FedSmith has been receiving questions from readers asking about the 2020 pay raise recently authorized by Congress. The questions include: When will it be implemented? When can we expect the new pay tables to be issued by OPM? When will President Trump issue an Executive Order?
The White House has now released an Executive Order issued by President Trump authorizing the pay raise for next year.
The finalized pay tables (which will include locality pay for all locality areas) have also been released by the Office of Personnel Management. The pay raise provides a 2.6% across the board raise for federal employees with an additional .5% for locality pay.
Most of the pay schedules will be effective on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2020.
FedSmith will post an additional article on locality pay rates. For those readers in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, the pay raise will be 3.52%. The San Francisco area, which frequently has one of the highest locality pay rates in the country will have an increase of 3.4% starting in January 2020.
A copy of the Executive Order is included below.
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 and section 748 of division C of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, 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 37 U.S.C. 1009, 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 sections 5304 and 5304a of title 5, United States Code, and section 748 of division C of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, 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, 2020. The other schedules contained herein are effective on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2020.
Sec. 8. Prior Order Superseded. Executive Order 13866 of March 28, 2019, is superseded as of the effective dates specified in section 7 of this order.
DONALD J. TRUMP
