4-1
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
Contents
Page
1.
Coverage ............................................................................................. 4-3
2.
Standard Form 52, Request for Personnel Action .............................. 4-3
3.
Standard Form 50, Notification of Personnel Action ......................... 4-3
4.
Completing the Standard Form 50 ...................................................... 4-4
5.
Exceptions to the Standard Form 50 and Standard Form 52 .............. 4-7
6.
List Form of Notice ............................................................................. 4-7
7.
Notifying Employees of Personnel Actions ........................................ 4-8
8.
Data Collected on >Ethnicity and Race< and Identification of
Handicap ............................................................................................. 4-9
Job Aids
Standard Form 52, Request for Personnel Action ....................................... 4-11
Standard Form 50, Notification of Personnel Action .................................. 4-13
Comptroller General (CG) Decisions Concerning Effective Dates ............. 4-15
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for
Completing Part B (blocks 1-39), and Parts C, E, and F
of the Standard Form 52 .............................................................................. 4-17
Instructions for Completing Parts A, B (blocks 45-51), and D of
the Standard Form 52 ................................................................................... 4-41
Instructions for Preparing a List Form of Notice......................................... 4-45
Sample List Form of Notice......................................................................... 4-49
THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
4-2
Tables
4-A.
Setting Effective Dates ....................................................................... 4-51
4-B.
Effective Dates Set without Prior Approval
of the Appointing Official................................................................... 4-53
4-C.
Selecting the Pay Rate Determinant ................................................... 4-55
4-D.
Annuitant Status .................................................................................. 4-59
4-3
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
1. Coverage.
This chapter explains how to complete
the Standard Form 52, Request for
Personnel Action, and the Standard Form
50, Notification of Personnel Action.
2. Standard Form 52, Request for
Personnel Action.
The Standard Form 52 is a single sheet
version of the form that is used when the
request will be hand-written or typed. The
Standard Form 52-B is a continuous pin feed
version on which data can be computerprinted and is used when the request is
prepared directly from the agency's
personnel data system. As used in this
Guide, “Standard Form 52” means both the
Standard Form 52 and the Standard Form
52-B. A sample of the Standard Form 52 is
reproduced on page 4-11 of this Chapter.
a. How the form is used.
(1) Supervisors and managers use the
form to request
— position actions, such as the
establishment of a new position or the
reclassification of an existing position;
— employee actions, such as the
appointment of an employee or the
promotion of an employee; and
— actions involving both a position and
an employee, such as the
establishment and filling of a position,
or the reclassification of a position
and reassignment of an employee to
the reclassified position.
(2) Employees use the form to notify the
agency of their resignation or retirement, to
request Leave Without Pay (LWOP) and to
request a name change.
(3) The personnel office uses the form to
record staffing, classification, and other
personnel determinations, and then uses the
information on the form to prepare the
Notification of Personnel Action.
b. How to complete the Standard Form
52.
Follow the instructions in job aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard
form 50 and For Completing Part B
(blocks 1-44) and Parts C, E, and F of the
Standard Form 52, when completing the
Standard Form 52. Also use job aid,
Instructions for Completing Parts A, B
(blocks 45-51), and D of the Standard
Form 52, for completing those parts of the
Standard Form 52 which contain data that is
not recorded on the Standard Form 50.
3. Standard Form 50, Notification of
Personnel Action.
The Standard Form 50 is used to
document employment events. It is
available in several versions. As used in
this Guide, “Standard Form 50” means any
version of the form. The Standard Form 50
is a 5-part form designed to be completed by
typewriter. The Standard Form 50-B is a
continuous pinfeed form that comes in both
5-part and 3-part versions. The copies
in the 5-part Standard Form 50 and
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THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
Standard Form 50-B are marked as
Employee, Official Personnel Folder,
Payroll, Chronological Journal File, and
Utility copies. The copies in the 3-part
Standard Form 50-B are marked as
Employee, Official Personnel Folder, and
Chronological Journal File copies.
Agencies may use whichever version of the
form suits their needs. The Office of
Personnel Management does not require
agencies retain a Chronological Journal File
of personnel actions. Agencies may do so at
their option. Unused copies of the Standard
Form 50 should be destroyed in a way that
protects employees’ privacy. >To view the
SF-50, go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/.<
a. Use of the Standard Form 50. A
Standard Form 50 is generally used as the
long-term Official Personnel Folder
documentation of personnel actions.
