of these special-status foreign locations, the Department of Defense's (DOD's) medical treatment facilities are the only source of health care available to Federal employees. As such, non-DOD civilian employees of Federal agencies who become ill, contract disease, or are injured or wounded while forward deployed in support of hostilities are authorized treatment at military treatment facilities (MTF) in theater or, if necessary, air evacuation to an MTF outside the area of operations at the same level and support as the military until medical management disengagement and/or discharge.

Please refer to DOD's policy guidance.

If a non-DOD Federal employee would like to continue treatment at a MTF, the employee must submit a written request to the Under Secretary of Defense (Personnel and Readiness, USD P&R) explaining the compelling circumstances that warrant continued care at a MTF. For example, the MTF is distinguished and has special or unique experience in treating an employee's injury, disease, or illness. However, the employee must first have an accepted Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA) (5 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.) claim for his/her assignment related to the illness, disease, or injury from the Department of the Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs. The request form for continued care at DOD's MTFs can be submitted electronically and through regular mail..

Related Information

Reservist Differential

Federal Civilian Employees Called to Active Duty

Section 751 of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (Public Law 111-8, March 11, 2009) added section 5538 to title 5, United States Code. This section provides a benefit to certain Federal civilian employees who are (1) absent from employment with the Federal Government because they are ordered to perform active duty in the uniformed services under a provision of law specifically referenced in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13)(B) and (2) entitled to reemployment rights under 38 U.S.C. chapter 43 based on such absence.

Information on Reservist Differential

Additional Information on Reservist Benefits

Historical Memos

Policy Guidance

This document provides guidance to agencies on implementing a law providing differential payments to eligible Federal civilian employees who are members of the Reserve or National Guard (hereafter referred to as “reservists”) called or ordered to active duty under certain specified provisions of law.

Summary Description

Overview

Under 5 U.S.C. 5538, employing agencies must pay differential payments to eligible Federal civilian employees who are members of the Reserve or National Guard (hereafter referred to as "reservists") called or ordered to active duty under certain specified provisions of law. Federal agencies must provide a payment (a "reservist differential") equal to the amount by which an employee's projected civilian "basic pay" for a covered pay period exceeds the employee's actual military "pay and allowances" allocable to that pay period.

Section 5538 became effective on the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after March 11, 2009 (i.e., March 15, 2009, for executive branch employees on the standard biweekly payroll cycle).

Coverage

Section 5538 applies to all employees and agencies within the Federal Government (executive, legislative, and judicial branches) unless the employee or agency is excluded from coverage by other provision of law.

Qualifying Period

A reservist differential under section 5538 is payable to an employee during a "qualifying period" during which the employee meets both of the following conditions:

  1. . A covered employee is absent from a Federal civilian position in order to perform active duty in the uniformed services pursuant to a call or order to active duty under section 331, 332, 333, 688, 12301(a), 12302, 12304, 12304a, 12305, or 12406, of title 10, United States Code, and is serving on such qualifying active duty; and
  2. The employee is entitled to reemployment rights under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA - 38 U.S.C. chapter 43) for such active duty.

Note:

Effective on the first pay period beginning on or after December 16, 2009, section 745 of Public Law 111-117 amended 5 U.S.C. 5538 to clarify that the reservist differential is not payable for periods following completion of active duty. The treatment of prior pay periods is addressed in the “Reservist Differential Policy Guidance Supplement”, which is posted as an attachment to the OPM memorandum “Reservist Differential Policy Update” (CPM 2011-06, 04/13/2011).

The employee-reservist must provide his or her employing agency with a copy of his or her military orders. The employing agency will determine whether the employee-reservist meets the conditions described above.

Pay and Leave Status

The receipt of a reservist differential does not affect an employee’s civilian pay and leave status. While absent from the civilian job, the employee is considered to be on leave without pay unless the employee takes civilian paid leave or other paid time off. The employee may use paid time off (e.g., military leave, annual leave, credit hours, compensatory time off), as available to the employee, subject to the normal conditions governing use of the particular paid time off. However, as required by 5 U.S.C. 6323(b), sick leave may not be used during a period of duty as a reservist that meets the conditions in that subsection.  A reservist may not receive the reservist differential for periods during which he or she uses paid time off, since the reservist is already receiving full civilian pay for such periods. (During civilian paid time off, the reservist receives full military pay and full civilian pay, except that civilian pay is offset by military pay when an employee uses military leave under 5 U.S.C. 6323(b). During civilian leave without pay periods, the reservist receives full military pay and may receive a reservist differential, which represents the amount by which civilian basic pay exceeds military pay and allowances.) Thus, the reservist differential for a pay period will be adjusted to account for any hours of paid time off.

There are two types of military leave that may be used by civilian employees during qualifying military active duty:

  1. Regular military leave under 5 U.S.C. 6323(a) - providing 15 days of leave each fiscal year with no military pay offset (i.e., full military and civilian pay); and
  2. Special military leave for contingency operations or law enforcement purposes under 5 U.S.C. 6323(b) - providing up to 22 days of leave each calendar year but with civilian pay offset by the amount of military pay allocated to those leave days, as required by 5 U.S.C. 5519.

In considering whether to use special military leave under section 6323(b) or to receive a reservist differential, employees should take into account the following facts:

  • When payments for military leave are offset by military pay, only civilian workdays are considered. Thus, an employee on military leave under section 6323(b) for a biweekly pay period can receive 10 days of paid leave (offset by military pay for those days) plus 4 days of military pay for the civilian nonworkdays (i.e., for most employees, weekend days). This means the total pay for the period can exceed the regular civilian pay for the period.
  • The amount of the reservist differential depends solely on the amount of civilian basic pay, while the payment for military leave may reflect additional types of civilian pay.

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Projected Civilian Basic Pay

The employing agency must determine the projected gross amount of civilian "basic pay" that would otherwise have been payable to an employee for each pay period within a qualifying period if the employee's civilian employment had not been interrupted by military active duty. Only "basic pay" as defined in OPM guidance is considered.

The employing agency must adjust an employee's projected rate of basic pay as it would have been adjusted (with reasonable certainty) but for the interruption of military active duty. This would include general increases, locality pay increases, and within-grade increases (based on longevity and acceptable performance). It could also include certain career-ladder promotion increases and performance-based basic pay increases, if the reasonable certainty standard is met.

Military Pay and Allowances

The employee-reservist must provide his or her employing agency with a copy of his monthly military leave and earnings statement for each affected month. Based on those statements, the employing agency must determine the actual paid gross amount of military pay and allowances allocable to each pay period in a qualifying period. A definition of "military pay and allowances" is included in OPM guidance. Military pay and allowances are payable on a monthly basis. For each affected month, a daily rate will be computed by dividing the monthly total by 30 days for full months or by the actual number of days for partial months. Military pay and allowances will be allocated to a civilian pay period (usually a 2-week period) based on the applicable daily rate for days within the pay period.

Computation of Differential

For each civilian pay period, the employing agency must compare the projected civilian basic pay to the allocated military pay and allowances. If the allocated military pay and allowances are greater than or equal to the projected civilian basic pay, no reservist differential is payable for that pay period. If the projected civilian basic pay is greater than the allocated military pay and allowances, the difference represents the unadjusted reservist differential.

The reservist differential is not payable for periods during which the employee is receiving civilian basic pay for performing work or using civilian paid leave or other paid time off. Thus, the unadjusted reservist differential must be adjusted (reduced) to take into account any paid hours (paid work or paid time off). The agency must follow the adjustment methodology prescribed by OPM in its guidance.

Payment

The reservist differential must be paid from the same appropriation or fund that would have been used to pay the employee's civilian salary but for the interruption to perform military active duty. Reservist differentials should be paid at the same frequency as regular civilian salary payments (e.g., generally on a biweekly basis for executive branch employees). Given the need to obtain information about an individual's military pay and allowances and other matters to accurately compute the reservist differential, a reservist differential is considered due and payable on a scheduled date that is no later than 8 weeks (4 biweekly pay periods) after the normal civilian salary payment date for a given pay period, except that this scheduled date may be pushed back beyond 8 weeks if the employee does not provide the agency with a copy of any needed military orders and military leave and earnings statement on a timely basis.

The reservist differential is not basic pay for any purpose. The reservist differential is considered to be pay for the purposes of various other laws governing Federal employee compensation (e.g., laws governing salary offset for debt collection, waiver of overpayments, garnishment, back pay). However, the reservist differential will not be counted as part of aggregate compensation in applying the aggregate pay limit in 5 U.S.C. 5307.

Taxability

The Internal Revenue Service has given OPM the following guidance regarding the treatment of reservist differentials paid under 5 U.S.C. 5538 for Federal tax purposes:

  • Reservist differentials are taxable income for Federal income tax purposes.
  • Reservist differentials are treated as wages for Federal income tax withholding purposes, regardless of the length of the active duty. Reservist differentials would be reported as wages in box 1 of Form W-2 and in line 7 of Form 1040.
  • Reservist differentials are not subject to FICA (Social Security and Medicare) taxes if those differential payments are paid for periods of active duty of more than 30 days.
  • Reservist differentials are subject to FICA taxes if those differential payments are paid for periods of active duty of 30 days or less.

References

  • 5 U.S.C. 5538 [added by section 751 of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2009 (Public Law 111-8, March 11, 2009) and amended by section 745 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (Public Law 111-117, December 16, 2009)]

  • OPM Policy Guidance Regarding Reservist Differential under 5 U.S.C. 5538, originally issued on December 8, 2009, via memorandum to agency Chief Human Capital Officers, and most recently amended and reissued on June 23, 2015

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Biweekly Caps on Premium Pay

2020

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by: (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $170,800 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $81.84 and a biweekly rate of $6,547.20 ($81.84 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Schedule level V annual rate of $160,100 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $76.71 and a biweekly rate of $6,136.80 ($76.71 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly and annual premium pay caps for 2020 by locality pay area. These caps are effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2020 (January 5, 2020, based on the standard biweekly payroll cycle).

