[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 44 (Thursday, March 5, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12948-12949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04484]


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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT


January 2020 Pay Schedules

AGENCY: Office of Personnel Management.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The President adjusted the rates of basic pay and locality 
payments for certain Federal civilian employees effective in January 
2020. The Executive order authorizes a 2.6 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 3.1 percent. This notice serves as 
documentation for the public record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kimberly Woods, Pay and Leave, 
Employee Services, Office of Personnel Management; (202) 606-2858 or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 26, 2019, the President signed 
Executive Order (E.O.) 13901 (84 FR 72213), which implemented a pay 
adjustment required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub. 
L. 116-93, December 20, 2019). E.O. 13901 provides an overall average 
pay increase of 3.1 percent for the statutory pay systems. The pay 
rates in E.O. 13866 have been superseded.
    The publication of this notice satisfies the requirement in Section 
5(b) of E.O. 13901 that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) 
publish appropriate notice of the 2020 locality payments in the Federal 
Register.
    Schedule 1 of E.O. 13901 provides the rates for the 2020 General 
Schedule (GS) and reflects a 2.6 percent increase from 2019. Executive 
Order 13901 also includes the percentage amounts of the 2020 locality 
payments. (See Section 5 and Schedule 9 of Executive Order 13901.)
    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 2020, locality 
payments ranging from 15.95 percent to 41.44 percent apply to GS 
employees in the 53 locality pay areas. The 2020 locality pay area 
definitions can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2020/locality-pay-area-definitions/.
    The 2020 locality pay percentages became effective the first day of 
the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2020 (January 5, 
2020). 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 13901 establishes the new Executive Schedule (EX), 
which incorporates a 2.6 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 13901 establishes the 2020 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 $131,239 in 2020. 
The maximum rate of the SES rate range is $197,300 (level II of the 
Executive Schedule) for SES members who are covered by a certified SES 
performance appraisal system and $181,500 (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 2.6 
percent ($131,239 in 2020), which is the amount of the across-the-board 
GS increase. The applicable maximum rate of the SL/ST rate range is 
$197,300 (level II of the Executive Schedule) for SL or ST employees 
who are covered by a certified SL/ST performance appraisal system and 
$181,500 (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 ($253,300 in 
2020.)
    Note that Section 749 of division C of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2020, continues a pay freeze for certain senior 
political officials. The section 749 pay freeze extends through the 
last day of the last pay period that begins in calendar year 2020 
(i.e., January 2, 2021, for those on the standard biweekly payroll 
cycle). Future Congressional action will determine whether the pay 
freeze continues beyond that date. OPM guidance on the 2020 pay freeze 
for certain senior political officials can be found in CPM 2019-28 at 
https://www.chcoc.gov/content/continued-pay-freeze-certain-senior-political-officials-3.
    Executive Order 13901 provides that the rates of basic pay for 
administrative law judges (ALJs) under 5 U.S.C. 5372 are increased by 
2.6 percent (rounded to the nearest $100) in 2020. The rate of basic 
pay for AL-1 is $170,800 (equivalent to the rate for level IV of the 
Executive Schedule). The rate of basic pay for AL-2 is $166,500. The 
rates of basic pay for AL-3/A through 3/F range from $114,000 to 
$157,800.
    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 2.6 percent in 2020.
    On November 19, 2019, 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 2020. 
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

[[Page 12949]]

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2019/continuation-of-locality-payments-for-non-general-schedule-employees-november-19-2019.pdf.
    On December 26, 2019, OPM issued a memorandum (CPM 2019-25) on the 
2020 pay adjustments. (See https://www.chcoc.gov/content/january-2020-pay-adjustments.) The memorandum transmitted Executive Order 13901 and 
provided the 2020 salary tables, locality pay areas and percentages, 
and information on general pay administration matters and other related 
guidance. The ``2020 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.

Office of Personnel Management.
Alexys Stanley,
Regulatory Affairs Analyst.
[FR Doc. 2020-04484 Filed 3-4-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6325-39-P