Documentation of the following actions is
not authorized for long-term Official
Personnel Folder retention:
1. Exception to Reduction in Force
Release; 2. Realignment; 3. Recruitment
Incentive; 4. Relocation Incentive;
5. Retention Incentive; 6. Referral
Bonus; 7. Student Loan Repayment;
8. “Individual” or “Group” Time Off
Award; 9. Individual Cash Award (“RB”
or “NRB”); 10. Group Award (“Ch 45”
or “Other”); 11. Lump Sum Performance
Payment (“RB-ILPA”, “RB-NILPA”, or
“NRB”); 12. “Individual” or “Group”
Suggestion/Invention Award;
13. Foreign Language Award; 14. Travel
Savings Incentive; and 15. Senior
Executive Service Performance
Award.
All other actions in this Guide are to be
documented for long-term retention in the
Official Personnel Folder. The Official
Personnel Folder documentation should be
either:
(1) A Standard Form 50;
(2) An exception to the Standard Form
50, approved by the Office of Personnel
Management (see section 5),
(3) a list form of notice (see section 6), or
(4) one of the alternative forms of notice
described for pay adjustments in
Chapter 17.
b. Additional copies of Notifications of
Personnel Action. Duplicate or additional
copies of personnel action notices increase
the possibility for unwarranted invasion of
employee privacy and unauthorized use of
personal employee data on the form.
Therefore, agencies may not reproduce
additional copies of personnel action
notifications unless the extra copy is
authorized by the Office of Personnel
Management, for example, as a “pick-up
Standard Form 50” to notify an agency that
you have hired one of its employees or to
comply with the requirements in Figure 3-4.
Both the Standard Form 50 and Standard
Form 50-B are available in a version with a
“utility” copy that may be used to meet any
special needs your agency may have.
4. Completing the Standard Form 50.
a. Employee Name. (1) The general
rule on use of a name on an employee's
records is consistency: show the employee's
name in the same way on all Government
records. The name to record on official
personnel records for an appointee is the
name commonly used in the community
where the appointee resides, for example,
the name entered on application papers and
used for social security records, driver's
license, income tax purposes, and
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
bank accounts. A married female may elect
to use her maiden name as her last name
provided that she uses the same name on all
employment and employment-related
records. If application papers reflect a
nickname enclosed in parentheses or
quotation marks, it is not considered part of
the employee's name for personnel records.
(2) The name is recorded on the Official
Personnel Folder and on Notifications of
Personnel Action in the following manner:
LAST NAME [comma] SUFFIX (Jr., Sr.,
etc.) [comma] [space]
FIRST NAME or INITIAL [space]
MIDDLE NAME(s) or initial(s)
examples:
DOE, Jr., JOHN NMN
MARTIN, M. CATHERINE
O'REILLY, JOHN F.X.
MARTINEZ-SMITH, MARIA ELENA
When a personnel document asks for a
middle name or initial, and the employee
has no middle name or initial, enter “NMN.”
Record apostrophes and hyphens or spaces
between double names only as used by the
employee. Do not use titles, such as “Mr.,”
“Ms.,” “Miss,” “Dr.,” and “Professor,” on
Notifications of Personnel Action or on the
Official Personnel Folder.
b. Effective Dates. (1) Except as
explained in Table 4-A, no personnel action
can be made effective prior to the date on
which the appointing officer approved the
action. That approval is documented by the
appointing officer's pen and ink signature or
by an authentication, approved by the Office
of Personnel Management, in block 50 of
the Standard Form 50, or in Part C-2 of the
Standard Form 52. By approving an action,
the appointing officer certifies that the
action meets all legal and regulatory
requirements and, in the case of
4-5
appointments and position change actions,
that the position to which the employee is
being assigned has been established and
properly classified.
(2) Unless otherwise indicated on the
Notification of Personnel Action,
separations and actions to terminate grade
and pay retention are effective at the end of
the day (midnight); all other actions are
effective at the beginning of the day (12:01
a.m.).
Separations are actions that remove
employees from the rolls of their agencies,
for example, deaths, resignations,
terminations, removals, and retirements.
Any action whose nature of action code
(NOAC) begins with a “3” is a separation.
(a) Follow instructions in Table 4-A to
set dates in situations where approval of the
appointing officer is required. Use job aid,
Comptroller General (CG) Decisions
Concerning Effective Dates, to identify
Comptroller General decisions that address
effective dates and how they are set in
specific situations.
(b) Follow instructions in Table 4-B to
set dates in those situations where prior
approval of the appointing officer is not
required.
c. Approval of Personnel Actions. (1) As
explained in paragraph 4b, most personnel
actions must be approved by the appointing
officer on or before their effective dates. An
appointing officer is an individual in whom
the power of appointment is vested by law
or to whom it has been legally delegated.