Locality Pay Area
(see NOTE 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see NOTE 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see NOTES 1 and 4)

Alaska

29.67%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Albany-Schenectady, NY-MA

17.88%

6,424.80

167,044.80

Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM

16.68%

6,359.20

165,339.20

Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA-AL

22.16%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Austin-Round Rock, TX

18.17%

6,440.80

167,460.80

Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL

16.26%

6,336.00

164,736.00

Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-ME

29.11%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

20.20%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Burlington-South Burlington, VT

16.89%

6,370.40

165,630.40

Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC

17.44%

6,400.80

166,420.80

Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI

28.59%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN

20.55%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH

20.82%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Colorado Springs, CO

17.78%

6,419.20

166,899.20

Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH

20.02%

6,541.60

170,081.60

Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX

16.56%

6,352.80

165,172.80

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK

24.98%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Davenport-Moline, IA-IL

17.04%

6,379.20

165,859.20

Dayton-Springfield-Sidney, OH

19.18%

6,495.20

168,875.20

Denver-Aurora, CO

27.13%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI

27.32%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA

17.20%

6,387.20

166,067.20

Hartford-West Hartford, CT-MA

29.49%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Hawaii

19.56%

6,516.00

169,416.00

Houston-The Woodlands, TX

33.32%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL

19.85%

6,532.00

169,832.00

Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN

16.92%

6,372.00

165,672.00

Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS

17.13%

6,384.00

165,984.00

Laredo, TX

18.88%

6,479.20

168,459.20

Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ

17.68%

6,413.60

166,753.60

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA

32.41%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL

23.51%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI

20.96%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI

24.66%

6,547.20

170,227.20

New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA

33.98%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA

16.33%

6,340.00

164,840.00

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL

16.73%

6,361.60

165,401.60

Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD

26.04%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

20.12%

6,546.40

170,206.40

Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV

19.40%

6,507.20

169,187.20

Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA

23.74%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

20.49%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Richmond, VA

19.95%

6,537.60

169,977.60

Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV

26.37%

6,547.20

170,227.20

San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX

16.77%

6,364.00

165,464.00

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

29.77%

6,547.20

170,227.20

San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA

41.44%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Seattle-Tacoma, WA

27.02%

6,547.20

170,227.20

St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL

17.65%

6,412.00

166,712.00

Tucson-Nogales, AZ

17.19%

6,387.20

166,067.20

Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC

16.51%

6,349.60

165,089.60

Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA

30.48%

6,547.20

170,227.20

Rest of United States

15.95%

6,319.20

164,299.20

Not in a Locality Pay Area (i.e. Outside of U.S.)

NA

6,136.80

159,556.80

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap. Neither OPM nor agencies have general authority to waive the biweekly or annual premium pay caps established under 5 U.S.C. 5547. Exceptions to those caps require specific legislation. For example, a statutory exception is described in NOTE 5 below.
  2. 2020 locality pay area definitions.
  3. Locality rates for GS employees are capped at the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule (EX-IV), which is $170,800 in 2020. (See NOTE 4 for an explanation of why annual premium pay cap is different than the annual rate shown in applicable salary schedules.) Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above.
  4. The annual premium pay cap is equal to the greater of: (1) the annual rate payable for GS-15, step 10 (including any applicable locality payment or special rate supplement) or (2) the annual rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule - using the rates in effect at the end of the given calendar year (5 CFR 550.106(c)). Under 5 CFR 550.106(d), the "annual rates" used in determining the annual premium pay caps are computed by: (1) dividing the applicable end-of-year published annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) multiplying the resulting hourly rate by 80 hours, and (3) multiplying the resulting biweekly rate by the number of biweekly pay periods for which a salary payment is issued in the given calendar year under the agency's payroll cycle (i.e., either 26 or 27 pay periods). The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2020. The caps do not match the published annual rates shown on applicable salary schedules. For example, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate in Washington, DC, is $170,800 (EX-IV cap), but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $170,227.20. ($170,800 / 2087 = $81.84. $81.84 x 80 = $6,547.20. $6,547.20 x 26 = $170,227.20.) Similarly, the EX V annual rate is $160,100, but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $159,556.80. However, if employees instead have 27 biweekly salary payments during 2020, for those employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27. (See NOTE 7 for information on applying the annual premium pay cap.)
  5. We will notify agencies separately about any reauthorization of the premium pay cap that may be applied to certain civilian employees working in certain overseas locations.
  6. When the biweekly (or annual, if applicable) cap on premium pay is reached, employees may still be ordered to perform overtime work without receiving further compensation. (See Comptroller General Opinions: B-178117, May 1, 1973; B-229089, December 28, 1988; and B-240200, December 20, 1990.)
  7. The annual premium pay cap applies to basic pay and premium pay earned in biweekly pay periods that have a payroll pay date in the given calendar year. Depending on the year and the agency's payroll cycle, there may be 26 or 27 pay periods covered by an annual premium pay cap. For example, under a given agency's payroll cycle, the biweekly pay period covering December 22, 2019, through January 4, 2020, may be the first biweekly pay period with a payroll pay date in calendar year 2020 (e.g., January 10, 15, etc.). Basic pay and premium pay for that pay period would be included in applying the annual premium pay cap for 2020. For that same agency, the biweekly pay period covering December 6-19, 2020, could be the last biweekly pay period with a payroll pay date in calendar year 2020 (e.g., December 24, 30, etc.). (Note: Different agencies may have a different set of covered pay periods for calendar year 2020, since payroll pay dates vary by agency.)

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2019

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by: (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $166,500 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $79.78 and a biweekly rate of $6,382.40 ($79.78 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Schedule level V annual rate of $156,000 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $74.75 and a biweekly rate of $5,980.00 ($74.75 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly and annual premium pay caps for 2019 by locality pay area.  These caps are effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2019 (January 6, 2019, based on the standard biweekly payroll cycle).

Locality Pay Area
(see NOTE 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see NOTE 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see NOTES 1 and 4)

Alaska

28.89%

$6,382.40

$165,942.40

Albany-Schenectady, NY-MA

17.19%

6,224.80

161,844.80

Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM

16.20%

6,172.00

160,472.00

Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA-AL

21.64%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Austin-Round Rock, TX

17.46%

6,239.20

162,219.20

Birmingham-Hoover-Talladega, AL

15.77%

6,149.60

159,889.60

Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-ME

28.27%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

19.67%

6,356.80

165,276.80

Burlington-South Burlington, VT

16.18%

6,171.20

160,451.20

Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC

16.79%

6,204.00

161,304.00

Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI

28.05%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN

20.21%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH

20.45%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Colorado Springs, CO

17.19%

6,224.80

161,844.80

Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH

19.47%

6,346.40

165,006.40

Corpus Christi-Kingsville-Alice, TX

16.01%

6,162.40

160,222.40

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK

24.21%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Davenport-Moline, IA-IL

16.49%

6,188.00

160,888.00

Dayton-Springfield-Sidney, OH

18.61%

6,300.00

163,800.00

Denver-Aurora, CO

26.30%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI

26.81%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA

16.65%

6,196.00

161,096.00

Hartford-West Hartford, CT-MA

28.87%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Hawaii

18.98%

6,320.00

164,320.00

Houston-The Woodlands, TX

32.54%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL

19.18%

6,330.40

164,590.40

Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN

16.57%

6,192.00

160,992.00

Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS

16.60%

6,193.60

161,033.60

Laredo, TX

18.22%

6,280.00

163,280.00

Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ

17.04%

6,216.80

161,636.80

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA

31.47%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL

23.12%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI

20.58%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI

24.00%

6,382.40

165,942.40

New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA

33.06%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Omaha-Council Bluffs-Fremont, NE-IA

15.87%

6,154.40

160,014.40

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL

16.33%

6,179.20

160,659.20

Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD

25.30%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

19.60%

6,352.80

165,172.80

Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV

18.86%

6,313.60

164,153.60

Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA

23.13%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

19.99%

6,373.60

165,713.60

Richmond, VA

19.38%

6,341.60

164,881.60

Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV

25.59%

6,382.40

165,942.40

San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX

16.07%

6,165.60

160,305.60

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

28.80%

6,382.40

165,942.40

San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA

40.35%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Seattle-Tacoma, WA

26.04%

6,382.40

165,942.40

St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL

17.05%

6,217.60

161,657.60

Tucson-Nogales, AZ

16.68%

6,197.60

161,137.60

Virginia Beach-Norfolk, VA-NC

15.91%

6,156.80

160,076.80

Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA

29.32%

6,382.40

165,942.40

Rest of United States

15.67%

6,144.00

159,744.00

Not in a Locality Pay Area (i.e. Outside of U.S.)

NA

5,980.00

155,480.00

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap. Neither OPM nor agencies have general authority to waive the biweekly or annual premium pay caps established under 5 U.S.C. 5547. Exceptions to those caps require specific legislation. For example, a statutory exception is described in Note 5 below.
  2. 2019 locality pay area definitions.
  3. Locality rates for GS employees are capped at the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule (EX-IV), which is $166,500 in 2019. (See Note 4 for an explanation of why annual premium pay cap is different than the annual rate shown in applicable salary schedules.) Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above.
  4. The annual premium pay cap is equal to the greater of: (1) the annual rate payable for GS-15, step 10 (including any applicable locality payment or special rate supplement) or (2) the annual rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule - using the rates in effect at the end of the given calendar year (5 CFR 550.106(c)). Under 5 CFR 550.106(d), the "annual rates" used in determining the annual premium pay caps are computed by: (1) dividing the applicable end-of-year published annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) multiplying the resulting hourly rate by 80 hours, and (3) multiplying the resulting biweekly rate by the number of biweekly pay periods for which a salary payment is issued in the given calendar year under the agency’s payroll cycle (i.e., either 26 or 27 pay periods).  The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2019.  The caps do not match the published annual rates shown on applicable salary schedules.  For example, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate in Washington, DC, is $166,500 (EX-IV cap), but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $165,942.40.  ($166,500 / 2087 = $79.78.  $79.78 x 80 = $6,382.40.  $6,382.40 x 26 = $165,942.40.)  Similarly, the EX-V annual rate is $156,000, but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $155,480.00. However, if employees instead have 27 biweekly salary payments during 2019, for those employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27. (See NOTE 7 for information on applying the annual premium pay cap.)
  5. Effective January 1, 2019, section 1104 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115-232, August 13, 2018) extends to calendar year 2019 the authority provided in section 1101 of Public Law 110-417, October 14, 2008, as amended, for the head of an agency to waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547 for certain employees working overseas.  We will issue a memorandum with additional information on this authority and other recent legislative changes.
  6. When the biweekly (or annual, if applicable) cap on premium pay is reached, employees may still be ordered to perform overtime work without receiving further compensation. (See Comptroller General Opinions: B-178117, May 1, 1973; B-229089, December 28, 1988; and B-240200, December 20, 1990.)
  7. The annual premium pay cap applies to basic pay and premium pay earned in biweekly pay periods that have a payroll pay date in the given calendar year. Depending on the year and the agency’s payroll cycle, there may be 26 or 27 pay periods covered by an annual premium pay cap. For example, under a given agency’s payroll cycle, the biweekly pay period covering December 23, 2018, through January 5, 2019, may be the first biweekly pay period with a payroll pay date in calendar year 2019 (e.g., January 11, 14, etc.). Basic pay and premium pay for that pay period would be included in applying the annual premium pay cap for 2019. For that same agency, the biweekly pay period covering December 8-21, 2019, could be the last biweekly pay period with a payroll pay date in calendar year 2019 (e.g., December 27, 30, etc.). (Note: Different agencies may have a different set of covered pay periods for calendar year 2019, since payroll pay dates vary by agency.)

