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Pay Information

At the end of every 2 week pay period you will record the time you worked, including any leave taken, using PayCheck. PayCheck is the bureau's automated time and attendance system. There are 26 pay periods a year.  Your first payday will be 10 days after the close of the pay period in which you start work.

Direct Deposit   [Top of Page]

The Department of the Interior requires that all new employees arrange for direct deposit of their net pay to a financial institution within 30 days of first reporting to work.  A Direct Deposit Sign-up Form can be obtained from your human resource office. You may request a waiver of the direct deposit requirement if you believe that unusual circumstances should exclude you from participating in the program.  Submit requests for a waiver of this requirement in writing to your human resource office.

Leave and Earnings Statement   [Top of Page]    

Each pay period you will have electronic access to your Leave and Earnings Statement (LES). In some cases you may receive your LES by mail. The LES shows your gross pay for the period, the amount of each kind of deduction, your net pay, your current year gross earnings to date, and other important information.  The statement also shows the amount of annual and sick leave earned, taken, and available, as well as any other type of leave that you may have used.  Each employee is responsible for reviewing the statement to ensure the data is correct. Contact your servicing human resource office for information for accessing your LES electronically or on waiver procedures.

Deductions from Your Pay   [Top of Page]

Your pay after deductions have been withheld is your net pay.  Some deductions are required by law and others are authorized by you.  Common deductions include the following:

• Taxes - Federal and state taxes are withheld from your gross pay. At the end of each calendar year you will receive a W-2 statement of your earnings and the amount of taxes withheld for use in preparing your income tax returns.
  
• Retirement - Career-conditional, career, or excepted non-temporary employees are subject to the Retirement Act.  A percentage of your base pay is deducted and deposited to your retirement account.
  
• Social Security - CSRS offset, FERS and temporary employees are subject to the Social Security Act and deductions are made according to the prevailing law.
  
• Medicare - All wages are taxed for Medicare.
  
• Life Insurance - Eligible employees who elect to be covered under Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) will have a percentage of their gross pay deducted to cover premiums.
  
• Health Benefits - Eligible employees who are enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program will have premium costs deducted through automatic payroll deductions.
  
• Savings Bonds - If you choose to purchase United States Savings Bonds through payroll deductions, the amount deducted depends upon the size and number you wish to purchase in a given period of time.  At your request, the purchase of bonds may be changed or canceled at any time.
  
• Combined Federal Campaign - You may make regular contributions to the Combined Federal Campaign through the payroll deduction plan.
  
• Union Dues - Members of unions that have been granted exclusive recognition rights and have negotiated dues withholding agreements with an organization may elect to have dues deducted from paychecks.
  
• Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) - When you sign up to participate in TSP, your designated allotment will be taken out of your bimonthly paycheck.

Pay Classification Act Employees   [Top of Page]

Pay for General Schedule (GS) employees is part of the Classification Act System and is determined by Congress. Most pay rates are uniform throughout the federal sector. For example, all GS-5s, Step 1, receive the same basic pay regardless of geographical location, but locality pay differs among geographic locations. In addition, special pay rates have been established by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to help in recruiting for designated positions.

The nationwide GS pay schedule is revised annually in response to the Employment Cost Index (ECI) minus 5%.  This annual pay adjustment is effective the first full pay period of the calendar year.  In addition, as a result of the Federal Employees Pay Comparability Act of 1990, the GS pay schedule may be adjusted annually to stay within 5 percent of the ECI. A period of years will be allowed to catch up.

The locality adjustments are geographic adjustments to pay based on the geographic location of your office.  These adjustments began in 1994 and have resulted in less uniformity of GS pay from area to area.  But these adjustments also mean greater equity with private industry.  As new pay schedules are issued, copies are distributed to all employees.  Schedules are also posted on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) web site, www.opm.gov.