Only an appointing officer may sign and
date the certification in Part C-2 of the
Standard Form 52 or blocks 50 and 49 of the
Standard Form 50 to approve an action.
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THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
(2) Under 5 U.S.C. 302, the head of an
agency may delegate appointing authority to
subordinates. Such delegations are
generally made to the agency's director of
personnel who then re-delegates the
authority to other members of the personnel
staff, as necessary. A delegation of
appointing authority may be made to a
specific individual or to the incumbent of a
specific position. The delegation must be in
writing and define clearly the extent of the
authority being granted, for example,
authority to approve all within-grade
increase actions.
(3) The appointing officer is responsible
for ensuring that each personnel action he or
she approves meets all legal and regulatory
requirements. He or she is responsible for
approving determinations made by
recruiters, staffing specialists, personnel
assistants, and other personnel office
staff with regard to legal authority for the
action, qualifications, pay, suitability, etc.
The appointing officer makes final
pre-appointment determinations regarding
citizenship, veterans' preference, minimum
and maximum age limits (where
appropriate), suitability, qualifying
experience and education. In the case of
appointments and position change actions
(for example, promotions), the appointing
officer ensures that the position to which the
employee is assigned has been established
and properly classified.
(4) Agencies must ensure that appointing
authority (the authority to approve and
certify actions) is delegated only to persons
whose training and experience enable them
to review the background material on a
proposed action and determine whether it
meets the necessary legal and regulatory
requirements. Approval of actions is a
serious responsibility that should not
routinely be assigned to clerical or other
technical support personnel who may lack
the necessary background and training to
make the decision to approve or disapprove
an action. A person who has not been a
party to the recruitment, qualification,
selection, and pay-setting processes on a
proposed action, and who lacks information
as to how these determinations were
reached, cannot and should not be expected
to decide whether the specific action meets
legal and regulatory requirements.
d. Instructions.
(1) Follow your agency's instructions to
decide which form to use to document the
action. When large numbers of employees
are being affected by the same action on the
same effective date, use section 6 to decide
if a list form of notice may be prepared in
lieu of individual personnel actions. When a
list form of notice is used, follow the
instructions in section 6 to prepare it.
(2) When the action is documented on a
Standard Form 50, >go to
http://www.opm.gov/forms/ to view the
SF-50 and identify the blocks on the form.
Follow the instructions in job aid,<
Instructions for Completing the Standard
Form 50 and for Completing Part B
(blocks 1-44) and Parts C, E, and F of the
Standard Form 52, to complete the form.
Explanations and definitions of codes
used in the job aid are found in
The Guide to Data Standards. Codes for
legal authorities are also listed in that
Guide. Where the instructions in
this Guide direct you to enter a
code on the Standard Form 50, only
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
the codes published in The Guide to Data
Standards and in this Guide may be used.
If an action requires more than two
authorities, continue in “Remarks” section.
Always list authorities in the sequence in
which they appear in the instructions in this
Guide.
(3) When an action must be corrected,
follow the instructions in Chapter 32. An
agency may not “x” out or use pencil, pen
and ink, “white-out,” or erasures to correct
Standard Form 50 data that is required by or
reported to the Office of Personnel
Management. Pen and ink corrections may
be made only to correct Standard Form 50
information that is not required by or
reported to the Office of Personnel
Management.
(4) Distribute completed copies of the
forms according to your agency’s
instructions.
5. Exceptions to the Standard Form 50
and the Standard Form 52.
Code of Federal Regulations, Part 102194 “Standard and Optional Forms
Management Program” requires agencies to
obtain approval before using any forms
other than the Standard Form 52 to request
and approve actions and any forms other
than the Standard Form 50 to document
personnel actions. Requests must be
prepared in accordance with the Office of
Personnel Management instructions. Send
requests for approval through your agency's
Standard and Optional Forms Liaison to the
Office of Personnel Management for
transmittal to the General Services
Administration. Address them to:
4-7
>MANAGER, RECORDS MANAGEMENT
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF INFORMATION
OFFICER
U.S. OFFICE OF PERSONNEL
MANAGEMENT
1900 E STREET, N.W.
WASHINGTON, DC 20415-7900.<
Requests for exception should not be sent
directly to the General Services
Administration. Additions to or deletions of
data from the current Standard Form 52 or
Standard Form 50, as well as changes in
sequence or format of data must be
approved in advance. Use of other than
white letter-size paper for the Standard
Form 50, and use of other than blue or white
letter-size paper for the Standard Form 52,
must be approved in advance.
