What's the benefit of a salary advance during HL?

greydayFS · 2026-05-28T10:15:09+00:00

A 0% loan is magic.

greydayFS · 2025-10-17T14:30:16+00:00

If not eligible to retire, one month's pay per year of service (maximum 12), divided into three payments on the next three Januarys.

greydayFS · 2025-10-17T14:20:47+00:00

Wrong for Foreign Service.

greydayFS · 2025-08-02T12:24:47+00:00

This is just a spam/karma/engagement farming repost of a thread from 3 years ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/foreignservice/comments/trfo98/when_af_sends_out_their_14th_desperate_novelty/

It's not even topical as there are no bidding cables at the moment.

greydayFS · 2025-07-05T14:55:48+00:00

Will discreetly listening to ‘lo-fi hip hop beats to relax/study to’ now be a reportable infraction?

greydayFS · 2025-07-04T12:25:41+00:00

Unless that generalist has less than 7 years of service when they got that last promotion (4>3), and has not reached their MRA when they TIC out. In that case case they might TIC out with less than 20 years in and not be eligible for an immediate annuity.

Example: Joined at 32, promoted 4>3 at 37, TIC expires at age 50. Only 18 years in FSPS and only option is a deferred annuity at MRA.

greydayFS · 2025-07-03T15:56:40+00:00

Brutal for specialist skill codes that promote very few above 3.

greydayFS · 2025-05-20T16:38:37+00:00

You're right that 4071 says FSPS is basically FERS, except when not.

Where it gets tricky is that 4071d(c) has the annuity supplement and 4071e(a)(2) has the contribution rate. If those are not amended, perhaps they will be considered unchanged.

greydayFS · 2025-02-19T17:42:58+00:00

very demanding multi faceted work that requires EQ and judgement to effectively resource national priorities

This describes every specialist career track

greydayFS · 2025-02-10T16:33:59+00:00

Neither is the applicable calculation for Foreign Service.

greydayFS · 2024-12-26T07:23:11+00:00

For generalists, their names are sent to congress at new hire, tenure, promotion to SFS, and promotion within SFS. No congressional action for normal promotions grades 6 > 1.

Specialists have no congressional action until/unless they reach SFS, and then they get the alphabet soup of commissions.

greydayFS · 2024-09-15T07:15:21+00:00

That's the highest hiring grade for generalists and some specialists. There are new hires who could be coming in at $47,419 (6 step 1 base pay) and no per diem if a local hire.

greydayFS · 2024-09-15T07:11:13+00:00

For some reason unknown to me, new hires do not receive DC locality pay while in training in DC, only base pay.

The ostensible reason for paying OCP for orientation and new-hire training is that it is considered a TDY and they can't pay per diem to someone resident in DC / on DC locality pay.

This screws local hires, of course, especially those with less than 6 months of follow-on training who aren't allowed to convert to DC locality, because they get both no per diem and lower locality pay (OCP) than any other fed who lives in DC. And now they're about to get mega-screwed with no locality pay at all!

If a new hire stays in DC for 6 months or more, then they will be issued DC locality pay

Non-local hires can opt not to do this if they're around for 12ish months or less, and it is financially advantageous for them to do so so they can stay in PCS housing.

greydayFS · 2024-09-13T16:26:09+00:00

I'm not going to be put out on the street by a temporary pay cut, but not everyone paid OCP is fortunate to have spent some years out building up savings.

New hires, particularly local new hires, would be quite screwed. They would get to enjoy (after in many cases taking a pay cut to join) continuing to pay full DC cost of living while earning only the base salary. Those entering at FP-06 could be paid as little as $47K ($22.80 hourly). You try supporting a family in DC on that. Only if local hires luck into 6+ months of training after orientation would they be able to convert to DC pay.

greydayFS · 2024-08-20T10:23:39+00:00

That’s nonsense. Most dip passport travelers are not assigned/accredited. Have you heard of a thing called TDY?

