[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 20, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12207-12208]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05611]
[[Page 12207]]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
January 2018 Pay Schedules
AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The President has signed an Executive order to implement the
January 2018 pay adjustments for certain Federal civilian employees.
The Executive order authorizes a 1.4 percent across-the-board increase
for statutory pay systems and locality pay increases costing
approximately 0.5 percent of basic payroll, reflecting an overall
average pay increase of 1.9 percent. This notice serves as
documentation for the public record.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristen Foy, Pay and Leave, Employee
Services, U.S. Office of Personnel Management; (202) 606-4194 or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 22, 2017, the President signed
Executive Order (E.O.) 13819 (82 FR 61431), which implemented the
January 2018 pay adjustments. The Executive order provides an overall
average pay increase of 1.9 percent for the statutory pay systems. This
is consistent with the President's alternative pay plan issued under 5
U.S.C. 5303(b) and 5304a on August 31, 2017.
The publication of this notice satisfies the requirement in Section
5(b) of E.O. 13819 that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
publish appropriate notice of the 2018 locality payments in the Federal
Register.
Schedule 1 of E.O. 13819 provides the rates for the 2018 General
Schedule (GS) and reflects a 1.4 percent increase from 2017. Executive
Order 13819 also includes the percentage amounts of the 2018 locality
payments. (See Section 5 and Schedule 9 of Executive Order 13819.)
General Schedule employees receive locality payments under 5 U.S.C.
5304. Locality payments apply in the United States (as defined in 5
U.S.C. 5921(4)) and its territories and possessions. In 2018, locality
payments ranging from 15.37 percent to 39.28 percent apply to GS
employees in the 47 locality pay areas. The 2018 locality pay area
definitions can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2018/locality-pay-area-definitions/.
The 2018 locality pay percentages became effective on the first day
of the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2018 (January
7, 2018). An employee's locality rate of pay is computed by increasing
his or her scheduled annual rate of pay (as defined in 5 CFR 531.602)
by the applicable locality pay percentage. (See 5 CFR 531.604 and
531.609.)
Executive Order 13819 establishes the new Executive Schedule (EX),
which incorporates a 1.4 percent increase required under 5 U.S.C. 5318
(rounded to the nearest $100). By law, Executive Schedule officials are
not authorized to receive locality payments.
Executive Order 13819 establishes the 2018 range of rates of basic
pay for members of the Senior Executive Service (SES) under 5 U.S.C.
5382. The minimum rate of basic pay for the SES is $126,148 in 2018.
The maximum rate of the SES rate range is $189,600 (level II of the
Executive Schedule) for SES members who are covered by a certified SES
performance appraisal system and $174,500 (level III of the Executive
Schedule) for SES members who are not covered by a certified SES
performance appraisal system.
The minimum rate of basic pay for the senior-level (SL) and
scientific and professional (ST) rate range was increased by 1.4
percent ($126,148 in 2017), which is the amount of the across-the-board
GS increase. The applicable maximum rate of the SL/ST rate range is
$189,600 (level II of the Executive Schedule) for SL or ST employees
who are covered by a certified SL/ST performance appraisal system and
$174,500 (level III of the Executive Schedule) for SL or ST employees
who are not covered by a certified SL/ST performance appraisal system.
Agencies with certified performance appraisal systems for SES members
and employees in SL and ST positions must also apply a higher aggregate
limitation on pay--up to the Vice President's salary ($243,500 in
2018.)
Note that Section 20101 of subdivision 3 of division B of the
Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-123, February 9, 2018)
amended the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018, division D of Public
Law 115-56. Under section 101(a) of that Act, the authority and
conditions provided in FY 2017 appropriations laws continue to apply
during the period specified in the Act, as amended. This language means
that the freeze on the payable pay rates for the Vice President and
certain senior political appointees at 2013 levels--as provided in
section 738 of division E of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017,
Public Law 115-31, May 5, 2017--continues through March 23, 2018, or
the date of enactment of new appropriations legislation. Future
Congressional action will determine whether the pay freeze continues
beyond March 23, 2018. Until such time, the OPM guidance on the 2017
pay freeze for certain senior political officials is generally
applicable in applying the pay freeze in 2018. (See OPM guidance
memoranda CPM 2017-05 at https://www.chcoc.gov/content/continued-pay-freeze-certain-senior-political-officials, CPM 2018-02 at https://www.chcoc.gov/content/continued-pay-freeze-certain-senior-political-officials-1, CPM 2018-03 at https://www.chcoc.gov/content/pay-and-leave-employees-affected-lapse-appropriations-and-continued-pay-freeze-certain, and CPM 2018-05 at https://www.chcoc.gov/content/pay-employees-affected-lapse-appropriations-and-continued-pay-freeze-certain-senior.)
Executive Order 13819 provides that the rates of basic pay for
administrative law judges (ALJs) under 5 U.S.C. 5372 are increased by
1.4 percent, rounded to the nearest $100 in 2018. The rate of basic pay
for AL-1 is $164,200 (equivalent to the rate for level IV of the
Executive Schedule). The rate of basic pay for AL-2 is $160,100. The
rates of basic pay for AL-3/A through 3/F range from $109,600 to
$151,700.
The rates of basic pay for members of Contract Appeals Boards are
calculated as a percentage of the rate for level IV of the Executive
Schedule. (See 5 U.S.C. 5372a.) Therefore, these rates of basic pay are
increased by 1.4 percent in 2018.
On November 22, 2017, OPM issued a memorandum on behalf of the
President's Pay Agent (the Secretary of Labor and the Directors of the
Office of Management and Budget and OPM) that continues GS locality
payments for ALJs and certain other non-GS employee categories in 2018.
By law, EX officials, SES members, employees in SL/ST positions, and
employees in certain other equivalent pay systems are not authorized to
receive locality payments. (Note: An exception applies to certain
grandfathered SES, SL, and ST employees stationed in a nonforeign area
on January 2, 2010. See CPM 2009-27 at https://www.chcoc.gov/content/nonforeign-area-retirement-equity-assurance-act.) The memo is available
at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/continuation-of-locality-payments-for-non-general-schedule-employees-november-22-2017.pdf.
On December 22, 2017, OPM issued a memorandum (CPM 2017-18) on the
January 2018 pay adjustments. (See https://www.chcoc.gov/content/january-2018-pay-adjustments.) The memorandum transmitted Executive
[[Page 12208]]
Order 13819 and provided the 2018 salary tables, locality pay areas and
percentages, and information on general pay administration matters and
other related information. The ``2018 Salary Tables'' posted on OPM's
website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/ are the official rates of pay for affected employees and are
hereby incorporated as part of this notice.
U.S. Office of Personnel Management.
Jeff T.H. Pon,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2018-05611 Filed 3-19-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6325-39-P