Back to Top

2018

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $164,200 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $78.68 and a biweekly rate of $6,294.40 ($78.68 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Schedule Level V annual rate of $153,800 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $73.69 and a biweekly rate of $5,895.20 ($73.69 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly and annual premium pay caps for 2018 by locality pay area. The biweekly caps are effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2018.  The annual caps apply to biweekly pay periods with a payroll pay date in calendar year 2018.

Locality Pay Area
(see NOTE 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see NOTE 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see NOTES 1 and 4)

Alaska

28.02%

$6,294.40

$163,654.40

Albany-Schenectady, NY

16.50%

6,103.20

158,683.20

Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM

15.76%

6,064.00

157,664.00

Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA-AL

21.16%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Austin-Round Rock, TX

16.71%

6,113.60

158,953.60

Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME

27.48%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

19.18%

6,243.20

162,323.20

Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC

16.21%

6,088.00

158,288.00

Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI

27.47%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN

19.87%

6,279.20

163,259.20

Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH

20.08%

6,290.40

163,550.40

Colorado Springs, CO

16.59%

6,107.20

158,787.20

Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH

18.97%

6,232.00

162,032.00

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK

23.40%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Davenport-Moline, IA-IL

16.08%

6,080.80

158,100.80

Dayton-Springfield-Sidney, OH

18.11%

6,187.20

160,867.20

Denver-Aurora, CO

25.47%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI

26.25%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA

16.15%

6,084.80

158,204.80

Hartford-West Hartford, CT-MA

28.21%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Hawaii

18.43%

6,204.00

161,304.00

Houston-The Woodlands, TX

31.74%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL

18.49%

6,207.20

161,387.20

Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN

16.23%

6,088.80

158,308.80

Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS

16.10%

6,081.60

158,121.60

Laredo, TX

17.40%

6,149.60

159,889.60

Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ

16.49%

6,102.40

158,662.40

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA

30.57%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL

22.64%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI

20.14%

6,293.60

163,633.60

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI

23.37%

6,294.40

163,654.40

New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA

32.13%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL

15.93%

6,072.80

157,892.80

Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD

24.59%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

19.09%

6,238.40

162,198.40

Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV

18.35%

6,200.00

161,200.00

Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA

22.53%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

19.52%

6,260.80

162,780.80

Richmond, VA

18.79%

6,222.40

161,782.40

Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV

24.86%

6,294.40

163,654.40

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

27.88%

6,294.40

163,654.40

San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA

39.28%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Seattle-Tacoma, WA

25.11%

6,294.40

163,654.40

St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL

16.47%

6,101.60

158,641.60

Tucson-Nogales, AZ

16.17%

6,085.60

158,225.60

Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA

28.22%

6,294.40

163,654.40

Rest of United States

15.37%

6,044.00

157,144.00

Not in a Locality Pay Area

NA

5,895.20

153,275.20

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap. Neither OPM nor agencies have general authority to waive the biweekly or annual premium pay caps established under 5 U.S.C. 5547. Exceptions to those caps require specific legislation. For example, a statutory exception is described in Note 5 below.
  2. 2018 locality pay area definitions.
  3. Locality rates for GS employees are capped at the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule (EX-IV), which is $164,200 in 2018. (See Note 4 for an explanation of why annual premium pay cap is different than the annual rate shown in applicable salary schedules.) Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above.
  4. The annual premium pay cap is equal to the greater of (1) the annual rate payable for GS-15, step 10 (including any applicable locality payment or special rate supplement) or (2) the annual rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule - using the rates in effect at the end of the given calendar year (5 CFR 550.106(c)). Under 5 CFR 550.106(d), the "annual rates" used in determining the annual premium pay caps are computed by (1) dividing the applicable end-of-year published annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) multiplying the resulting hourly rate by 80 hours, and (3) multiplying the resulting biweekly rate by the number of biweekly pay periods for which a salary payment is issued in the given calendar year under the agency’s payroll cycle (i.e., either 26 or 27 pay periods). The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2018. The caps do not match the published annual rates shown on applicable salary schedules. For example, the published GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate in Washington, DC, is $164,200 (EX-IV cap), but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $163,654.40. ($164,200 / 2087 = $78.68.  $78.68 x 80 = $6,294.40.  $6,294.40 x 26 = $163,654.40.) Similarly, the EX-V annual rate is $153,800, but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $153,275.20. However, some employees may have 27 biweekly salary payments in 2018. For these employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27. (See NOTE 7 for information on applying the annual premium pay cap.)
  5. Effective January 1, 2018, section 1105 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 extends to calendar year 2018 the authority provided in section 1101 of Public Law 110-417, October 14, 2008, as amended, for the head of an agency to waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547 for certain employees working overseas. We will issue a memorandum with additional information on this authority and other recent legislative changes.
  6. When the biweekly (or annual, if applicable) cap on premium pay is reached, employees may still be ordered to perform overtime work without receiving further compensation. (See Comptroller General Opinions: B-178117, May 1, 1973; B-229089, December 28, 1988; and B-240200, December 20, 1990.)
  7. The annual premium pay cap applies to basic pay and premium pay earned in biweekly pay periods that have a payroll pay date in the given calendar year. Depending on the year and the agency’s payroll cycle, there may be 26 or 27 pay periods covered by an annual premium pay cap. For example, under a given agency’s payroll cycle, the biweekly pay period covering December 24, 2017, through January 6, 2018, may be the first biweekly pay period with a payroll pay date in calendar year 2018. Basic pay and premium pay for that pay period would be included in applying the annual premium pay cap for 2018. For that same agency, the biweekly pay period covering December 9-22, 2018, could be the last biweekly pay period with a payroll pay date in calendar year 2018. (Note: Different agencies may have a different set of covered pay periods for calendar year 2018, since payroll pay dates vary by agency.)

Back to Top

2017

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $161,900 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $77.58 and a biweekly rate of $6,206.40 ($77.58 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Schedule Level V annual rate of $151,700 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $72.69 and a biweekly rate of $5,815.20 ($72.69 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly and annual premium pay caps for 2017 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2017.

Locality Pay Area
(see NOTE 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see NOTE 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see NOTES 1 and 4)

Alaska

27.13%

$6,206.40

$161,366.40

Albany-Schenectady, NY

15.85%

5,984.80

155,604.80

Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM

15.36%

5,960.00

154,960.00

Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA-AL

20.70%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Austin-Round Rock, TX

15.97%

5,991.20

155,771.20

Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME

26.73%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

18.66%

6,130.40

159,390.40

Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC

15.65%

5,975.20

155,355.20

Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI

26.85%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN

19.52%

6,174.40

160,534.40

Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH

19.71%

6,184.80

160,804.80

Colorado Springs, CO

15.99%

5,992.80

155,812.80

Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH

18.49%

6,121.60

159,161.60

Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK

22.61%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Davenport-Moline, IA-IL

15.56%

5,970.40

155,230.40

Dayton-Springfield-Sidney, OH

17.59%

6,075.20

157,955.20

Denver-Aurora, CO

24.65%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI

25.68%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA

15.63%

5,973.60

155,313.60

Hartford-West Hartford, CT-MA

27.57%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Hawaii

17.92%

6,092.00

158,392.00

Houston-The Woodlands, TX

30.97%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL

17.82%

6,087.20

158,267.20

Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN

15.85%

5,984.80

155,604.80

Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS

15.59%

5,972.00

155,272.00

Laredo, TX

16.68%

6,028.00

156,728.00

Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ

15.93%

5,989.60

155,729.60

Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA

29.65%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL

22.13%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI

19.61%

6,179.20

160,659.20

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI

22.72%

6,206.40

161,366.40

New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA

31.22%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL

15.48%

5,966.40

155,126.40

Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD

23.87%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

18.57%

6,125.60

159,265.60

Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV

17.86%

6,088.80

158,308.80

Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA

21.95%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC

19.02%

6,148.80

159,868.80

Richmond, VA

18.19%

6,106.40

158,766.40

Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV

24.14%

6,206.40

161,366.40

San Diego-Carlsbad, CA

26.98%

6,206.40

161,366.40

San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA

38.17%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Seattle-Tacoma, WA

24.24%

6,206.40

161,366.40

St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL

15.83%

5,984.00

155,584.00

Tucson-Nogales, AZ

15.66%

5,975.20

155,355.20

Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA

27.10%

6,206.40

161,366.40

Rest of United States

15.06%

5,944.00

154,544.00

Not in a Locality Pay Area

NA

5,815.20

151,195.20

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap.
  2. 2017 locality pay area definitions.
  3. Locality rates for GS employees are capped at the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule (EX-IV), which is $161,900 in 2017. (See Note 4 for an explanation of why annual premium pay cap is different than the annual rate shown in applicable salary schedules.) Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above.
  4. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year. (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).) The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2017. The caps do not match the annual rates shown on applicable salary schedules. For example, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate in Washington, DC, is $161,900 (EX-IV cap), but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $161,366.40. Similarly, the EX V annual rate is $151,700, but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $151,195.20. However, some employees may have 27 biweekly salary payments in 2017. For these employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27.
  5. Effective January 1, 2017, section 1137 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 extends to calendar year 2017 the authority provided in section 1101 of Public Law 110-417, October 14, 2008, as amended, for the head of an agency to waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547 for certain employees working overseas. We will issue a separate memorandum with additional information on this authority and other recent legislative changes.
  6. There is no authority under law to waive the annual premium pay limitation under section 5547, except as provided in Note 5 above.
  7. When the biweekly (or annual, if applicable) cap on premium pay is reached, employees may still be ordered to perform overtime work without receiving further compensation. (See Comptroller General Opinions: B-178117, May 1, 1973; B-229089, December 28, 1988; and B-240200, December 20, 1990.)

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2016

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $159,572 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $76.46 and a biweekly rate of $6,116.80 ($76.46 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Schedule Level V annual rate of $150,200 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $71.97 and a biweekly rate of $5,757.60 ($71.97 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly and annual premium pay caps for 2016 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2016.

