2021 Pay increases for general schedule, other pay plans
Executive Order (E.O.) 13970, signed Dec. 31, 2020, implements a one percent across-the-board increase for statutory pay systems. The E.O. also provides that locality percentages for 2021 will remain at the 2020 levels. The general increase applies to the GS, GM, AL (Administrative Law Judges), and AD (Coast Guard Academy Faculty Administratively Determined) statutory pay systems and plans. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) published new GS pay tables, which included the across-the-board increase. This increase was made effective January 3, 2021, and employees will see it in their salary for PP01, official pay date of January 28, 2021.
The new SES/SL salary range is $132,552 - $199,300. SES performance based pay adjustments were effective on Jan. 3, 2021, with an official pay date of January 25, 2021.
Fiscal Year 2021 pay increase for federal wage system employees
OPM issued a memorandum Jan. 1, 2021, regarding increases for prevailing rate (wage) employees in fiscal year (FY) 2021. The OPM memo states pay increases for prevailing rate employees may not exceed one percent (the sum of the January GS 2021 across-the-board increase and the difference between the overall average locality payments for GS employees in FY 2020 and FY 2021). These 2021 fiscal year pay adjustments apply to employees under the WG, WL, WN, WS, and WD pay plans.
The Department of Defense (DoD), the lead agency responsible for issuing prevailing rate wage schedules, will issue FY 2021 wage schedules. Appropriated Federal Wage System (FWS) pay schedules effective in FY 2021 will be delayed until the FY 2021 pay limitations are released. When issued, it is anticipated that pay schedules will be retroactive to their normal effective date. Wage schedules are linked to a geographic wage area and each schedule has a different effective date. Once issued, new wage schedules and their respective effective dates, may be obtained from the Department of Defense Wage website.
Please contact your servicing Field Human Resources or Center Human Resources Specialist if you have any questions regarding the 2021 pay adjustments.