6. List Form of Notice.
a. Use of list form. When a large number
of employees are being affected by the same
personnel actions, the agency may find it
easier and more economical to record the
actions on a list form of notice rather than
preparing individual Notifications of
Personnel Action. A listing may be used
only when:
(1) the personnel action for a group of
employees occurs on the same effective
date; AND
(2) no change occurs in the type of the
employee's appointment, or in the
employee's position, grade, or pay; AND
(3) the same authority is used for the
action taken on each employee.
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THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
b. Actions for which a listing may be
used:
(1) Mass Transfer;
(2) 352 Termination—Appt in
(agency)—only when separation is due to
mass transfer; and
(3) Changes. The following actions may
be documented by listings only when the
conditions in section 6a are present:
280 Placement in Pay Status—only for
seasonal employees when the
work season begins.,
430 Placement in Nonpay Status—only
for seasonal employees when the work
season ends,
471 Furlough,
472 Furlough NTE,
760 Ext of Appt NTE,
765 Ext of Term Appt NTE,
766 Ext of O/S Ltd Appt NTE,
781 Chg in Work Schedule,
790 Realignment,
792 Chg in Duty Station,
800 Chg in Data Element, and
883 Chg in Vet Pref - RIF
c. Format. Prepare lists on white,
letter-size paper, following the instructions
in job aid, Instructions for Preparing a
List Form of Notice. Job aid, Sample List
Form of Notice, shows how a list form of
notice might be prepared.
d. Privacy Act Requirements. (1)
Distribution of lists with personal
information (for example, dates of birth,
social security numbers, and agency payroll
or employee numbers) violates the Privacy
Act of 1974. Therefore, the employee and
Official Personnel Folder copies of lists
must be “sanitized” to remove personal
information about other employees.
(2) To delete personal information from
the employee and Official Personnel Folder
copies of a list, you may computer-generate
copies without such data or you may block
out the personal data from a copy of the
complete list and reproduce all the employee
and Official Personnel Folder copies from
this “sanitized” copy. You may also make
separate “sanitized” employee and Official
Personnel Folder copies for each employee.
To do so, temporarily block out the
personal information about all but one
individual and reproduce employee and
Official Personnel Folder copies for that
individual; then do the same for each
employee on the list.
e. Distribution. Give a copy of the
“sanitized” list to the employee and file a
copy in his or her Official Personnel Folder.
Follow your agency’s instructions to
distribute any other copies.
7. Notifying Employees of Personnel
Actions.
Agencies must notify employees of
personnel actions taken on them. This
applies to all personnel actions as defined in
this Guide. The method used depends on
the action.
a. Standard Form 50. The Standard
Form 50 is the required form of employee
notification for accessions, conversions, and
separations (natures of action in the 100s,
500s, and 300s) and for corrections and
cancellations of those actions. The only
exception is the use of a list form of notice
for mass transfers (see section 6).
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
b. Agency Issuances. For all other
personnel actions, the agency may choose
any method to notify employees as long as it
meets the following conditions:
(1) The agency must send the notification
to the employee. The agency has the
obligation to inform its employees when a
change has occurred in their conditions of
employment. The agency may not transfer
this obligation to the employee by requiring
employees to ask whether or not a personnel
action has been effected. Agencies must
take an affirmative step to notify employees
of all personnel actions as defined in this
Guide.
(2) The notification must be capable of
being printed. The notice may or may not
be a paper document. If it is not, however,
the employee must have the option of
printing the notice.
(3) The notice must contain:
- the nature of action as defined in this
Guide. The nature of action code is not
required. For example, the notice of a pay
change must describe the action as a “Pay
Adjustment” but the nature of action code
“894” may or may not be included at the
agency’s option.
- the effective date.
- the not-to-exceed date if the action is
temporary or time-limited.
- all remarks required by this Guide.
- the old and new values for any data
changed by the action and normally shown
on the Standard Form 50. For example, the
notice of a reassignment to a position with a
different occupation code must identify both
the old (reassigned from) and new
(reassigned to) occupation codes.
- the employee’s full name.