Locality Pay Area
(see NOTE 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see NOTE 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see NOTES 1 and 4)
Alaska 25.16% $6,144.80 $159,764.80
Albany-Schenectady, NY 14.49% 5,856.80 152,276.80
Albuquerque-Santa Fe-Las Vegas, NM 14.37% 5,850.40 152,110.40
Atlanta-Athens-Clarke County-Sandy Springs, GA-AL 19.58% 6,116.80 159,036.80
Austin-Round Rock, TX 14.51% 5,857.60 152,297.60
Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT-ME 25.19% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY 17.31% 6,000.80 156,020.80
Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC 14.44% 5,853.60 152,193.60
Chicago-Naperville, IL-IN-WI 25.44% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Cincinnati-Wilmington-Maysville, OH-KY-IN 18.76% 6,075.20 157,955.20
Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH 18.87% 6,080.80 158,100.80
Colorado Springs, CO 14.52% 5,857.60 152,297.60
Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH 17.41% 6,005.60 156,145.60
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX-OK 21.04% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Davenport-Moline, IA-IL 14.43% 5,853.60 152,193.60
Dayton-Springfield-Sidney, OH 16.50% 5,959.20 154,939.20
Denver-Aurora, CO 22.93% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor, MI 24.40% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA 14.47% 5,855.20 152,235.20
Hartford-West Hartford, CT-MA 26.20% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Hawaii 16.81% 5,975.20 155,355.20
Houston-The Woodlands, TX 29.11% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Huntsville-Decatur-Albertville, AL 16.37% 5,952.80 154,772.80
Indianapolis-Carmel-Muncie, IN 14.92% 5,878.40 152,838.40
Kansas City-Overland Park-Kansas City, MO-KS 14.49% 5,856.80 152,276.80
Laredo, TX 14.59% 5,861.60 152,401.60
Las Vegas-Henderson, NV-AZ 14.55% 5,859.20 152,339.20
Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA 27.65% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Port St. Lucie, FL 21.05% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 18.39% 6,056.00 157,456.00
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN-WI 21.30% 6,144.80 159,764.80
New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA 29.20% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 14.42% 5,852.80 152,172.80
Philadelphia-Reading-Camden, PA-NJ-DE-MD 22.22% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 17.12% 5,991.20 155,771.20
Pittsburgh-New Castle-Weirton, PA-OH-WV 16.68% 5,968.80 155,188.80
Portland-Vancouver-Salem, OR-WA 20.69% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 17.94% 6,032.80 156,852.80
Richmond, VA 16.76% 5,972.80 155,292.80
Sacramento-Roseville, CA-NV 22.61% 6,144.80 159,764.80
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 24.73% 6,144.80 159,764.80
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 35.75% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Seattle-Tacoma, WA 22.26% 6,144.80 159,764.80
St. Louis-St. Charles-Farmington, MO-IL 14.49% 5,856.80 152,276.80
Tucson-Nogales, AZ 14.51% 5,857.60 152,297.60
Washington-Baltimore-Arlington, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA 24.78% 6,144.80 159,764.80
Rest of United States 14.35% 5,849.60 152,089.60
Not in a Locality Pay Area NA 5,757.60 149,697.60

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap.
  2. 2016 locality pay area definitions.
  3. Locality rates for GS employees are capped at the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule (EX-IV), which is $160,300 in 2016. (See Note 4 for an explanation of why annual premium pay cap is different than the annual rate shown in applicable salary schedules.) Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above.
  4. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year. (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).) The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2016. The caps do not match the annual rates shown on applicable salary schedules. For example, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate in Washington, DC, is $160,300 (EX-IV cap), but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $159,764.80. Similarly, the EX‑V annual rate is $150,200, but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $149,697.60. However, some employees may have 27 biweekly salary payments in 2016. For these employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27.
  5. Effective January 1, 2016, section 1108 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114-92, November 25, 2015) extends to calendar year 2016 the authority provided in section 1101 of Public Law 110-417, October 14, 2008, as amended, for the head of an agency to waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547 for certain employees working overseas. We will issue a separate memorandum with additional information on this authority and other recent legislative changes.
  6. There is no authority under law to waive the annual premium pay limitation under section 5547, except as provided in Note 5 above.
  7. When the biweekly (or annual, if applicable) cap on premium pay is reached, employees may still be ordered to perform overtime work without receiving further compensation. (See Comptroller General Opinions: B-178117, May 1, 1973; B-229089, December 28, 1988; and B-240200, December 20, 1990.)

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2015

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $157,608 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $75.52 and a biweekly rate of $6,041.60 ($75.52 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Schedule Level V annual rate of $148,700 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $71.25 and a biweekly rate of $5,700.00 ($71.25 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly and annual premium pay caps for 2015 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2015.

Locality Pay Area
(see Note 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see Note 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see Notes 1 and 4)
Alaska 24.69% $6,083.20 $158,163.20
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL 19.29% 6,041.60 157,081.60
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH-RI-ME 24.80% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY 16.98% 5,924.80 154,044.80
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 25.10% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN 18.55% 6,004.00 156,104.00
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH 18.68% 6,010.40 156,270.40
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH 17.16% 5,933.60 154,273.60
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 20.67% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH 16.24% 5,887.20 153,067.20
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO 22.52% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 24.09% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT-MA 25.82% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Hawaii 16.51% 5,900.80 153,420.80
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX 28.71% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Huntsville-Decatur, AL 16.02% 5,876.00 152,776.00
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN 14.68% 5,808.00 151,008.00
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 27.16% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 20.79% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 18.10% 5,981.60 155,521.60
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI 20.96% 6,083.20 158,163.20
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 28.72% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD 21.79% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 16.76% 5,913.60 153,753.60
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA 16.37% 5,893.60 153,233.60
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA 20.35% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC 17.64% 5,957.60 154,897.60
Richmond, VA 16.47% 5,898.40 153,358.40
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, CA-NV 22.20% 6,083.20 158,163.20
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 24.19% 6,083.20 158,163.20
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 35.15% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 21.81% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA 24.22% 6,083.20 158,163.20
Rest of United States 14.16% 5,781.60 150,321.60
Not in a Locality Pay Area NA 5,700.00 148,200.00

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap.
  2. 2015 locality pay area definitions
  3. Locality rates for GS employees are capped at the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule (EX-IV), which is $158,700 in 2015. (See Note 4 for an explanation of why annual premium pay cap is different than the annual rate shown in applicable salary schedules.) Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above.
  4. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year. (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).) The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2015. The caps do not match the annual rates shown on applicable salary schedules. For example, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate in Washington, DC, is $158,700 (EX-IV cap), but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $158,163.20. Similarly, the EX V annual rate is $148,700, but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $148,200.00. However, some employees may have 27 biweekly salary payments in 2015. For these employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27.
  5. Effective January 1, 2014, section 1101 of Public Law 113-66, December 26, 2013, extended to calendar year 2014 only the authority provided in section 1101 of Public Law 110-417, October 14, 2008, as amended, for the head of an agency to waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547 for certain employees working overseas. Please see CPM 2014-04 for more information. We will notify agencies separately about any reauthorization for 2015 of the premium pay cap that may be applied to certain employees who perform work while in certain overseas locations.
  6. There is no authority under law to waive the annual premium pay limitation under section 5547, except as provided in Note 5 above.
  7. When the biweekly (or annual, if applicable) cap on premium pay is reached, employees may still be ordered to perform overtime work without receiving further compensation. (See Comptroller General Opinions: B-178117, May 1, 1973; B-229089, December 28, 1988; and B-240200, December 20, 1990.)

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2014

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $156,043 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $74.77 and a biweekly rate of $5,981.60 ($74.77 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Schedule Level V annual rate of $147,200 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $70.53 and a biweekly rate of $5,642.40 ($70.53 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly and annual premium pay caps for 2014 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2014.

Locality Pay Area
(see Note 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see Note 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see Notes 1 and 4)
Alaska 24.69% $6,022.40 $156,582.40
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL 19.29% 5,981.60 155,521.60
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH-RI-ME 24.80% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY 16.98% 5,865.60 152,505.60
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 25.10% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN 18.55% 5,944.80 154,564.80
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH 18.68% 5,951.20 154,731.20
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH 17.16% 5,874.40 152,734.40
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 20.67% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH 16.24% 5,828.80 151,548.80
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO 22.52% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 24.09% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT-MA 25.82% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Hawaii 16.51% 5,842.40 151,902.40
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX 28.71% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Huntsville-Decatur, AL 16.02% 5,817.60 151,257.60
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN 14.68% 5,750.40 149,510.40
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 27.16% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 20.79% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 18.10% 5,921.60 153,961.60
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI 20.96% 6,022.40 156,582.40
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 28.72% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD 21.79% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 16.76% 5,854.40 152,214.40
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA 16.37% 5,835.20 151,715.20
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA 20.35% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC 17.64% 5,899.20 153,379.20
Richmond, VA 16.47% 5,840.00 151,840.00
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, CA-NV 22.20% 6,022.40 156,582.40
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 24.19% 6,022.40 156,582.40
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 35.15% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 21.81% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA 24.22% 6,022.40 156,582.40
Rest of United States 14.16% 5,724.00 148,824.00
Not in a Locality Pay Area NA 5,642.40 146,702.40

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap.
  2. 2014 locality pay area definitions can be found here.
  3. Locality rates for GS employees are capped at the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule (EX-IV), which is $157,100 in 2014. (See Note 4 for an explanation of why annual premium pay cap is different than the annual rate shown in applicable salary schedules.) Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above.
  4. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year. (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).) The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2014. The caps do not match the annual rates shown on applicable salary schedules. For example, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate in Washington, DC, is $157,100 (EX-IV cap), but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $156,582.40. Similarly, the EX V annual rate is $147,200, but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $146,702.40. However, some employees may have 27 biweekly salary payments in 2014. For these employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27.
  5. Effective January 1, 2014, section 1101 of Public Law 113-66, December 26, 2013, extended to calendar year 2014 the authority provided in section 1101 of Public Law 110-417, October 14, 2008, as amended, for the head of an agency to waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547 for certain employees working overseas. Please see CPM 2014-04 for more information.
  6. There is no authority under law to waive the annual premium pay limitation under section 5547, except as provided in Note 5 above.
  7. When the biweekly (or annual, if applicable) cap on premium pay is reached, employees may still be ordered to perform overtime work without receiving further compensation. (See Comptroller General Opinions: B-178117, May 1, 1973; B-229089, December 28, 1988; and B-240200, December 20, 1990.)

Back to Top

2013

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $154,501 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $74.03 and a biweekly rate of $5,922.40 ($74.03 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Schedule Level V annual rate of $145,700 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $69.81 and a biweekly rate of $5,584.80 ($69.81 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly and annual premium pay caps for 2013 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2013.

