Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay

Federal Workforce Defense & Security Economy & Labor

In simple terms

This executive order implements annual federal pay adjustments for 2009, covering civilian employees under statutory pay systems, Senior Executive Service, executive/legislative/judicial branch officials, uniformed military personnel, and administrative law judges. It sets new pay rates via attached schedules and authorizes locality-based comparability payments, with most schedules taking effect on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2009.

Federal Register Open PDF 73 FR 78587

Record & deadlines

Dec 18, 2008Signed
Signed by the President
Dec 23, 2008FR published
Published in the Federal Register · 73 FR 78587
Federal Register PDF
Date TBD
OPM Director to publish locality pay notice in Federal Register
Jan 4, 2009
Earliest possible effective date for other schedules (first pay period start after Jan 1 for most federal employees)
Jan 1, 2009
Schedule 8 (uniformed services pay) effective
Jan 1, 2009
Other schedules effective on first day of first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2009

Key directives

Set statutory pay system rates via attached Schedules 1-3
Set Senior Executive Service pay ranges via Schedule 4
Set Executive Schedule, Vice President, and Congressional salaries via Schedules 5-6
Set judicial salaries via Schedule 7
Set uniformed services monthly basic pay via Schedule 8 effective January 1, 2009
Authorize locality-based comparability payments per Schedule 9
Set administrative law judge pay rates via Schedule 10
OPM Director to implement locality payments and publish Federal Register notice
Supersede Executive Order 13454

Who is ordered

OPM Director · OPM

Prior policy

supersedeExecutive Order 13454 of January 4, 2008

Related orders

What to expect

Immediate

EO signed and published
supersession of Executive Order 13454

Near term (90d)

Schedule 8 (military pay) effective January 1, 2009
Schedule 1-7, 9-10 effective first day of first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2009 (likely January 4 or 11, 2009 for most federal employees)
OPM must publish locality pay notice in Federal Register

Long term

Annual pay adjustments continue under existing statutory frameworks
Baseline for future pay comparability calculations

Risks & tensions

Relative effective date creates administrative complexity across agencies with different pay period calendars
No stated deadline for OPM Federal Register notice—timing uncertain
Pay increases during 2008 financial crisis and recession may draw political scrutiny despite statutory automatic adjustment mechanism
Attached schedules not included in text—specific percentage increases not verifiable from this document alone