(4) The notice must be an official
issuance. It may be issued electronically or
by paper document. Official notices may be
4-9
agency forms, documents on agency
letterhead, or other electronic or paper
issuances showing the name and title of an
agency official authorized to inform
employees of personnel actions. For
example, an agency form such as a leave
and earning statement could be used to
notify an employee of a within-grade
increase.
c. Summary of Options. Agencies must
use the Standard Form 50 to notify
employees of accessions, conversions,
separations, and corrections and
cancellations of those actions. For all other
actions, including corrections and
cancellations of those actions, agencies may
use any of the following methods to notify
employees of personnel actions:
- Standard Form 50, or
- List form of notice, if the action is one
of those identified in section 6, or
- A pay schedule or computer printout
described in Chapter 17, if the action is a
pay adjustment affecting a large number of
employees, or
- An agency issuance that meets the
conditions in b. above.
8. Data Collected on Ethnicity and Race
and Identification of Disability.
a. Need for data. Data on ethnicity and
race and disability are collected only for use
in aggregate statistical reports (for
example, number of Hispanic employees
4-10
THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
hired, number of American Indian
employees serving in positions at certain
grades). This data is generally entered into
agency personnel systems when
appointment information is entered for
preparation of the Standard Form 50. The
information is never entered on the Standard
Form 50 or the Standard Form 52.
b. Storing data. Keep ethnicity and race
and disability data in strictest confidence
and limit access to the data to only those
members of the agency staff who obtain the
data and report it to the agency’s personnel
data system and to >Enterprise Human
Resources Integration.< Destroy ethnicity
and race identification forms used to collect
the data as soon as the data have been
entered into the agency’s system and
verified/corrected. Until they are destroyed,
keep the forms under the control of the
Equal Employment Officer (or designee)
and in a secure location (for example,
locked in a cabinet in a secured room). No
other hardcopy records containing
individually identifiable ethnicity and race
data may be maintained. Forms used to
collect identification of disability may be
filed in the Employee Medical Folder.
NEVER file forms identifying ethnicity and
race or disability in an Official Personnel
Folder, and NEVER file in an Official
Personnel Folder any document on which
employee’s ethnicity and race or disability
appear.
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
>Standard Form 52, Request for Personnel Action
To view form, go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/ <
***
4-11
4-12
THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
>Standard Form 52, Request for Personnel Action (Reverse)
To view form, go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/ <
***
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
>Standard Form 50, Notification of Personnel Action
To view form, go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/ <
***
4-13
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THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
>Standard Form 50, Notification of Personnel Action (Reverse)
To view form, go to http://www.opm.gov/forms/ <
***
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
4-15
Job Aid
Comptroller General (CG) Decisions Concerning Effective Dates
Prior to the establishment of the Office of Personnel Management’s Claims Adjudication Unit
(see 5 CFR 178.101), claims involving Federal employees’ compensation were adjudicated by
the General Accounting Office. Listed below are decisions issued that affect the setting of
effective dates for personnel actions.
Prior approval
for appointment .... 18CG907 >(B-3691) and
20CG267 (B-13405)<
Prior approval for
promotion. . . . . . . . . 3CG559 >(no A or B number
applicable) and 9CG20 (A-27284)<
Oath of office to be taken
before an employee can be paid .....21CG817
>(B-23607)<
Compensation for services rendered prior to
appointment..... . . . . . . 8CG582 >(A-26950)
and 20CG267 (B-13405)<
Holiday pay when conversion
action is involved ...........................30CG344
>(B-100674)
Compensation for service during an interval
between appointments....................17CG323
>(A-88946)<
Move to another agency .................34CG428
>(B-122860)<
Transfers where travel and
transportation expenses
are concerned .................................26CG862
>B-65146)<
Relation of effective date to
entry on duty date ..........................24CG150
>B-43828) and 45CG660 (B-158844)<
Promotion that follows a detail ......24CG563
>(B-47029)<
Salary change resulting from
allocation or reallocation
of a position . . . . .30CG156 >B-97803)presidential rank awards
(Natures of Action 818, 819,
and 878).<
Enter the difference between the adjusted basic
pay (block 12C) >and basic pay (block 12A.)
This difference represents the value of an
employee’s locality payment, special rate
supplement, or equivalent payment. If an
employee is not entitled to any such payment
leave blank. For example, an employee receiving
a retained rate under the General Schedule pay
system is not entitled to either a special rate
supplement or a locality payment.<
12C
Adjusted Basic
Pay
b. Complete on:
Enter the maximum adjusted rate of basic pay,
>including any locality payment, special rate
supplement, or equivalent payment,< after taking
into account all pay caps that may be applicable.
