Fact Sheet: Night Pay for General Schedule Employees

Description

Night pay is a 10 percent differential paid to an employee for regularly scheduled work performed at night. It is computed as a percentage of the employee's rate of basic pay (including any applicable locality payment or special rate supplement).

Employee Coverage

An individual who meets the definition of "employee" in 5 U.S.C. 5541(2) is covered by the night pay provisions, including employees under the General Schedule.

Note: Prevailing rate (wage) employees are covered by a separate night shift differential authority. (See 5 U.S.C. 5343.)

Regularly Scheduled Work

Night pay is paid for regularly scheduled work performed at night. This generally means work scheduled before the beginning of the administrative workweek. However, night pay is also paid for night work on a temporary assignment to a different daily tour of duty during the administrative workweek.

Night Work Hours

Generally, night work must be performed between the hours of 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., including night work under a compressed work schedule. For posts located outside the United States, the head of an agency may designate a time after 6 p.m. and before 6 a.m. as the beginning and end, respectively, of night work to accommodate the customary hours of business in the locality. (See also "Flexible Work Schedules," below.)

Relation to Other Premium Pay

Night pay is paid in addition to overtime, Sunday, or holiday premium pay.

Relationship to Basic Pay

Night pay is not basic pay for any purpose.

Relationship to Leave

An employee is entitled to night pay for paid leave only when the total amount of paid leave during a biweekly pay period is less than 8 hours.

Paid on Holidays

An employee is entitled to night pay when excused from night work on a holiday or another nonworkday (does not apply to AWS nonworkdays).

Flexible Work Schedules

If a flexible work schedule includes 8 or more hours available for work between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., the employee is not entitled to night pay for voluntarily working flexible hours between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m, including while earning credit hours.

An employee is entitled to night pay for those hours that must be worked between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. to complete an 8-hour daily tour of duty.

An employee is entitled to night pay for any nonovertime work performed between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. during designated core hours.

References

• 5 U.S.C. 5545(a) and 6123(c)
• 5 CFR 550.121-122
• OPM Handbook on Alternative Work Schedules