Premium Pays are wages that you receive above and beyond your basic pay. The premium pay categories include:

Limitations: Premium Pay cannot be paid to any GS employee whose basic rate of pay equals or exceeds the maximum applicable rate for GS-15. Premium pay can be paid to an employee whose basic rate of pay is less than the maximum of the GS-15, not to exceed to the maximum for a GS-15 in any one pay period. The maximum rate does not apply to non-exempt GS employees. Hazard Pay is excluded from limitation. SES employees are not entitled to premium pay under any circumstances.

Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime (AUO ): Annual Premium Pay for Overtime: Premium pay may be paid on an annual basis (except premium pay for regular overtime work, and work at night, on Sundays, and on holidays), when an employee is in a position in which the hours of duty cannot be controlled administratively. The position requires substantial amounts of irregular, unscheduled overtime work, with the employee generally being responsible for recognizing, without supervision, circumstances that require an employee to remain on duty. The circumstances under which payment of AUO is appropriate are extremely limited; in particular, AUO is not appropriate for non-exempt employees. Annual premium pay for administratively uncontrollable overtime is an appropriate percentage (not less than 10 percent nor more than 25 percent) of the employee's rate of basic pay, which includes any interim geographic adjustment, special rate of pay for LEOs, or special pay adjustment for LEOs. The rate is determined by the HRO and forwarded to the civilian payroll office via the SF 50 data.

Availability Pay : Availability pay applies to LEOs who perform criminal investigative work and are required to work, or be available to work, substantial amounts of unscheduled overtime duty based on the needs of the employing activity. Human Resources will determine entitlement to availability pay and will authorize payment via an SF 50.

Environmental Differential Pay (EDP): Human Resources determine the local situation for which EDP is payable and obtain approval from the OPM for additional categories. EDP is included as part of an FWS employee's basic rate of pay for computation of overtime, holiday pay, Sunday premium, and the amount of retirement, TSP, and life insurance deductions. It is not part of basic pay for purposes of lump-sum leave payments and severance pay.

Hazardous Duty Pay (HDP): Determined by the HRO, involves additional pay to GS employees for the performance of hazardous duty or duty involving physical hardship. Hazardous duty means a duty performed under conditions in which an accident could result in serious injury or death. Duty involving physical hardship means duty that may not in itself be hazardous, but causes extreme physical discomfort or distress and is not adequately improved by protective or mechanical devices, such as duty involving exposure to extreme temperatures for a long period of time, difficult physical exertion, or exposure to fumes, dust, or noise that causes nausea, skin, eye, ear, or nose irritation.

HDP is paid for all hours in a pay status the day on which the exposure occurs. Payment of HDP is not subject to the limit placed on other premium pay. HDP may not be more than 25 percent of the employee's rate of basic pay. HDP is not included as part of the employee's basic rate of pay for computation of overtime, holiday pay, Sunday premium, or the amount of retirement, TSP, and life insurance deductions.

The amount of HDP is determined by multiplying the percentage rate authorized for the exposure by the employee's hourly rate of pay. That amount is then multiplied by the number of HDP hours to be paid.

Holiday Premium Pay: An employee who performs work on a holiday designated by a federal statue is entitled to pay at the rate of basic pay plus premium pay at a rate equal to the rate of the basic pay, for that holiday work which is not in excess of the scheduled tour of duty or overtime work. An employee required to perform any work on a designated holiday is entitled to pay for at least two periods of holiday work. An employee who performs overtime work on a Sunday or a designated holiday is entitled to pay for that overtime.

* Flexible Work Schedule: For an employee working a flexible work schedule, holiday pay for non-overtime work is limited to 8 hours in a day. A part-time employee scheduled to work on a day designated as an "in lieu of" holiday for full-time employees, is not entitled to premium pay for work performed that day.
* Compressed Work Schedule: For an employee working a compressed work schedule, holiday pay for non-overtime work is limited to the number of hours normally scheduled for that day. A part-time employee, scheduled to work on a day designated as an "in lieu of" holiday for full-time employees, is not entitled to a premium for work performed on that day.
* GS Employees: GS employees receive their basic pay, including any night differential, for holidays on which they are not required to work. Employees are entitled to additional holiday premium pay for work performed on a holiday not to exceed 8 hours, during the hours of their regularly scheduled tour of duty.
* FWS Employees: FWS employees who have a regular tour of duty and are not required to work due to a holiday are entitled to the same rate of pay for that day as if they had worked. When work is performed on a holiday, FWS employees are entitled to their basic rate plus premium pay at a rate equal to their basic pay for holiday work which is not more than 8 hours or is not overtime work.
* Callback : If the callback occurs on a holiday during the employee's regular schedule, a minimum of two hours holiday premium pay will be paid. However, the actual time worked shall be recorded for time and attendance purposes. If the employee works more than two hours, the actual number of hours worked will be paid.

Night and Shift Differential Pay

GS Employees : Employees who work between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., if part of their regularly scheduled hours, are entitled to night differential at a rate of 10% of the hourly basic rate. Night differential is payable for regularly scheduled work when worked between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

FWS Employees : Employees will receive shift differential at the rate of 7.5% of their hourly rate for non-overtime work when a majority (five or more hours) of the scheduled hours occurs between 3 p.m. and midnight or 10% of their hourly rate for non-overtime work when a majority of the scheduled hours occur between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m.