Within-Grade Increases (WGI)   [Top of Page]

Each GS-1 through GS-15 position has 10 pay steps.  You may receive step increases within your grade level although there is no change in your job.  Eligibility for these step increases is based on time in grade and satisfactory performance.  Step increases are not automatic but require certification from your supervisor that your job performance is meeting an "acceptable" level of competence.  Under normal circumstances, the minimum waiting period for advancement to the next higher step (that is, to qualify for a within grade increase) is:

Wage and Hourly System Employees   [Top of Page]

Some jobs such as crafts, trades, and manual labor positions are excluded from the Classification Act System.  These jobs are referred to as hourly jobs.  The hourly wage rates for these jobs may be set by BLM, negotiated between BLM and recognized labor organizations, or established under the Federal Wage System (FWS), which is administered by the Office of Personnel Management.

Regardless of how the rates are set, they are all based on comparability of prevailing rates within a geographical area.  There is no uniformity of wage rates within BLM.  For example, a carpenter in Santa Fe, New Mexico, may be paid less than a carpenter in Sacramento, California, even though both may be performing the same duties that require the same degree of skill.

If you are in a position covered by the Federal Wage System (that is, WG, WL, or WS), you are entitled to receive step increases based on time in grade and satisfactory performance certified by your supervisor. Under normal circumstances, the minimum waiting period for a within grade increase is:

Premium Pay   [Top of Page]

Under certain conditions, you may receive additional pay above your base salary.  These conditions include:

Overtime

Normally overtime means each hour of work exceeding your normal scheduled tour of duty or a 40-hour work week and the work has been officially ordered and approved.  Overtime may be paid to full-time, part-time, and intermittent employees for work in excess of 8 hours a day or more than 40 hours per week.  Determination and computation of overtime is different if you are working under an Alternative Work Schedule, e.g., maxiflex, compressed, etc.  Contact your supervisor or servicing human resource office for more information on overtime and to determine rate of pay.

Sunday Pay

As a General Schedule (GS) employee, if you work on a Sunday as part of your regularly scheduled tour of duty, you will receive an additional 25% of your basic rate for each hour of work not exceeding 8 hours.  Sunday pay is not paid for overtime or occasional Sunday work.

Holidays

The following holidays are observed in the federal service:

New Years Day	January 1
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday	Third Monday in January
Washington's Birthday	Third Monday in February
Memorial Day	Last Monday in May
Independence Day	July 4
Labor Day	First Monday in September
Columbus Day	Second Monday in October
Veteran's Day	November 11
Thanksgiving Day	Fourth Thursday in November
Christmas Day	December 25

 

When your regular tour of duty falls on a holiday, you will be paid at your regular pay rate if you are in a pay status either the day before or the day after the holiday.

Compensatory Time

Compensatory time is time off from duty in lieu of paid overtime work performed. Compensatory time is granted on the basis of 1 hour off for 1 hour of overtime worked.  Employees who are non-exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) will receive payment for authorized overtime, unless they request compensatory time off in lieu of payment for overtime worked.

Credit Hours

Under a flexible work schedule credit hours are any hours worked in excess of an employee's basic work requirement, which an employee elects to work.  Employees working the basic work week of Monday through Friday are permitted to earn credit hours per day upon completing their daily basic work requirement.  (Employees following a different work week should consult with their supervisors to determine how these provisions apply to them.)

Credit hours are to be earned when work is available and the circumstances support continuing work (i.e. meeting deadlines, reducing backlogs, increasing productivity and efficiency).  The following requirements apply:

Credit hours must be earned during the basic workday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and outside of core time.  Employees must complete their daily basic work requirement before they can earn credit hours.  Credit hours must be earned and used in no less than 15-minute increments. Other requirements may also apply.  Check with your supervisor for those requirements. Employees can accumulate up to 24 credit hours.

Leave Benefits   [Top of Page]

All federal government employees, except employees on intermittent work schedules, are eligible for leave benefits, including: annual leave, sick leave, leave without pay, and other paid/unpaid benefits.

Annual Leave   [Top of Page]

Annual leave is provided for each BLM employee who has an established tour of duty or work schedule and whose appointment is for 90 days or longer.  Full-time employees earn annual leave each pay period in increments of 4, 6, or 8 hours, depending upon the total years of federal service.  Both creditable civilian and military service are used in determining time increments for leave purposes.  The rates of annual leave accrual are as follows:

Normally you may not carry over more than 30 days (240 hours) of annual leave.  Earned annual leave exceeding 240 hours must be used by the end of the leave year or it will be lost. 

