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President has signed an Executive order containing the 2013 pay schedules for
certain Federal civilian employees. This memorandum reviews relevant portions of the Executive order and provides
general information on the 2013 pay rates. The Executive
order provides that the 2013 pay rates for the civilian employee pay schedules
covered by the order will be effective on the first day of the first applicable
pay period beginning after March 27, 2013 (April 7, 2013).
The following is an excerpt from the Office of Personnel Management,
Memoradum for Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies, which can be viewed
online at http://www.chcoc.gov/Transmittals/TransmittalDetails.aspx?TransmittalID=5199.
Salary Tables and Effective Date
OPM will post pay tables on their Website before the April 7, 2013, effective date of
the schedules. Until April 7th, the 2012 salary tables will remain in
effect.
The
General Schedule and Other Statutory Pay Systems
The President's Executive order provides an across-the-board increase of 0.5
percent in the rates of basic pay for the statutory pay systems under 5 U.S.C.
5303--the General Schedule (GS), Foreign Service schedule, and certain schedules
of the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Special base rates for law enforcement officers at GS grades 3 through 10 also
are increased by 0.5 percent. (These law enforcement officers are assigned
the "GL" pay plan code.)
Executive Schedule
Under 5 U.S.C. 5318, the Executive Schedule (EX) rates of pay will be increased by 0.5
percent (rounded to the nearest $100).
Senior
Executive Service and Senior Level and Scientific and Professional Positions
The
Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2013, continued the bar on all pay
adjustments for Senior Executive Service (SES) members, senior-level (SL) and
scientific and professional (ST) employees, or similar employees through March
27, 2013, except for increases based on a change of position involving a
substantial increase in responsibility, or a promotion.
Under
5 U.S.C. 5376, the minimum rate of basic pay for SL and ST rate range will be
increased by 0.5 percent ($120,151 on April 7, 2013), which is the amount of the
across-the-board GS increase. Under 5 U.S.C. 5382, the minimum rate of
basic pay for the SES rate range also will be adjusted to $120,151 to be
consistent with the increase in the minimum rate of basic pay for senior-level
positions. The applicable maximum rate of basic pay for the SES and SL/ST
rate range will be $180,600 (EX-II) for employees covered by a certified
performance appraisal system and $166,100 (EX-III) for employees covered by a
performance appraisal system that has not been certified. An SES member or
SL/ST employee paid at the minimum rate of the rate range must receive a pay
increase of 0.5 percent on April 7, 2013, since an SES member or SL/ST employee
may not be paid at a rate less than the minimum rate of the rate range.
Under
5 U.S.C. 5376(b)(2), each rate of pay established for SL and ST positions within
an agency must be adjusted on April 7, 2013, by such amount as the head of the
agency considers appropriate. Agencies will also have discretion to
increase the rate of basic pay for an SES member who meets or exceeds his or her
performance expectations in accordance with 5 CFR 534.404(b)(3) or (b)(4).
If provided under 5 CFR 534.404(b)(4), such an adjustment must be effected on
April 7, 2013.
Locality
Payments
The
2013 locality pay percentages are the same as the percentages that applied in
2012. (See Schedule 9 of the Attachment.)
On
November 30, 2012, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (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 (OMB) and OPM)
that continues GS locality payments for ALJs and certain other non-GS employee
categories in 2013. 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.) The locality pay percentages continued for
non-GS employees have not been increased in 2013. The memo is available at http://www.opm.gov/flsa/oca/12tables/Extend_2013.pdf.
Locality
pay area definitions are posted at www.opm.gov/oca/12tables/locdef.asp.
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