National Guard Technicians: Army and National Guard technicians are not entitled to overtime pay, but instead earn compensatory time.

Part-time Employees: Part-time GS employees are eligible for night differential who work between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., if not part of their regularly scheduled hours, are entitled to night differential at a rate of 10% of the hourly basic rate. Night differential is payable for regularly scheduled overtime when worked between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Overtime: Overtime is time worked in addition to the employee's normal work day. Each employing activity is responsible for controlling overtime. The civilian payroll office will only pay approved overtime as certified on the Time and Attendance Report. SES employees are excluded from overtime pay. Certain GS employees are also excluded since premium pay may be paid only to the extent that payment does not cause aggregate pay to exceed the maximum rate for a GS-15. National Guard technicians are not entitled to premium pay for overtime; they may earn compensatory time instead.

* Regularly Scheduled Overtime: Regularly scheduled overtime is overtime work scheduled prior to the beginning of an employee's regularly scheduled administrative work week. For GS employees whose basic rate of pay is less than the minimum rate for a GS-10, the overtime hourly rate is one and a half times the employees hourly rate of pay. For GS employees whose rate of basic pay exceeds the minimum rate for a GS-10, the overtime rate is one and a half times the rate of basic pay at the minimum rate for a GS-10.
* Irregular/Occasional Overtime: Irregular or occasional overtime work is overtime work that is not part of an employee's regularly scheduled administrative workweek.
* Callback Overtime: If an employee is required to return to the place of employment for unscheduled overtime work or to work unscheduled overtime on a nonscheduled workday a minimum of two hours will be paid. If the callback occurs during a holiday or during the employee's regular work schedule, a minimum of two hours will be paid.
* Compensatory time: Eligible employees can have compensatory time off from their regular scheduled tour of duty instead of payment for an equal amount of time spent in irregular or occasional overtime work. Compensatory time worked must be approved in advance and can not be earned when payment of the extra hours at overtime rates would be improper (i.e. it exceeds the rate for a GS-15). Employees whose basic rate of pay exceeds the maximum allowable rate for grade GS-10 may be required by their employing activity to take compensatory time instead of overtime pay. Compensatory time cannot be earned by an employee whose rate of basic pay exceeds the maximum for a GS-15.

Exempt GS Employees can choose to earn compensatory time in place of occasional or irregular overtime, but may not earn it for regularly scheduled overtime or holiday work. Compensatory time off must be granted to an exempt employee by the 26th pay period after the overtime was worked. The unused compensatory time will be paid at the overtime rate at which it was earned.

National Guard employees must use their compensatory time by the end of the 26th pay period after the overtime was worked or will forfeit that compensatory time.

Regularly Scheduled Standby Duty Pay: Employees in a position requiring them to remain at, or within the confines of, the station during longer than ordinary periods of duty, a substantial part of which consists of remaining in a standby status rather than performing work, can receive premium pay on an annual basis instead of premium pay provided by other provisions, except for irregular, unscheduled overtime duty in excess of the regularly scheduled weekly tour. Premium pay is determined as an appropriate percentage, not in excess of 25 percent, of such part of the rate of basic pay for the position as does not exceed the minimum applicable rate of basic pay for GS-10 .

* Firefighter Positions : Firefighters generally are scheduled for duty six 12- hour days for an average of 72 hours a week or three alternate 24-hour shifts during each administrative workweek. A 60-hour week consisting of five 12-hour days may be established when firefighters are scheduled only during daylight hours. The rate of standby premium pay is determined by Human Resources and forwarded to the civilian payroll office via SF 50 data.
* Other Fire Protection Personnel: Fire chiefs, assistant fire chiefs, fire prevention inspectors, and similar fire protection personnel have basic weekly tours of duty of 40 hours unless duties require substantial amounts of standby time. The rate of standby premium pay is determined by Human Resources and forwarded to the civilian payroll office via SF 50 data.

Sunday Premium Pay: Full-time employees whose regularly scheduled workweek (not including overtime hours) includes Sundays are entitled additional pay at a rate of 25% of their hourly basic pay. The additional pay is payable for the entire period of non-overtime service for each daily tour of duty that includes Sunday. The maximum number of hours of Sunday premium pay that an employee can be paid for one Sunday is 16 hours.

* Flexible Work Schedule: A full time employee on a flexible work schedule who performs regularly scheduled non-overtime work during a period of duty, a part of which is performed on Sunday, is entitled to Sunday pay for the entire period of duty, not to exceed 8 hours.
* Compressed Work Schedule: A full-time employee on a compressed schedule who performs non-overtime work during a period of duty, a part of which is performed on Sunday, is entitled to Sunday pay for the entire period of duty on that day.

Time Off for Religious Reasons: Time off for religious reasons will be recorded in a special leave account and may be worked either before or after the period of time off. Advance time off should be repaid within a reasonable amount of time. Any time-off balance will not transfer. When an employee separates, dies, or transfers to another DoD component any unused time-off balance will be paid by the losing activity, at the basic hourly rate in effect when the time was worked. A debt will be created if the employee has not repaid the advance time-off balance at the time of: separation, death, or transfer. Employees may also use compensatory time off for religious reasons. Compensatory time worked in this manner is exempt from maximum pay limitations.


Questions or comments regarding Civilian Pay, please contact your Customer Service Representative (CSR)