Annual leave may be granted when requested with consideration to the effect of your absence on the assigned workload. In cases where an emergency requires you to remain away from work without prior approval, you must notify your supervisor as soon as possible on the first day of your absence.  Check with your supervisor about specific reporting requirements for your office.

The minimum charge for use of annual leave is 15 minutes.  Should you leave federal service, you will be paid a lump sum for any unused annual leave, at your current hourly rate of pay.  Part-time employees earn leave based on the number of hours worked.  Part-time employees with less than 3 years of service earn 1 hour of annual leave for each 20 hours in pay status.  Those with 3 but less than 15 years of service earn1 hour of annual leave for each 13 hours in pay status.  Those with 15 or more years of service earn 1 hour of annual leave for each 10 hours in pay status.

Sick Leave   [Top of Page]

Full-time employees earn 13 days of sick leave each year, at the rate of 4 hours per pay period (every 2 weeks).  Employees who work on a part-time basis with an established tour of duty earn sick leave at the rate of 1 hour for each 20 hours of duty.  Credit may not exceed 4 hours of sick leave for 80 hours of duty in any pay period.  There is no limit on the amount of sick leave you may accumulate.  Use of sick leave is charged in increments of 15 minutes.

Sick leave may be used when you are unable to work because of sickness or injury, or when you have a medical, dental, or optical appointment.  Some limitations apply, so check with your servicing human resources office if you have any questions.  Under the Family Friendly Leave policies, you may also use sick leave to care for sick family members, to take them for medical, dental or optical appointments, and for death of a family member.  Contact your servicing human resources office for more specific information.

These simple rules must be followed in using sick leave:

• Use sick leave as little as possible and only for the proper reasons.  Sick leave cannot be used to supplement annual leave.  
  
• If you are too sick to work, notify your supervisor within 1 hour after the time you are scheduled to report for duty.

1. Ask your supervisor in advance when you want to use sick leave for medical, dental, or optical examinations or treatment.
   
2. Submit a medical certificate signed by your doctor for periods of sick leave that last for more than 3 days, or if requested by your supervisor for any other sick leave.

If you violate any of these rules, you may be charged with AWOL (absence without leave) rather than sick leave.  Abuse of your sick leave may be cause for disciplinary action.

In case of serious disability or ailment, you may have to use all of your earned sick leave.  Should this happen, you may request and may be advanced sick leave.  A request for advanced sick leave must be accompanied by a doctor's certificate.  Contact your servicing human resources office for information on advanced sick leave.  You also have the option to apply to be a recipient under the Leave Transfer Program.

Leave Transfer Program   [Top of Page]

The Leave Transfer Program helps employees who have a medical or family emergency and who have exhausted all of their leave.  Their fellow employees may voluntarily donate annual leave to them so they continue to be paid.  Contact your servicing human resources office for details on this program.

Leave Without Pay   [Top of Page]

Leave Without Pay (LWOP) is an approved absense in a non-pay status that may be granted under certain conditions.  Some reasons that you may request LWOP are: fulfillment of parental/family responsibilities, illness, or for other reasons that are in the interest of the government such as educational purposes.

Administrative Leave   [Top of Page]

This is an administrative determination whereby your absence from work will not cause you to lose pay or to be charged annual leave.  Administrative leave may include time involved in taking civil service examinations or physical examinations for entering military service, donating blood, participating in civil defense training, or experiencing adverse environmental conditions or emergency conditions such as bad weather.

Absence Without Leave   [Top of Page]

The absence of an employee who does not secure approval of annual leave, sick leave, or leave without pay is recorded as absent without leave (AWOL).  The employee receives no pay for the period of unauthorized absence.  AWOL may also result in disciplinary action.

Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Friendly Family Leave Act (FFLA)   [Top of Page]

These two laws were passed to give federal employees flexibility in using a combination of leave types to care for family members.  Generally, the FMLA entitles you for up to 12 weeks during any 12 month period for certain prescribed situations.   The FFLA amended the original act to let full-time employees use sick leave for family care or bereavement purposes.  Family care includes time for maternity leave and adoption.  For specific information on the number of sick leave hours you can use and more information on the FMLA or FFLA contact your servicing human resource office.

