Feds: performance reviews and step increases

[Anonymous]

I am a relatively new Fed, and have not yet had a step increase, only a grade increase. I have been in my current grade at the top of my career ladder for just over a year (since January/February 2012). I had my performance review the first week in February 2013, where I was told I would get my regular step increase and they would try to get a quality step increase (QSI).

On my paycheck 5 weeks after my review, neither of my step increases have kicked in. Does anyone have a sense of how long the regular step increase should take? How long do I sit and wait before checking in with HR about the status?

Also, does anything else happen if you get an "exceptional" rating on your review, such as bonuses?

[Anonymous]

It depends on your agency I think. Where I work, our step increases go in automatically and aren't tied to our performance reviews. I used to get a small bonus or time off award shortly after the performance reviews, but since spending has been cut across the board, no one has received bonuses in the past few years.

[Anonymous]

Regular step increase should be reflected reasonably close to your anniversary date (although of course your current paycheck is really for a pay period a week or two ago).

For the QSI, you have no idea whether or when they got approval, so I would not worry about that.

In either case, you should eventually get a lump sum in your paycheck if it was effective for a given pay period but did not get reflected in your paycheck for that period. (Sometimes step increases seem larger than they are because the first pay period they show up they are covering more than one pay period).

[Anonymous]

I have no idea about the QSI, but at my agency, you have to be on top of HR like white on rice. They are terrible. It took me six months to get a grade increase once.

Definitely follow-up with HR.

[Anonymous]

Was your promotion to the next grade on cycle or off cycle? Step increases usually kick in at the point where on-cycle promotions occur, although it takes 4 weeks for the new pay to come into effect, because you would have to wait for the first two weeks at the new step for that PP to be over, and then the payout would be when you are paid for that PP (two weeks later).

So if your agency promotes to GS-12 on 1 November (just making up numbers here), you would get your step on the first pay period that includes 1 November. So the first PP where you were paid at that amount would end around 14 November. You would then see the new money in your paycheck when that pay period is paid, somewhere around 28 November.

Regular step increases aren't tied to the date of your review -- so if you had a good review in February, but the effective promotion date for your grade is April 1, you would see the step in your paycheck sometime in late April.

[Anonymous]

PP here again -- as for bonuses, depends on your agency, but in general non-SES-ers don't normally get bonuses for a good review. You might get a QSI if your regular step isn't due for a while, or an EPA (exceptional performance award), although EPAs are usually tied to a specific activity you did. Of course, if your agency is on one of these weird banding scales and not the straight GS schedule, then they may do things differently. If you are on a banding scale, always push to get money added to base salary and not the fancy bonuses. Over time, money added to the base is much more in your pocket.

The upsides and downsides of federal employment are -- you know how much you are going to make in a year. You are not likely to be surprised with more or less (of course, hello, sequestration). For the most part, federal employees trade stability of income over time for bonuses and higher incomes.

[Anonymous]

I was promoted to a GS-12 in January/February 2012. It's not my anniversary date (I started with the gov't in August 2010 and in this office in October 2011). It seems like it's just a coincidence that my year-in-grade and my performance review are at the same time of year.

The last paragraph of the PP is really helpful. Because I started in this office in October 2011, less than 90 days before the end of the calendar year, I did not have a formal 2011 performance review with my current office... I had to go back and do it at my previous office where I was employed for most of 2011. In fact, I did not have a performance review in this office until February 2013, even though I started in October 2011. Maybe they don't give regular step increases until you have a satisfactory performance review at your current office?

Still, my review was 5 weeks ago. Maybe I will check in with HR to see what the timing is of both the regular step increase and the QSI if it's approved.

[Anonymous]

you should get an SF 50 for the step increase. If you haven't seen it- ask about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:you should get an SF 50 for the step increase. If you haven't seen it- ask about it.

In my office, I get told it will happen, then I see it in my paycheck, then a few weeks later the SF-50 shows up. But it might be a nice way of asking payroll about it...

[Anonymous]

Also, what step are you now? If you're high enough (4 or higher), the next step doesn't come for two or three years.