Locality Pay Area
(see Note 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see Note 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see Notes 1 and 4)
Alaska 24.69% $5,960.80 $154,980.80
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL 19.29% 5,922.40 153,982.40
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH-RI-ME 24.80% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY 16.98% 5,808.00 151,008.00
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 25.10% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN 18.55% 5,885.60 153,025.60
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH 18.68% 5,892.00 153,192.00
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH 17.16% 5,816.80 151,236.80
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 20.67% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH 16.24% 5,771.20 150,051.20
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO 22.52% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 24.09% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT-MA 25.82% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Hawaii 16.51% 5,784.00 150,384.00
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX 28.71% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Huntsville-Decatur, AL 16.02% 5,760.00 149,760.00
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN 14.68% 5,693.60 148,033.60
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 27.16% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 20.79% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 18.10% 5,863.20 152,443.20
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI 20.96% 5,960.80 154,980.80
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 28.72% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD 21.79% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 16.76% 5,796.80 150,716.80
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA 16.37% 5,777.60 150,217.60
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA 20.35% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC 17.64% 5,840.80 151,860.80
Richmond, VA 16.47% 5,782.40 150,342.40
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, CA-NV 22.20% 5,960.80 154,980.80
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 24.19% 5,960.80 154,980.80
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 35.15% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 21.81% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA 24.22% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Rest of United States 14.16% 5,668.00 147,368.00
Not in a Locality Pay Area NA 5,584.80 145,204.80

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap.
  2. 2013 locality pay area definitions can be found here.
  3. Locality rates for GS employees are capped at the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule (EX-IV), which is $155,500 in 2013. (See Note 4 for an explanation of why annual premium pay cap is different than the annual rate shown in applicable salary schedules.) Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above.
  4. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year. (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).) The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2013. The caps do not match the annual rates shown on applicable salary schedules. For example, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate in Washington, DC, is $155,500 (EX-IV cap), but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $154,980.80. Similarly, the EX V annual rate is $145,700, but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $145,204.80. However, some employees may have 27 biweekly salary payments in 2013. For these employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27.
  5. Effective January 1, 2013, section 1101 of Public Law 112-239, January 2, 2013, extends to calendar year 2013 the authority provided in section 1101(a) of Public Law 110-417, October 14, 2008, as amended, for the head of an agency to waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547 for certain employees working overseas. Please see CPM 2013-04 for more information.
  6. There is no authority under law to waive the annual premium pay limitation under section 5547, except as provided in Note 5 above.
  7. When the biweekly (or annual, if applicable) cap on premium pay is reached, employees may still be ordered to perform overtime work without receiving further compensation. (See Comptroller General Opinions: B-178117, May 1, 1973; B-229089, December 28, 1988; and B-240200, December 20, 1990.)

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2012

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $154,501 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $74.03 and a biweekly rate of $5,922.40 ($74.03 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Schedule Level V annual rate of $145,700 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $69.81 and a biweekly rate of $5,584.80 ($69.81 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly and annual premium pay caps for 2012 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2012.

Locality Pay Area
(see Note 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see Note 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see Notes 1 and 4)
Alaska 24.69% $5,960.80 $154,980.80
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL 19.29% 5,922.40 153,982.40
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH-RI-ME 24.80% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY 16.98% 5,808.00 151,008.00
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 25.10% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN 18.55% 5,885.60 153,025.60
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH 18.68% 5,892.00 153,192.00
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH 17.16% 5,816.80 151,236.80
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 20.67% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH 16.24% 5,771.20 150,051.20
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO 22.52% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 24.09% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT-MA 25.82% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Hawaii 16.51% 5,784.00 150,384.00
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX 28.71% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Huntsville-Decatur, AL 16.02% 5,760.00 149,760.00
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN 14.68% 5,693.60 148,033.60
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 27.16% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 20.79% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 18.10% 5,863.20 152,443.20
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI 20.96% 5,960.80 154,980.80
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 28.72% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD 21.79% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 16.76% 5,796.80 150,716.80
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA 16.37% 5,777.60 150,217.60
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA 20.35% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC 17.64% 5,840.80 151,860.80
Richmond, VA 16.47% 5,782.40 150,342.40
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, CA-NV 22.20% 5,960.80 154,980.80
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 24.19% 5,960.80 154,980.80
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 35.15% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 21.81% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA 24.22% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Rest of United States 14.16% 5,668.00 147,368.00
Not in a Locality Pay Area NA 5,584.80 145,204.80

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap.
  2. 2012 locality pay area definitions can be found here.
  3. Locality rates for GS employees are capped at the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule (EX-IV), which is $155,500 in 2012. (See Note 4 for an explanation of why annual premium pay cap is different than the annual rate shown in applicable salary schedules.) Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above.
  4. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year. (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).) The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2012. The caps do not match the annual rates shown on applicable salary schedules. For example, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate in Washington, DC, is $155,500 (EX-IV cap), but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $154,980.80. Similarly, the EX V annual rate is $145,700, but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $145,204.80. However, some employees may have 27 biweekly salary payments in 2012. For these employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27.
  5. Effective January 1, 2012, section 1104 of Public Law 112-81, December 31, 2011, extends to calendar year 2012 the authority provided in section 1101(a) of Public Law 110-417, October 14, 2008, as amended by section 1103 of Public Law 111-383, January 7, 2011, for the head of an agency to waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547 for certain employees working overseas. Please see CPM 2012-02 and CPM 2012-05 for additional information.
  6. No exemptions have been granted to waive the annual premium pay limitation under section 5547 for any emergency situations, except as provided in note 5, above.
  7. When the biweekly (or annual, if applicable) cap on premium pay is reached, employees may still be ordered to perform overtime work without receiving further compensation. (See Comptroller General Opinions: B-178117, May 1, 1973; B-229089, December 28, 1988; and B-240200, December 20, 1990.)

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2011

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $154,501 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $74.03 and a biweekly rate of $5,922.40 ($74.03 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Schedule Level V annual rate of $145,700 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $69.81 and a biweekly rate of $5,584.80 ($69.81 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly premium pay caps for 2011 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2011.

Locality Pay Area
(see Note 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see Note 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see Notes 1 and 4)
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL 19.29% $5,922.40 $153,982.40
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH-RI-ME 24.80% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY 16.98% 5,808.00 151,008.00
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 25.10% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN 18.55% 5,885.60 153,025.60
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH 18.68% 5,892.00 153,192.00
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH 17.16% 5,816.80 151,236.80
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 20.67% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH 16.24% 5,771.20 150,051.20
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO 22.52% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 24.09% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT-MA 25.82% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX 28.71% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Huntsville-Decatur, AL 16.02% 5,760.00 149,760.00
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN 14.68% 5,693.60 148,033.60
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 27.16% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 20.79% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 18.10% 5,863.20 152,443.20
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI 20.96% 5,960.80 154,980.80
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 28.72% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD 21.79% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 16.76% 5,796.80 150,716.80
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA 16.37% 5,777.60 150,217.60
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA 20.35% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC 17.64% 5,840.80 151,860.80
Richmond, VA 16.47% 5,782.40 150,342.40
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, CA-NV 22.20% 5,960.80 154,980.80
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 24.19% 5,960.80 154,980.80
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 35.15% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 21.81% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA 24.22% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Rest of United States 14.16% 5,668.00 147,368.00
Alaska 16.46% 5,781.60 150,321.60
Hawaii 11.01% 5,584.80 145,204.80
Other Nonforeign Areas listed in 5 CFR 591.205 9.44% 5,584.80 145,204.80
Not in a Locality Pay Area NA 5,584.80 145,204.80

 

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap.
  2. 2011 locality pay area definitions can be found here.
  3. Locality rates for GS employees are capped at the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule (EX-IV), which is $155,500 in 2011. (See Note 4 for an explanation of why annual premium pay cap is different than the annual rate shown in applicable salary schedules.) Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above.
  4. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year. (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).) The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2011. The caps do not match the annual rates shown on applicable salary schedules. For example, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate in Washington, DC, is $155,500 (EX-IV cap), but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $154,980.80. Similarly, the EX-V annual rate is $145,700, but the corresponding annual premium pay cap based on 26 payments is $145,204.80. However, some employees may have 27 biweekly salary payments in 2011. For these employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27.
  5. Effective January 1, 2011, section 1103 of Public Law 111-383 (Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011) extends to calendar year 2011 the authority provided in section 1101(a) of the Duncan Hunter National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 (Public Law 110-417, October 14, 2008), as amended by section 1106 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84, October 28, 2009), for the head of an agency to waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547.
    This waiver authority applies to certain civilian employees who perform work while in an overseas location that (1) is in the area of responsibility of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) or (2) was formerly in the CENTCOM area of responsibility but has been moved to the area of responsibility of the Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). The overseas work must meet one of two additional qualifying conditions: (1) performance of work in direct support of or directly related to a military operation (including a contingency operation as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13)), or (2) performance of work in direct support of or directly related to an operation in response to an emergency declared by the President.
    The annual limitation on basic pay and premium pay allowed under the waiver authority is $230,700 in calendar year 2011 (the annual rate of salary payable to the Vice President under 3 U.S.C. 104). Subsection 1101(b) also provides the aggregate limitation on pay under 5 U.S.C. 5307 will not apply to an employee in calendar year 2011 if the employee is granted a waiver under subsection 1101(a) of the normally applicable premium pay limitations.
  6. No exemptions have been granted to waive the annual premium pay limitation under section 5547 for any emergency situations, except as provided in note 5, above.
  7. When the biweekly (or annual, if applicable) cap on premium pay is reached, employees may still be ordered to perform overtime work without receiving further compensation. (See Comptroller General Opinions: B-178117, May 1, 1973; B-229089, December 28, 1988; and B-240200, December 20, 1990.)

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2010

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $154,501 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $74.03 and a biweekly rate of $5,922.40 ($74.03 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Schedule Level V annual rate of $145,700 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $69.81 and a biweekly rate of $5,584.80 ($69.81 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly premium pay caps for 2010 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2010.

Locality Pay Area
(see NOTE 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see NOTE 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see NOTES 1 and 4)
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL 19.29% $5,922.40 $153,982.40
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH-RI-ME 24.80% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY 16.98% 5,808.00 151,008.00
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 25.10% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN 18.55% 5,885.60 153,025.60
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH 18.68% 5,892.00 153,192.00
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH 17.16% 5,816.80 151,236.80
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 20.67% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH 16.24% 5,771.20 150,051.20
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO 22.52% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 24.09% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT-MA 25.82% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX 28.71% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Huntsville-Decatur, AL 16.02% 5,760.00 149,760.00
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN 14.68% 5,693.60 148,033.60
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 27.16% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 20.79% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 18.10% 5,863.20 152,443.20
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI 20.96% 5,960.80 154,980.80
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 28.72% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD 21.79% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 16.76% 5,796.80 150,716.80
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA 16.37% 5,777.60 150,217.60
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA 20.35% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC 17.64% 5,840.80 151,860.80
Richmond, VA 16.47% 5,782.40 150,342.40
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, CA-NV 22.20% 5,960.80 154,980.80
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 24.19% 5,960.80 154,980.80
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 35.15% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 21.81% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA 24.22% 5,960.80 154,980.80
Rest of United States 14.16% 5,668.00 147,368.00
Alaska 4.72% 5,584.80 145,204.80
Hawaii 4.72% 5,584.80 145,204.80
Other Nonforeign Areas listed in 5 CFR 591.205 4.72% 5,584.80 145,204.80
Not in a Locality Pay Area NA 5,584.80 145,204.80

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap.Back to text following note 1
  2. See 5 CFR 531.603(b) and the OPM website for definitions of locality pay areas.
  3. Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above. Back to text following note 3
  4. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year. (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).) The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2010. However, some employees may have 27 biweekly salary payments in 2010. For these employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27.Back to text following note 4
  5. Under section 1106 of Public Law 111-84, the head of an agency may waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547 in calendar year 2010 for an employee who performs work while in an overseas location that (1) is in the area of responsibility of the Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) or (2) was formerly in the CENTCOM area of responsibility but has been moved to the area of responsibility of the Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). The overseas work must meet one of two additional qualifying conditions: (1) performance of work in direct support of or directly related to a military operation (including a contingency operation as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13)) or (2) performance of work in direct support of or directly related to an operation in response to an emergency declared by the President. Under the waiver authority, a covered employee may receive premium pay in calendar year 2010 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 2010 to exceed $230,700.
  6. No exemptions have been granted to waive the annual premium pay limitation under section 5547 for any emergency situations, except as provided in note 5, above.
  7. When the biweekly (or annual, if applicable) cap on premium pay is reached, employees may still be ordered to perform overtime work without receiving further compensation. (See Comptroller General Opinions: B-178117, May 1, 1973; B-229089, December 28, 1988; and B-240200, December 20, 1990.)

