[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 78 (Monday, April 26, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22078-22079]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-08656]
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OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT
January 2021 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
2021. The Executive order authorizes a 1.0 percent across-the-board
increase for statutory pay systems and provides that locality
percentages will remain at 2020 levels. This notice serves as
documentation for the public record.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristen Foy, Pay and Leave, Employee
Services, Office of Personnel Management; (202) 606-4194 or pay-leave-policy@opm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On December 31, 2020, the President signed
Executive Order (E.O.) 13970 (86 FR 421), which implemented pay
adjustments for certain Federal civilian employees in January 2021.
This is consistent with the President's alternative pay plan issued
under 5 U.S.C. 5303(b) and 5304a on February 10, 2020. The pay rates in
E.O. 13901 have been superseded.
The publication of this notice satisfies the requirement in Section
5(b) of E.O. 13970 that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
publish appropriate notice of the 2021 locality payments in the Federal
Register.
Schedule 1 of E.O. 13970 provides the rates for the 2021 General
Schedule (GS) and reflects a 1.0 percent increase from 2020. Executive
Order 13970 also includes the percentage amounts of the 2021 locality
payments, which remain at 2020 levels. (See Section 5 and Schedule 9 of
Executive Order 13970.)
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 2021, locality
payments ranging from 15.95 percent to 41.44 percent apply to GS
employees in the 54 locality pay areas. The 2021 locality pay area
definitions can be found at: https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/2021/locality-pay-area-definitions/.
The 2021 locality pay percentages became effective the first day of
the first pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2021 (January 3,
2021). 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 13970 establishes the new Executive Schedule (EX),
which incorporates a 1.0 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 13970 establishes the 2021 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 $132,552 in 2021.
The maximum rate of the SES rate range is $199,300 (level II of the
Executive Schedule) for SES members who are covered by a certified SES
performance appraisal system and $183,300 (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 1.0
percent ($132,552 in 2021), which is the amount of the across-the-board
GS increase. The applicable maximum rate of the SL/ST rate range is
$199,300 (level II of the Executive Schedule) for SL or ST employees
who are covered by a certified SL/ST performance appraisal system and
$183,300 (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
[[Page 22079]]
members and employees in SL and ST positions must also apply a higher
aggregate limitation on pay--up to the Vice President's salary
($255,800 in 2021.)
Note that section 748 of division E of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260, December 27, 2020), contains
a provision that continues the pay freeze on the payable pay rates for
the Vice President and certain senior political appointees at the rates
of pay and applicable limitations on payable rates of pay in effect on
December 31, 2020, by operation of section 749 of division C of Public
Law 116-93 (December 20, 2019). The section 748 pay freeze is scheduled
to end on the last day of the last pay period that begins in calendar
year 2021 (i.e., January 1, 2022, for those on the standard biweekly
pay period cycle). Future Congressional action will determine whether
the pay freeze continues beyond that date. OPM guidance on the 2021 pay
freeze for certain senior political officials can be found in CPM 2021-
04 at https://www.chcoc.gov/content/continued-pay-freeze-certain-senior-political-officials-4.
Executive Order 13970 provides that the rates of basic pay for
administrative law judges (ALJs) under 5 U.S.C. 5372 are increased by
1.0 percent (rounded to the nearest $100) in 2021. The rate of basic
pay for AL-1 is $172,500 (equivalent to the rate for level IV of the
Executive Schedule). The rate of basic pay for AL-2 is $168,200. The
rates of basic pay for AL-3/A through 3/F range from $115,100 to
$159,400.
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 1.0 percent in 2021.
On November 27, 2020, 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 2021.
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/2020/extension-of-locality-pay-memo-for-non-gs-employees-2021.pdf.
On January 1, 2021, OPM issued a memorandum (CPM 2021-01) on the
2021 pay adjustments. (See https://www.chcoc.gov/content/january-2021-pay-adjustments.) The memorandum transmitted Executive Order 13970 and
provided the 2021 salary tables, locality pay areas and percentages,
and information on general pay administration matters and other related
guidance. The ``2021 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. 2021-08656 Filed 4-23-21; 8:45 am]
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