Adjustments of Certain Rates of Pay

This executive order implements across-the-board pay adjustments for federal employees, military personnel, judges, members of Congress, and other government officials for 2019, as authorized by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019. It supersedes a prior December 2018 order and specifies effective dates for the new pay schedules.

Federal Register Open PDF 84 FR 12853

Impact dates

Jan 1, 2019
Schedule 8 (military pay) effective date
Jan 1, 2019
All other schedules effective on first day of first applicable pay period beginning on or after January 1, 2019

Key directives

Set 2019 pay rates for General Schedule (Schedule 1)
Set 2019 Foreign Service Schedule (Schedule 2)
Set 2019 VA health professional schedules (Schedule 3)
Set 2019 Senior Executive Service pay ranges (Schedule 4)
Set 2019 Executive Schedule, Vice President, and congressional salaries (Schedules 5-6)
Set 2019 judicial salaries (Schedule 7)
Set 2019 military basic pay and cadet/midshipman pay (Schedule 8)
Implement locality-based comparability payments per Schedule 9
Set 2019 administrative law judge pay rates (Schedule 10)
OPM to publish locality pay notice in Federal Register
Supersede Executive Order 13856

Who is ordered

Director of the Office of Personnel Management · OPM

Timeline

Immediate

EO supersedes prior order 13856 as of effective dates

Near term (90d)

OPM must publish locality pay notices in Federal Register
pay adjustments take effect for applicable pay periods

Long term

annual pay rates set for 2019 across all covered federal pay systems

Risks & tensions

Retroactive effective date (January 1, 2019) predates signing by nearly three months, suggesting delayed finalization of appropriations
No specific deadline for OPM Federal Register publication—only 'such actions as may be necessary'
Pay adjustments contingent on prior congressional action in Public Law 116-6, limiting executive discretion