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2009

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $151,275 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $72.48 and a biweekly rate of $5,798.40 ($72.48 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Schedule Level V annual rate of $143,500 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $68.76 and a biweekly rate of $5,500.80 ($68.76 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly premium pay caps for 2009 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2009.

Locality Pay Area
(see NOTE 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see NOTE 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see NOTES 1 and 4)
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL 18.55% $5,798.40 $150,758.40
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH-RI-ME 23.98% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY 16.39% 5,692.80 148,012.80
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 24.47% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN 18.28% 5,785.60 150,425.60
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH 18.16% 5,780.00 150,280.00
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH 16.62% 5,704.00 148,304.00
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 19.95% 5,867.20 152,547.20
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH 15.90% 5,668.80 147,388.80
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO 22.03% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 23.56% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT-MA 25.08% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX 28.28% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Huntsville-Decatur, AL 15.46% 5,648.00 146,848.00
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN 14.23% 5,587.20 145,267.20
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 26.51% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 20.21% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 17.65% 5,754.40 149,614.40
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI 20.36% 5,872.80 152,692.80
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 27.96% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD 21.25% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 16.08% 5,677.60 147,617.60
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA 15.86% 5,667.20 147,347.20
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA 19.71% 5,855.20 152,235.20
Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC 17.38% 5,741.60 149,281.60
Richmond, VA 16.10% 5,679.20 147,659.20
Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Yuba City, CA-NV 21.53% 5,872.80 152,692.80
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 23.44% 5,872.80 152,692.80
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 34.35% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 21.06% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA 23.10% 5,872.80 152,692.80
Rest of United States 13.86% 5,569.60 144,809.60
Outside Continental United States NA 5,500.80 143,020.80

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap.Back to text following note 1
  2. See 5 CFR 531.603(b) and the OPM website for definitions of locality pay areas.
  3. Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above. Since both locality rates and special rates may not exceed level IV of the Executive Schedule ($153,200 annual rate, $5,872.80 biweekly rate), the highest possible biweekly cap is $5,872.80.Back to text following note 3
  4. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year. (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).) The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2009. However, some employees may have 27 biweekly salary payments in 2009. For these employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27. Back to text following note 4
  5. Under section 1101(a) of Public Law 110-417, the head of an agency may waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547 in calendar year 2009 for an employee who performs work while in an overseas location that (1) is in the area of responsibility of the Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) or (2) was formerly in the CENTCOM area of responsibility but has been moved to the area of responsibility of the Commander of the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM). The qualifying overseas work must meet one of two additional qualifying conditions: (1) performance of work in direct support of or directly related to a military operation (including a contingency operation as defined in 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13)) or (2) performance of work in direct support of or directly related to an operation in response to an emergency declared by the President. Under the waiver authority, a covered employee may receive premium pay in calendar year 2009 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 2009 to exceed $227,300.(See CPM 2008-19.)

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2008

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Atlanta, GA, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $145,464 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $69.70 and a biweekly rate of $5,576.00 ($69.70 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Level V annual rate of $139,600 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $66.89 and a biweekly rate of $5,351.20 ($66.89 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly premium pay caps for 2008 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2008.

Locality Pay Area
(see NOTE 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see NOTE 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments (see NOTES 1 and 4)
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL 17.30% $5,576.00 $144,976.00
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH-RI-ME 22.51% 5,711.20 148,491.20
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY 15.37% 5,484.00 142,584.00
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 23.16% 5,711.20 148,491.20
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN 17.77% 5,598.40 145,558.40
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH 17.11% 5,567.20 144,747.20
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH 15.80% 5,504.80 143,124.80
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 18.74% 5,644.80 146,764.80
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH 15.26% 5,479.20 142,459.20
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO 21.03% 5,711.20 148,491.20
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 22.53% 5,711.20 148,491.20
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT-MA 23.97% 5,711.20 148,491.20
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX 27.39% 5,711.20 148,491.20
Huntsville-Decatur, AL 14.23% 5,430.40 141,190.40
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN 13.51% 5,396.00 140,296.00
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 25.26% 5,711.20 148,491.20
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL 19.11% 5,662.40 147,222.40
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 16.73% 5,548.80 144,268.80
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI 19.43% 5,677.60 147,617.60
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 26.36% 5,711.20 148,491.20
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD 20.14% 5,711.20 148,491.20
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 14.74% 5,454.40 141,814.40
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA 14.93% 5,463.20 142,043.20
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA 18.72% 5,643.20 146,723.20
Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC 16.82% 5,552.80 144,372.80
Richmond, VA 15.40% 5,485.60 142,625.60
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Yuba City, CA-NV 20.25% 5,711.20 148,491.20
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 22.00% 5,711.20 148,491.20
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 32.53% 5,711.20 148,491.20
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 19.75% 5,692.80 148,012.80
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV-PA 20.89% 5,711.20 148,491.20
Rest of United States 13.18% 5,380.00 139,880.00
Outside Continental United States NA 5,351.20 139,131.20

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See NOTE 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap.
  2. See 5 CFR 531.603(b) and the OPM website for definitions of locality pay areas.
  3. Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in the table above. Since both locality rates and special rates may not exceed level IV of the Executive Schedule ($149,000 annual rate, $5,711.20 biweekly rate), the highest possible biweekly cap is $5,711.20.
  4. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year. (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).) The annual caps listed in the table above apply to employees with 26 biweekly salary payments in 2008. However, based on the payroll schedule of their servicing payroll provider, some employees will have 27 biweekly salary payments in 2008. For these employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27.
  5. Under section 1105 of Public Law 109-163, as amended, the head of an agency may waive the premium pay cap provisions under 5 U.S.C. 5547 in calendar year 2008 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)) or an operation in response to an emergency declared by the President. Under the waiver authority, a covered employee may receive premium pay in calendar year 2008 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 2008 to exceed $212,100. (See CPM 2008-04.)

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2007

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum 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) the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Washington, DC, the GS-15, step 10, annual locality rate of $143,471 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $68.75 and a biweekly rate of $5,500 ($68.75 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Level V annual rate of $136,200 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $65.26 and a biweekly rate of $5,220.80 ($65.26 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly premium pay caps for 2007 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2007.

Locality Pay Area
(see NOTE 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the
Executive Schedule (see NOTE 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Cap Assuming 26 Biweekly Salary Payments
(see NOTE 4)
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Gainesville, GA-AL 15.89% $5,374.40 $139,734.40
Boston-Worcester-Manchester, MA-NH-ME-RI 20.97% 5,573.60 144,913.60
Buffalo-Niagara-Cattaraugus, NY 14.15% 5,293.60 137,633.60
Chicago-Naperville-Michigan City, IL-IN-WI 21.79% 5,573.60 144,913.60
Cincinnati-Middletown-Wilmington, OH-KY-IN 17.38% 5,443.20 141,523.20
Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, OH 15.96% 5,377.60 139,817.60
Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH 15.00% 5,332.80 138,652.80
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX 17.34% 5,441.60 141,481.60
Dayton-Springfield-Greenville, OH 14.27% 5,299.20 137,779.20
Denver-Aurora-Boulder, CO 20.02% 5,565.60 144,705.60
Detroit-Warren-Flint, MI 21.53% 5,573.60 144,913.60
Hartford-West Hartford-Willimantic, CT-MA 22.44% 5,573.60 144,913.60
Houston-Baytown-Huntsville, TX 26.65% 5,573.60 144,913.60
Huntsville-Decatur, AL 13.60% 5,268.00 136,968.00
Indianapolis-Anderson-Columbus, IN 13.00% 5,240.80 136,260.80
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Riverside, CA 24.03% 5,573.60 144,913.60
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach, FL 18.30% 5,486.40 142,646.40
Milwaukee-Racine-Waukesha, WI 15.54% 5,358.40 139,318.40
Minneapolis-St. Paul-St. Cloud, MN-WI 18.17% 5,480.00 142,480.00
New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA 24.57% 5,573.60 144,913.60
Philadelphia-Camden-Vineland, PA-NJ-DE-MD 18.85% 5,512.00 143,312.00
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ 13.22% 5,250.40 136,510.40
Pittsburgh-New Castle, PA 14.16% 5,294.40 137,654.40
Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA 17.63% 5,455.20 141,835.20
Raleigh-Durham-Cary, NC 16.18% 5,388.00 140,088.00
Richmond, VA 14.41% 5,305.60 137,945.60
Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Truckee, CA-NV 18.99% 5,518.40 143,478.40
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 20.34% 5,573.60 144,913.60
San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA 30.33% 5,573.60 144,913.60
Seattle-Tacoma-Olympia, WA 18.58% 5,499.20 142,979.20
Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-PA-VA-WV 18.59% 5,500.00 143,000.00
Rest of United States 12.64% 5,224.00 135,824.00
Outside Continental United States NA 5,220.80 135,740.80

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See Note 4 regarding the method of computing the annual premium pay cap.
  2. See 5 CFR 531.603(b) and the OPM website for definitions of locality pay areas.
  3. Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in this chart. Since both locality rates and special rates may not exceed level IV of the Executive Schedule ($145,400 annual rate, $5,573.60 biweekly rate), the highest possible biweekly cap is $5,573.60.
  4. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year (26 in 2007 for most employees). (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).) Based on the payroll schedule of their agencies' servicing payroll provider, some employees will have 27 biweekly salary payments in 2007. For these employees, the applicable annual cap is equal to the applicable biweekly rate multiplied by 27.
  5. 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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2006

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum of basic pay and premium pay for the pay period does not exceed the greater of the biweekly rate for (1) GS-15, step 10 (including any applicable locality payment or special rate supplement), or (2) level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable scheduled annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Washington, DC, the GS-15, step 10, scheduled annual locality rate of $139,774 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $66.97 and a biweekly rate of $5,357.60 ($66.97 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Level V annual rate of $133,900 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $64.16 and a biweekly rate of $5,132.80 ($64.16 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly premium pay caps for 2006 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2006.

