Q. Is there a minimum number of days per pay period that an employee must work at his assigned duty station (duty station as it appears on the SF-52) to qualify for locality pay in that area? I live in one state, and my wife in another (long story). I try to get home once a month by taking a combination of a few days of annual leave and a few telework days. I have heard that to qualify for locality pay, a person must work in that area a minimum of two days per pay period (which seems more…
Browsing: locality pay
Q. I am a FERS GS-11 step 10 employee planning to retire at 66 with 25 years of federal service in 2016. Pensions are based on the high-3. Is the high-3 based on base pay for the grade and step or base plus locality percentage? The 2012 GS Base table shows 11 step 10 as $65,371. Base plus locality equals $77,138, or an addition of 14.16 percent or $11,767 over base. There is a large difference when calculating retirement figures using $65,371 versus $77,137.
Q. Can you tell me how Executive Level IV pay, which limits the maximum pay of GS scale employees, is calculated? What is the formula? In searching, I can find the pay rate but not the rules. In other words, will GS-15 Step 9s and Step 10s who have hit that ceiling ever see that ceiling rise?
Q. I am a CSRS Offset employee who plans to retire when I turn 60, when I will have approximately 21 years and a few months of federal service. I work in the U.S. and have a high-three salary which includes locality pay of approximately 25 percent. If I were to accept a position overseas (I realize the new salary will not include locality pay) at a salary that is lower than my current one, will my high-3 still be based on the high-3 I have already attained? I read several postings on your site and one seems to suggest…
Q. I could be the only VA employee who lives in one of a handful of towns in the southern tip of Maine that are grouped in with the high locality pay percent (24.8 percent) of Boston et al.: Boston-Worcester-Manchester, Mass.-N.H. Combined Statistical Area, plus the Providence-New Bedford-Fall River, R.I.-Mass. Metropolitan Statistical Area, Barnstable County, Mass., and Berwick, Eliot, Kittery, South Berwick and York towns in York County, Maine; but I’m not paid at that rate! Nevertheless, I am one of the statistics used to determine the justification for the higher rate, i.e., federal employees that commute from one of…
Q. If you work in an area that receives extra locality pay, retire and move to another area without locality pay, will your retirement pay be affected? A. No. Where you live does not affect your annuity.
Q. I have been reassigned to a position in Atlanta from Albuquerque, N.M. This move is permanent. Do I need a SF 52 prepared to change my duty station and locality pay? Do I need a SF 52 to change my taxes and health insurance? This position is considered virtual. A. All personnel actions must be documented with a Standard Form 52. It will record where you are now, your new duty station and the rate of pay at each. There is no place on the SF 52 to record changes in taxes or health insurance. When your official personnel…
Q. I want to apply for an unreduced annuity at age 60. Is locality pay factored in with the base pay in the computation for monthly annuity payments under FERS? A. Yes, locality pay is considered part of base pay.
Q. I recently accepted a job in my civilian pay series at another Air Force base. My pay has decreased more than $8 an hour due to the locality pay. I am at a wg9 salary, so that really hit the pocket book very hard. Is there a provision to ease the pain of such a decrease in salary? A. No. By law, locality pay reflects the cost of living in each area.
Q. You answered a question and said locality pay is in calculations for a FERS retirement. Is it also included for annuity calculation for a CSRS retirement? Also, I’ve seen confusing explanations about whether Social Security is reduced if a person receives a federal pension. I paid Social Security taxes during 11.5 years’ active military service and almost 15 years of National Guard and Army Reserve service. Will I be eligible for full Social Security benefits, or will there be reductions because I will get a CSRS retirement annuity? A. Locality pay is included when computing the annuities of both…