Funeral Leave   [Top of Page]

Attendance at funerals is generally a private matter, and your absence from work would be charged to annual leave.  However, three exceptions exist: (1) An employee may have up to 3 days of funeral leave for the funeral or memorial service of an immediate relative whose death results from military service in a combat zone; (2) A military veteran may be excused from duty for up to 4 hours to serve as a pall bearer or guard of honor at the funeral of a member or veteran of the armed services; (3) federal law enforcement officers or firefighters can be excused from duty to attend the funeral of a fellow law enforcement officer or firefighter.

Court Leave   [Top of Page]

Employees are eligible for court leave when called to serve on a jury or as a witness in a judicial proceeding in which the federal, state, or local government is a party.  No charge is made against annual leave. I f you are a witness on behalf of a private party, you must request annual leave or leave without pay.  Any pay received for serving on a jury must be turned over to the Finance Office for disposition.  Immediately inform your supervisor if you are summoned for jury duty or as a witness in a judicial proceeding.

Military Leave   [Top of Page]

Full-time employees under career-conditional or other type of permanent or indefinite appointment may be granted military leave with pay and without charge to annual leave for active duty or training.  Military leave of 15 days is accrued at the start of each fiscal year.

No more than 15 days may be carried over from one year to the next.  A copy of your official orders must be given to your supervisor.

Workers' Compensation   [Top of Page]

If as a federal employee you sustain injuries, including an occupational disease, as a result of your employment with the Federal Government, you may be entitled to monetary compensation, medical care and assistance (attendant's allowances), vocational rehabilitation, and Office of Personnel Management (OPM) retention rights.  For more information, contact your servicing human resource office.

Voting   [Top of Page]

As a general rule, where the polls are not open at least 3 hours before or after your regular work hours, you may be permitted to report to work 3 hours after the polls open or leave work 3 hours before they close, whichever requires less time off.  Coordinate the time away from your duty station with your supervisor.

Awards and Recognition Program   [Top of Page]

BLM's policy is to encourage all employees to exceed performance requirements, participate actively in the common task of improving efficiency and economy of government operations, and submit ideas for improvements.  The current awards program recognizes employees individually or in a group.  Some of the awards are for such activities as achieving organizational results, providing quality customer service, displaying exemplary behavior, dedication, innovation, or team cooperation, fostering partnerships, promoting diversity, ensuring safety in the workplace, or demonstrating sustained exceptional performance.  Most employees are eligible for these awards with some exceptions.  Candidates for these awards are generally nominated by the employee's supervisor, but peers may also submit nominations.  The types of awards used most often in BLM include the following:

Quality Step Increases (QSI)   [Top of Page]

A QSI is a pay increase that provides faster than normal progression through the steps for permanent General Schedule employees.  To be eligible for a QSI, employees must achieve all critical results in their Employee Performance Plan and Results Report (EPPRR) and display exceptional performance that is expected to continue.  A QSI is the only award linked directly to the employee's rating of record and should be granted in a timely manner following receipt of that rating.

Special Thanks for Achieving Results (STAR) Awards   [Top of Page]

STAR awards are cash awards in the gross amount of $925 or more.  The amount of the award should be commensurate with the value of the individual or team accomplishment, considering the overall benefit to the government. STAR awards are also paid through the normal payroll process.

On-the-Spot Awards   [Top of Page]

An On-the-Spot Award is a cash award granted to provide immediate recognition for achievements.  They have a net value of between $50 and $500 and may be paid through the normal payroll process.

Ideas and Suggestions   [Top of Page]

You are encouraged to suggest improvements in methods, procedures, service to the public, and employee morale.  Suggestions may be within or outside of your job responsibilities.  Submit suggestions in writing to your supervisor.  If adopted, suggestions may earn a monetary award.

Other Awards   [Top of Page]

Honor awards are made for distinguished, valorous, meritorious, and commendable service.  Length of service emblems are awarded by the Department of the Interior for 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 years of employment.

Note: Non-monetary awards may be given instead of or in combination with monetary awards for any of the reasons given above.  For more detailed information on any of the award types, see your servicing human resource office for a copy of the departmental handbook titled, "Human Resources Management Handbook - Awards and Recognition Program."