Locality Pay Area
(see NOTE 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the
Executive Schedule (see NOTE 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Rate
(see NOTE 4)
Atlanta 15.10% $5,248.80 $136,468.80
Boston 19.99% 5,471.20 142,251.20
Buffalo 13.52% 5,176.80 134,596.80
Chicago 21.15% 5,481.60 142,521.60
Cincinnati 17.08% 5,338.40 138,798.40
Cleveland 15.41% 5,262.40 136,822.40
Columbus, OH 14.85% 5,236.80 136,156.80
Dallas-Ft. Worth 16.39% 5,307.20 137,987.20
Dayton 13.83% 5,190.40 134,950.40
Denver 19.49% 5,448.80 141,668.80
Detroit 21.00% 5,481.60 142,521.60
Hartford 21.30% 5,481.60 142,521.60
Houston 26.37% 5,481.60 142,521.60
Huntsville 13.35% 5,168.80 134,388.80
Indianapolis 12.85% 5,145.60 133,785.60
Los Angeles 23.18% 5,481.60 142,521.60
Miami 17.84% 5,373.60 139,713.60
Milwaukee 14.74% 5,232.00 136,032.00
Minneapolis-St. Paul 17.31% 5,349.60 139,089.60
New York 22.97% 5,481.60 142,521.60
Philadelphia 18.04% 5,382.40 139,942.40
Phoenix 12.65% 5,136.80 133,556.80
Pittsburgh 13.81% 5,189.60 134,929.60
Portland, OR 17.16% 5,342.40 138,902.40
Raleigh 15.57% 5,269.60 137,009.60
Richmond 14.15% 5,204.80 135,324.80
Sacramento 17.91% 5,376.80 139,796.80
San Diego 19.19% 5,435.20 141,315.20
San Jose-San Francisco 28.68% 5,481.60 142,521.60
Seattle 17.93% 5,377.60 139,817.60
Washington, DC 17.50% 5,357.60 139,297.60
Rest of United States 12.52% 5,132.80 133,452.80
Outside Continental U.S. NA 5,132.80 133,452.80

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) See Note 4 regarding method of computing the annual premium pay cap.
  2. See 5 CFR 531.603(b) and the OPM website for definitions of locality pay areas.
  3. Certain special rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in this chart.
  4. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year (26 in 2006). (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).)

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2005

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum of basic pay and premium pay for the pay period does not exceed the greater of the biweekly rate for (1) GS-15, step 10 (including any applicable locality payment or special rate supplement), or (2) level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTE 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable scheduled annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Washington, DC, the GS-15, step 10, scheduled annual locality rate of $135,136 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $64.75 and a biweekly rate of $5,180.00 ($64.75 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Level V annual rate of $131,400 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $62.96 and a biweekly rate of $5,036.80 ($62.96 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly premium pay caps for 2005 by locality pay area. These caps become effective as of the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2005.

Locality Pay Area
(see NOTE 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the
Executive Schedule (see NOTE 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Rate
Atlanta 13.87% $5,085.60 $132,678
Boston 18.49% 5,292.00 138,061
Chicago 19.70% 5,346.40 139,471
Cincinnati 16.04% 5,182.40 135,206
Cleveland 14.24% 5,102.40 133,109
Columbus, OH 13.98% 5,090.40 132,806
Dallas-Ft. Worth 15.07% 5,139.20 134,076
Dayton 12.86% 5,040.80 131,501
Denver 18.06% 5,272.80 137,560
Detroit 19.67% 5,344.80 139,436
Hartford 19.52% 5,338.40 139,261
Houston 24.77% 5,378.40 140,300
Huntsville 12.42% 5,036.80 131,400
Indianapolis 12.01% 5,036.80 131,400
Kansas City 12.36% 5,036.80 131,400
Los Angeles 21.65% 5,378.40 140,300
Miami 16.77% 5,215.20 136,057
Milwaukee 13.62% 5,074.40 132,387
Minneapolis-St. Paul 15.99% 5,180.80 135,148
New York 20.99% 5,378.40 140,300
Orlando 11.75% 5,036.80 131,400
Philadelphia 16.67% 5,211.20 135,940
Pittsburgh 12.86% 5,040.80 131,501
Portland, OR 15.93% 5,177.60 135,078
Richmond 13.15% 5,053.60 131,839
Sacramento 16.51% 5,204.00 135,754
St. Louis 12.09% 5,036.80 131,400
San Diego 17.68% 5,256.00 137,117
San Jose-San Francisco 26.39% 5,378.40 140,300
Seattle 16.53% 5,204.80 135,777
Washington, DC 15.98% 5,180.00 135,136
Rest of United States 11.72% 5,036.80 131,400
Outside Continental U.S. NA 5,036.80 131,400

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission-critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.) Please note that the applicable annual rate in this table is not the annual premium pay cap. The amount of the annual premium pay cap is computed by multiplying the applicable biweekly rate by the number of biweekly salary payments in the given year (26 or 27). (See 5 CFR 550.106(d).)
  2. See 5 CFR 531.603(b) and the OPM website for definitions of locality pay areas.
  3. Effective May 1, 2005, the cap on special salary rates under 5 U.S.C. 5305 increased to the rate for level IV of the Executive Schedule. (See section 301 of Public Law 108-411.) The biweekly premium pay cap for certain special rate employees may have increased at that time. Thus, certain special salary rate employees may have a higher biweekly premium pay pay cap at GS-15, step 10, than that shown in this chart.

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2004

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule (GS) employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum of basic pay and premium pay for the pay period does not exceed the greater of the biweekly rate for (1) GS-15, step 10 (including any applicable special salary rate or locality rate), or (2) level V of the Executive Schedule. (See Note 1.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable scheduled annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Los Angeles, the GS-15, step 10, scheduled annual locality rate of $136,466 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $65.39 and a biweekly rate of $5,231.20 ($65.39 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Level V annual rate of $128,200 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $61.43 and a biweekly rate of $4,914.40 ($61.43 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly premium pay caps for 2004 by locality pay area. These caps are effective as of the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2004.

Locality Pay Area
(see Note 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see Note 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Rate
Atlanta 12.61% $4,914.40 $128,200
Boston 16.99% 5,097.60 132,987
Chicago 18.26% 5,152.80 134,431
Cincinnati 15.07% 5,014.40 130,805
Cleveland 13.14% 4,929.60 128,611
Columbus, OH 13.14% 4,929.60 128,611
Dallas-Ft. Worth 13.85% 4,960.80 129,418
Dayton 12.03% 4,914.40 128,200
Denver 16.66% 5,083.20 132,612
Detroit 18.32% 5,156.00 134,499
Hartford 17.87% 5,136.00 133,988
Houston 23.14% 5,248.00 136,900
Huntsville 11.49% 4,914.40 128,200
Indianapolis 11.11% 4,914.40 128,200
Kansas City 11.54% 4,914.40 128,200
Los Angeles 20.05% 5,231.20 136,466
Miami 15.54% 5,034.40 131,339
Milwaukee 12.64% 4,914.40 128,200
Minneapolis-St. Paul 14.75% 5,000.00 130,441
New York 19.29% 5,197.60 135,602
Orlando 10.93% 4,914.40 128,200
Philadelphia 15.32% 5,024.80 131,089
Pittsburgh 11.92% 4,914.40 128,200
Portland, OR 14.69% 4,997.60 130,373
Richmond 12.13% 4,914.40 128,200
Sacramento 15.18% 5,019.20 130,930
St. Louis 11.27% 4,914.40 128,200
San Diego 16.16% 5,061.60 132,044
San Francisco 24.21% 5,248.00 136,900
Seattle 15.12% 5,016.00 130,862
Washington, DC 14.63% 4,995.20 130,305
Rest of United States 10.90% 4,914.40 128,200
Outside Continental U.S. NA 4,914.40 128,200

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106 - 550.107.)
  2. See 5 CFR 531.603(b) and the OPM website for definitions of locality pay areas.
  3. Under current law, special salary rates under both title 5 (established by OPM under 5 U.S.C. 5305) and title 38 (established by the Department of Veterans Affairs under 38 U.S.C. 7455) are capped at the rate for level V of the Executive Schedule. Thus, no GS 15, step 10, special salary rate will produce a cap higher than that shown in the above chart.

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2003

(Revised to Reflect the Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, Public Law 108-7, February 20, 2003 )

Under 5 U.S.C. 5547(a) and 5 CFR 550.105, General Schedule employees and other covered employees may receive certain types of premium pay for a biweekly pay period only to the extent that the sum of basic pay and premium pay for the pay period does not exceed the greater of the biweekly rate for (1) GS-15, step 10 (including any applicable locality rate or special salary rate), or (2) level V of the Executive Schedule. (See NOTES 1 and 2.) The biweekly rate is computed by (1) dividing the applicable scheduled annual rate by 2,087 hours, (2) rounding the resulting hourly rate to the nearest cent, and (3) multiplying the hourly rate by 80 hours. For example, in Los Angeles, the GS-15, step 10, scheduled annual locality rate of $130,284 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $62.43 and a biweekly rate of $4,994.40 ($62.43 x 80 hours). Similarly, the Executive Level V annual rate of $125,400 divided by 2,087 hours yields an hourly rate of $60.09 and a biweekly rate of $4,807.20 ($60.09 x 80 hours).

The table below provides the biweekly cap amounts for 2003 by locality pay area. These caps are effective as of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2003.

