Fact Sheet: Official Worksite for Location-Based Pay Purposes

Certain location-based pay entitlements (such as locality payments, special rate supplements, and nonforeign area cost-of-living allowances) are based on the location of the employee's official worksite associated with the employee's position of record. The official worksite generally is the location where the employee regularly performs his or her duties. If the employee's work involves recurring travel or the employee's work location varies on a recurring basis, the official worksite is the location where the work activities of the employee's position of record are based, as determined by the employing agency, subject to the requirement that the official worksite must be in a locality pay area in which the employee regularly performs work. An agency must document an employee's official worksite on the employee's Notification of Personnel Action (Standard Form 50 or equivalent). (See "Duty Station" blocks 38 and 39 of the Standard Form 50 showing the city/county and state in which the official worksite is located.)

Temporary Changes in Work Location

An employee's work location may change on a temporary basis. Such a change may or may not affect the employee's official worksite, as explained in the following paragraphs:

• If an employee is in temporary duty travel status away from the official worksite for his or her position of record, the employee's official worksite and associated pay entitlements are not affected.
• If an employee is temporarily detailed to a position in a different location, the employee's official worksite and associated pay entitlements are not affected.
• If an employee is authorized to receive relocation expenses under 5 U.S.C. 5737, in connection with an extended assignment resulting in temporary change of station, the worksite associated with the extended assignment is the official worksite. (See 41 CFR 302-1.1.)
• If an employee whose assignment to a new worksite is followed within 3 workdays by a reduction in force resulting in the employee's separation before he or she is required to report for duty at the new location, the official worksite in effect immediately before the assignment remains the official worksite through the date of separation.
• If an employee is temporarily reassigned or promoted to another position in a different geographic area, the temporary work location is considered the official worksite for pay purposes.

Teleworkers

An agency must determine and designate the official worksite for an employee covered by a telework agreement on a case-by-case basis using the following criteria:

• The official worksite for an employee covered by a telework agreement is the location of the regular worksite for the employee's position (i.e., the place where the employee would normally work absent a telework agreement), as long as the employee is scheduled to report physically at least twice each biweekly pay period on a regular and recurring basis to that regular worksite.
• In the case of a telework employee whose work location varies on a recurring basis, the employee need not report at least twice each biweekly pay period to the regular worksite established by the agency as long as the employee is performing work within the same geographic area (established for the purpose of a given pay entitlement) as the employee's regular worksite. 
• The official worksite for an employee covered by a telework agreement who is not scheduled to report at least twice each biweekly pay period on a regular and recurring basis to the regular worksite is the location of the telework site (i.e., home, telework center, or other alternative worksite), except in certain temporary situations, as explained under "Temporary Telework Arrangements," below.

Note:  In accordance with the Presidential Memorandum on Return to In-Person Work, the OPM memorandum titled “Guidance on Presidential Memorandum Return to In-Person Work,” and the joint OPM/OMB memorandum titled “Agency Return to Office Implementation Plans,” employees are generally expected to complete the entire bi-weekly work requirement at an agency worksite unless covered by an exemption due to a disability, qualifying medical condition, status as a military or foreign service spouse, or other compelling reason certified by the agency head.  For details about their agency’s telework policy, employees are encouraged to contact their human resources office.

Temporary Telework Arrangements

In certain temporary situations, an agency may designate the location of the regular worksite as the official worksite of an employee who teleworks on a regular basis at an alternative worksite, even though the employee is not able to report at least twice each biweekly pay period on a regular and recurring basis to the regular worksite. Examples of appropriate temporary situations include:

• Recovery from an injury or medical condition;
• Emergency situations preventing an employee from regularly commuting to the regular official worksite, such as a severe weather emergency;
• An extended period of approved absence from work (e.g. paid leave);
• A period during which the employee is in temporary duty travel status away from the official worksite; or
• A period during which an employee is temporarily detailed to work at a location other than a location covered by a telework agreement.

Other Benefits

The location of an employee's official worksite may affect other benefits. Information on an employee's travel, transportation, and relocation benefits and entitlements based on his or her "official duty station" (as defined by the General Services Administration (GSA)) may be obtained from at GSA's website. Information on an employee's entitlements to overseas allowances and benefits may be obtained from the Department of State's website.

References

• Guide to Processing Personnel Actions - Chapter 23
• Locality-based comparability payments - 5 CFR part 531, subpart F
• Special rate schedules - 5 CFR part 530, subpart C
• Cost-of-living allowances and post differentials, nonforeign areas - 5 CFR part 591, subpart B
• Pay and Hours of Work Fact Sheets

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