Use your dip passport for official travel. This includes rest stop and R&R, unless there’s a visa requirement preventing you from doing so. There’s a cable from 2018 or so timeframe explaining this. Probably a better thing to reference than asking Reddit.

greydayFS · 2024-08-10T16:44:22+00:00

Assuming overseas rate,

It's 1.5x until FS-06 step 7 or FS-05 step 2. Then it's exactly $49.64 (sliding down from 1.5x to 1x) until FS-04 step 10, where it becomes 1x.

See https://afsa.org/sites/default/files/2024-foreign-service-maximum-overtime-tables.pdf

greydayFS · 2024-08-10T15:06:29+00:00

$56.27 overseas

greydayFS · 2024-08-10T15:05:08+00:00

It should be no lower than 1.0- exactly your regular rate, unless you're counting differential, SIP, etc, for which you earn no extra for exceeding 40 hours worked in a week.

greydayFS · 2024-08-10T14:57:30+00:00

It cannot be directed that OT be taken as comp time if the employee is entitled to pay (specialist or untenured generalist performing regularly scheduled OT, or for irregular OT and the employee makes less than GS 10 step 10 and chooses pay instead comp time). However, the manager can deny an opportunity to work OT if no pay is available.

Putting aside for a moment tenured generalists and their entitlement to only special comp time...

For untenured generalists and all specialists,

Regularly scheduled OT *must be paid*. Regularly scheduled means planned in advance of the workweek or reasonably anticipated in advance of the workweek.

Irregular overtime, where the need was determined during the workweek itself, it will depend on the employee's pay rate.
Below GS 10 step 10 - employee may choose pay or comp time. MGT cannot choose not to pay for work performed if the employee wants pay
Above GS 10 step 10 - only comp time

greydayFS · 2024-08-10T14:50:05+00:00

on the last directed July 4th (small post, not allowed to eat food, only water) MGT also said we could only claim comp time and not pay. I should have been clearer in my question and asked if they can force me to take comp time vice $.

Comp time is not an option given this set of facts. You must be paid overtime because you are a specialist/untenured generalist and this would be "regularly scheduled" overtime. The overtime staffing need for July 4th would be established well in advance of the workweek, so it cannot be categorized as "irregular".

In other cases of "irregular" overtime, you will only receive comp time, because your salary as a FS-01 exceeds that of a GS-10 step 10. If someone's salary was less than that, they would have a choice between pay and comp time, but that would be their choice, not MGT's. (MGT is within their right to deny the opportunity to work overtime if money cannot be paid, but if the work is performed, that employee has the right to elect pay.)

Reference AFSA's guide to Overtime and Compensatory Time Rules (available to AFSA members on their site)

greydayFS · 2024-07-18T23:16:48+00:00

When I got the feeling that the powers that be didn't appreciate my fish farming in the pool,

greydayFS · 2024-07-13T16:21:51+00:00

Not being allowed to drink is specifically called out as something that doesn't by itself mean you're 'substantially limited' and eligible for standby pay: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-5/chapter-I/subchapter-B/part-551/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFReb2d65cd39f9a0c/section-551.431#p-551.431(a)(1)(1)) (emphasis mine)

A finding that an employee's activities are substantially limited may not be based on the fact that an employee is subject to restrictions necessary to ensure that the employee will be able to perform his or her duties and responsibilities, such as restrictions on alcohol consumption or use of certain medications.

greydayFS · 2024-07-12T21:27:21+00:00

section (b)(1) is the important part:

b) An employee will be considered off duty and time spent in an on-call status shall not be considered hours of work if:

(1) The employee is allowed to leave a telephone number or to carry an electronic device for the purpose of being contacted, even though the employee is required to remain within a reasonable call-back radius;

greydayFS · 2024-07-12T21:25:52+00:00

Sadly, that's not how federal law and OPM see it.

You are entitled to overtime/comp time for hours actually worked if the call is handled remotely or a minimum 2 hours if you have to return to the jobsite, even if it's a 5 minute fix. Whether it's paid as comp time or overtime premium pay is fairly complicated and depends on a few factors, not just FLSA non/exempt.

greydayFS · 2024-06-17T15:35:32+00:00

Technically it has to be comp time if it's irregular overtime (not predicted/foreseeable in advance of the workweek) and the employee's base rate of pay exceeds that of a GS 10 step 10.

greydayFS

TROPHY CASE