Locality Pay Area
(see Note 2)		Locality Pay PercentageGreater of the GS-15, Step 10, Locality Rate or Level V of the Executive Schedule (see Note 3)
Biweekly CapApplicable Annual Rate
Atlanta 10.85% $4,807.20 $125,400
Boston 15.00% 4,879.20 127,284
Boston (LEO 1) 16.00% 4,921.60 128,391
Boston (LEO 2) 15.00% 4,879.20 127,284
Chicago 16.15% 4,928.00 128,557
Cincinnati 13.44% 4,812.80 125,558
Cleveland 11.50% 4,807.20 125,400
Columbus, OH 11.78% 4,807.20 125,400
Dallas-Ft. Worth 12.10% 4,807.20 125,400
Dayton 10.67% 4,807.20 125,400
Denver 14.77% 4,869.60 127,030
Detroit 16.27% 4,932.80 128,690
Hartford 15.56% 4,903.20 127,904
Houston 20.53% 5,113.60 133,405
Huntsville 10.06% 4,807.20 125,400
Indianapolis 9.83% 4,807.20 125,400
Kansas City 10.26% 4,807.20 125,400
Los Angeles 17.71% 4,994.40 130,284
Miami 13.81% 4,828.80 125,967
Milwaukee 11.20% 4,807.20 125,400
Minneapolis-St. Paul 12.84% 4,807.20 125,400
New York (see Note 5) 16.83% 4,956.80 129,310
Orlando 9.65% 4,807.20 125,400
Philadelphia 13.43% 4,812.80 125,547
Pittsburgh 10.52% 4,807.20 125,400
Portland 12.97% 4,807.20 125,400
Richmond 10.75% 4,807.20 125,400
Sacramento 13.29% 4,807.20 125,400
St. Louis 9.99% 4,807.20 125,400
San Diego 14.07% 4,840.00 126,255
San Francisco 21.08% 5,136.80 134,000
Seattle 13.11% 4,807.20 125,400
Washington, DC 12.74% 4,807.20 125,400
Rest of U.S. 9.62% 4,807.20 125,400
Outside Continental U.S. NA 4,807.20 125,400

Notes:

  1. In certain emergency or mission-critical situations, an agency may apply an annual premium pay cap instead of a biweekly premium pay cap, subject to the conditions provided in law and regulation. (See 5 U.S.C. 5547(b) and 5 CFR 550.106-550.107.)
  2. Section 1114 of Public Law 107-107 (December 28, 2001) amended 5 U.S.C. 5547 effective on the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after April 27, 2002. On April 19, 2002, OPM issued interim regulations implementing this new law and revising 5 CFR 550.105-550.107. The interim regulations may be viewed as a PDF .
  3. See 5 CFR 531.603(b) for definitions of locality pay areas.
  4. Under current law, special salary rates under both title 5 (established by OPM under 5 U.S.C. 5305) and title 38 (established by the Veterans Administration under 38 U.S.C. 7455) are capped at the rate for level V of the Executive Schedule. Thus, no GS-15, step 10, special salary rate will produce a cap higher than that shown in the above chart.
  5. The locality pay percentage for New York in 2003 (16.83 percent) is higher than the special LEO geographic pay adjustment of 16 percent. Therefore, LEOs in the New York locality pay area are entitled to receive the higher locality pay percentage (16.83 percent). The LEO special geographical adjustment in New York was terminated retroactively as of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2003.

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Fact Sheets

The fact sheets below provide information on various topics concerning pay administration for Federal employees covered under title 5 of the United States Code and title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

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FAQs

  • What is a quality step increase (QSI) and how does it affect a within-grade increase? View more
    A QSI is a faster-than-normal WGI used to reward employees at any GS grade level who display high quality performance. To be eligible for a QSI, employees must:
    • be below step 10 of their grade level;
    • have received the highest rating available under their performance appraisal system;
    • have demonstrated sustained performance of high quality; and
    • have not received a QSI within the preceding 52 consecutive calendar weeks.
    A QSI does not affect the timing of an employee's next regular WGI unless the QSI places the employee in step 4 or step 7 of his or her grade. In these cases, the employee becomes subject to the full waiting period for the new step--i.e., 104 weeks or 156 weeks, respectively--and the time an employee has already waited counts towards the next increase. The employee receives the full benefit of receiving a WGI at an earlier date and has not lost any time creditable towards his or her next WGI.See 5 U.S.C. 5336, 5 CFR part 531, subpart E, and http://www.opm.gov/perform/articles/1999/apr99-7.asp for additional information on QSIs.
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  • How do I get a copy of my 1099R? View more
    Use Services Online (Retirement Services) to:
    • start, change, or stop Federal and State income tax withholdings;
    • request a duplicate tax-filing statement (1099R);
    • change your Personal Identification Number (PIN) for accessing our automated systems;
    • establish, change, or stop an allotment to an organization;
    • change your mailing address;
    • start direct deposit of your payment or change the account or financial institution to which your payment is sent;
    • establish, change, or stop a checking or savings allotment; and
    • view a statement describing your annuity payment.
    You can also call our toll-free number 1 (888) 767-6738 , for these and many of your voluntary withholdings. When using self-service systems, you need your claim number, Personal Identification Number (PIN), and social security number. If you do not have a PIN, call us. If you do not have a touchtone telephone, you can speak to a Customer Service Specialist. Generally, in the middle of month, we authorize payments that are due for the first business day of the following month. Therefore, if you want your change to be reflected in your next payment, you should submit your request as early in the month as possible. See our payment schedule for the last date you can change your next monthly payment.
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  • What are within-grade increases or step increases? View more
    Within-grade increases (WGIs) or step increases are periodic increases in a General Schedule (GS) employee's rate of basic pay from one step of the grade of his or her position to the next higher step of that grade. For WGI purposes, an employee's rate of basic pay is the rate of pay fixed by law or administrative action for the position held by the employee before any deductions and exclusive of additional pay of any kind.(Note: Employees designated as "GM" whose rate of basic pay is less than the maximum rate of their grade also may receive WGIs. See 5 CFR part 531, subpart D, for additional information.)
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  • What are the required waiting periods for WGIs, and when do the WGI waiting periods begin? View more
    See the fact sheet on General Schedule Within-Grade Increases for the required waiting periods for advancement to the next higher step of a GS grade for employees with a scheduled tour of duty. (See 5 CFR 531.405(a)(2) for the required waiting periods for employees without a scheduled tour of duty.) A WGI waiting period begins upon (1) first appointment in the Federal service, (2) receiving an "equivalent increase," or (3) after a period of nonpay status and/or a break in service in excess of 52 calendar weeks. Fact sheet available at http://www.opm.gov/oca/pay/html/wgifact.asp
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  • What are Federal holidays? View more
    The following Federal holidays are established by law (5 U.S.C. 6103):
    • New Year's Day (January 1).
    • Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Third Monday in January).
    • Washington's Birthday (Third Monday in February).
    • Memorial Day (Last Monday in May).
    • Independence Day (July 4).
    • Labor Day (First Monday in September).
    • Columbus Day (Second Monday in October).
    • Veterans Day (November 11).
    • Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday in November).
    • Christmas Day (December 25).
    For information on the observation of these holidays within Federal employee work schedules, please see the Federal holidays fact sheet at http://www.opm.gov/oca/WORKSCH/HTML/HOLIDAY.asp.
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  • Who is eligible to receive student loan repayment benefits? View more
    Any employee (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 2105) who is highly qualified is eligible to receive a student loan repayment, except those employees who currently occupy or will occupy a position excepted from the competitive service because of its confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character (e.g., employees serving under Schedule C appointments). Under 5 CFR 537.104, agencies may offer student loan repayment benefits to recruit a highly qualified job candidate or retain a highly qualified employee who, during the service period established under a service agreement, will be serving under (1) an appointment other than a time-limited appointment or (2) a time-limited appointment if-
    • The employee (or job candidate) will have at least 3 years remaining under the appointment after the beginning of the service period; or  
    • The time-limited appointment authority leads to conversion to another appointment of sufficient duration so that his or her employment with the agency is projected to last for at least 3 additional years after the beginning of the service period.
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  • May an employee on active duty or active/inactive duty training choose to use annual leave, military leave, earned compensatory time off for travel, or sick leave intermittently with leave without pay (LWOP) each pay period? View more
    Yes. OPM's regulations at 5 CFR 353.208 implementing the Uniformed Service Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) state that an employee performing service with the uniformed services must be permitted, upon request, to use any accrued annual leave, military leave, earned compensatory time off for travel, or accrued sick leave (consistent with the statutory and regulatory criteria for using sick leave), during such service. An employee is entitled to use annual leave, military leave, earned compensatory time off for travel, or sick leave intermittently with leave without pay while on active duty or active/inactive duty training.
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  • What is considered an "equivalent increase" for GS employees? View more
    An "equivalent increase" is considered to occur at the time of any of the following personnel actions:
    • A within-grade increase, excluding (1) a quality step increase granted under 5 CFR part 531, subpart E, or (2) an interim WGI if that increase is later terminated under 5 CFR 531.414;
    • A promotion (permanent or temporary) to a higher grade, including the promotion of an employee receiving a retained rate under 5 CFR 359.705 or 5 CFR part 536 that does not result in a pay increase, but excluding (1) a temporary promotion if, at the end of that temporary promotion, the employee is returned to the grade from which promoted, or (2) a promotion to a higher-graded supervisory or managerial position when the employee does not satisfactorily complete a probationary period established under 5 U.S.C. 3321(a)(2) and is returned to a position at the lower grade held before promotion;
    • Application of the maximum payable rate rule in 5 CFR 531.221 that results in a higher step rate within the employee's GS grade (or an increase for a GM employee to the next higher rate within the grade), except for application of that rule in a demotion to the extent that the employee's rate of basic pay after demotion does not exceed the lowest step rate that equals or exceeds the employee's rate of basic pay immediately before the demotion (see the Note below for an example);
    • Application of the superior qualifications and special needs pay-setting authority in 5 CFR 531.212 that results in a higher step rate within the employee's GS grade (or an increase for a GM employee to the next higher rate within the grade); or
    • Application of the qualifications pay authority in 5 U.S.C. 9814 to an employee of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, when the employee fulfills the 1-year service requirement in the position for which qualifications pay was received or in a successor position.
    Note: For example, in 2009 a GS-13, step 3, employee ($75,323 GS rate) accepts a voluntary demotion to a GS-12 position. The agency sets her pay using the maximum payable rate rule at GS-12, step 10 ($77,194 GS rate). The increase in pay is not an equivalent increase because the employee's pay was set at the lowest step that exceeded her rate of basic pay before promotion.For information on equivalent increases for non-GS employees who move to the GS pay system, see Q10, which includes an example for an employee moving to the GS pay system from the Department of Defense (DoD) National Security Personnel System (NSPS).
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  • When should agencies use the standard method for the two-step promotion rule? View more
    Agencies must use the standard method when an employee is covered by the same pay schedules before and after promotion. For example, an employee may be covered by the same locality rate schedule before and after promotion. See Promotion Examples 7 and 9-14.Also, agencies should use the standard method when an employee is covered by different pay schedules before and after promotion if the standard method produces a higher payable rate upon promotion than the alternate method.  See Promotion Examples 2, 4, 6, and 8. However, an agency may determine it is inappropriate to use the standard method under 5 CFR 531.214(d)(2)(iii).
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  • Who receives the actual loan repayment check? View more
    The employing agency makes student loan payments directly to the loan holder.  Student loan payments are not paid to employees.
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Total Count: 363, Number of Pages: 37, Page: 1

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