Order Issued on 2018 Pay Raise for Federal Employees

An Executive Order has been issued granting the 2018 federal employee pay raise.

On December 22nd, President Trump issued an Executive Order on the 2018 pay raise for federal employees (included below).

The Order does reference attachments that provide information on the 2018 pay raise, but the attachments on the raise for several different federal pay systems are not available as of this writing.

The Executive Order outlines the specific pay rates reflecting an average 1.9% increase in pay for 2018. That is the amount that was proposed by President Trump earlier this year. (See President Proposes 1.9% Average 2018 Federal Employee Raise)

In the August 31st letter, the following pay raises were proposed:

I have determined that for 2018, across-the-board pay increases will be 1.4 percent and locality pay increases will average 0.5 percent, resulting in an overall average increase of 1.9 percent for civilian Federal employees. I will specify locality pay percentages for each locality pay area by Executive Order before the first pay period in January 2018. These decisions will not materially affect our ability to attract and retain a well-qualified Federal workforce.

Based on this, and the fact that Congress has not intervened in the decision on a 2018 pay raise, the average raise in 2018 will be 1.9%.

Executive Order on Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. Statutory Pay Systems. The rates of basic pay or salaries of the statutory pay systems (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 5302(1)), as adjusted under 5 U.S.C. 5303, are set forth on the schedules attached hereto and made a part hereof:

(a) The General Schedule (5 U.S.C. 5332(a)) at Schedule 1;

(b) The Foreign Service Schedule (22 U.S.C. 3963) at Schedule 2; and

(c) The schedules for the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs (38 U.S.C. 7306, 7404; section 301(a) of Public Law 102–40) at Schedule 3.

Sec. 2. Senior Executive Service. The ranges of rates of basic pay for senior executives in the Senior Executive Service, as established pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 5382, are set forth on Schedule 4 attached hereto and made a part hereof.

Sec. 3. Certain Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Salaries. The rates of basic pay or salaries for the following offices and positions are set forth on the schedules attached hereto and made a part hereof:

(a) The Executive Schedule (5 U.S.C. 5312–5318) at Schedule 5;

(b) The Vice President (3 U.S.C. 104) and the Congress (2 U.S.C. 4501) at Schedule 6; and

(c) Justices and judges (28 U.S.C. 5, 44(d), 135, 252, and 461(a)) at Schedule 7.

Sec. 4. Uniformed Services. The rates of monthly basic pay (37 U.S.C. 203(a)) for members of the uniformed services, as adjusted under section 601 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Public Law 115-91), as signed by the President on December 12, 2017, and the rate of monthly cadet or midshipman pay (37 U.S.C. 203(c)) are set forth on Schedule 8 attached hereto and made a part hereof.

Sec. 5. Locality-Based Comparability Payments.

(a) Pursuant to section 5304 of title 5, United States Code, and my authority to implement an alternative level of comparability payments under section 5304a of title 5, United States Code, locality-based comparability payments shall be paid in accordance with Schedule 9 attached hereto and made a part hereof.

(b) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall take such actions as may be necessary to implement these payments and to publish appropriate notice of such payments in the Federal Register.

Sec. 6. Administrative Law Judges. Pursuant to section 5372 of title 5, United States Code, the rates of basic pay for administrative law judges are set forth on Schedule 10 attached hereto and made a part hereof.

Sec. 7. Effective Dates. Schedule 8 is effective January 1, 2018. The other schedules contained herein are effective on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2018.

Sec. 8. Prior Order Superseded. Executive Order 13756 of December 27, 2016, is superseded as of the effective dates specified in section 7 of this order.

DONALD J. TRUMP

THE WHITE HOUSE,
December 22, 2017.

About the Author

Ralph Smith has several decades of experience working with federal human resources issues. He has written extensively on a full range of human resources topics in books and newsletters and is a co-founder of two companies and several newsletters on federal human resources. Follow Ralph on Twitter: @RalphSmith47