12D
Other Pay
(1) separations;
(2) actions that place
employee in nonpay status;
and
(3) any action that changes
employee's salary, or
(4) any action that changes
administratively
uncontrollable overtime pay
or that terminates
administratively
uncontrollable overtime pay
or availability pay.
c. Completion is optional for
other actions; follow your
agency's instructions.
a. Enter the difference between total salary (block
12) and adjusted basic pay (block 12C).
b. Leave blank if employee is not entitled to
administratively uncontrollable overtime pay,
availability pay, *** or supervisory differential.
c. Explain any other allowances/ differentials to
which employee is entitled (e.g., uniform
allowance or shift differential) in remarks.
d. All other allowances/differentials are excluded
from the amounts shown in blocks 12 or 12D.
13
Pay Basis
a. Leave blank on actions that
grant administratively
uncontrollable overtime pay,
and >presidential rank awards
(Natures of Action 818 and
878).<
b. Complete on all other
actions for which block 12 is
completed.
Enter appropriate code for basis on which
employee is currently being paid. Use The Guide
to Data Standards to select the code.
Pay basis must agree with the way in which the
total salary is shown in block 12; for example, if
annual amount is shown in block 12, then “pa”
must be entered in block 13. Note: pay basis “sy”
is to be used only for teachers/educators.
THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
4-26
Job Aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for Completing Part B (blocks 139) and Parts C, E, and F of the Standard Form 52, continued
Block Number and Title
When to Complete
How to Complete
14
Name and Location of
Position’s Organization
a. Leave blank on actions that
grant administratively
uncontrollable overtime pay, and
>presidential rank awards
(Natures of Action 818 and
878).<
b. Complete on:
(1) separations;
(2) actions that place
employee in nonpay status; and
(3) any other action that
moves employee to a different
office.
c. Completion is optional on other
actions; follow your agency's
instructions.
a. Enter the name and location shown in
“To” portion of employee's last Notification
of Personnel Action.
b. On appointment actions that move an
employee from another agency, enter the
agency code for the losing agency. When
action is a reemployment under Public Law
85-795, enter “PI00.”
15
TO: Position Title and
Number
a. Leave blank on actions that:
(1) place employee in nonpay
status,
(2) separations, and
(3) separation incentives.
b. Complete on all other actions.
Enter position title and number shown on
the position description. When action grants
or continues entitlement to grade retention
under 5 U.S.C. 5362, enter title and number
of position employee actually occupies, not
of the position whose grade the employee is
retaining for pay and benefit purposes.
16
Pay Plan
17
Occupational Code
a. Leave blank on:
(1) actions that grant
>presidential rank awards, and
separation incentives (Natures of
Action 878 and 825).<
(2) separations,
(3) actions that place
employee in nonpay status.
b. Complete on all other actions.
a. Enter the pay plan and occupational code
shown on the position description. Note:
The occupational code must be entered for
all pay plans including “AD,” “ES,” and
“EX.” When the employee is serving in a
position that is not classified under a formal
position classification system, enter the
occupational code that most precisely
identifies the employee's duties and
responsibilities.
b. When employee is entitled to grade
retention, show pay plan and occupational
code for the position employee occupies,
not the position upon which the grade
retention entitlement is based.
c. If zeros are used to complete the code,
they must precede the prescribed
occupational code. For example, the code
for Guard, which is “085,” would be
entered as “0085.”
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
4-27
Job Aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for Completing Part B (blocks 139) and Parts C, E, and F of the Standard Form 52, continued
Block Number and Title
18
Grade or Level
19
Step or Rate
When to Complete
How to Complete
a. Leave blank on actions
that document separation
incentives and presidential
rank awards (Natures of
Action 825 and 878).
b. Leave blank on
separations and actions that
place employee in nonpay
status.
c. Complete on all other
actions.
a. Enter “00” if employee is in the Senior Executive
Service.
b. If the employee is in the Competitive or the
Excepted Service, enter grade or level shown on the
position description, for example, “03,” or “12.” If the
position has no grade or level, enter two zeros (“00”).
c. Enter the target grade for employees under the pay
plan WT (Federal Apprentices and Shop Trainees).
d. For employees who are entitled to grade retention
under 5 U.S.C. 5362, show grade of the position
employee actually occupies, not the grade he or she is
retaining for pay and benefits purposes.
Enter code for step or rate at which employee will be
paid.
a. Enter “00” for:
(1) employees in pay plan “GM;”
(2) employees who are entitled to grade retention
or are entitled to pay retention and have a salary in
excess of the maximum rate for their grade; and
(3) employees whose pay plans have no steps
(for example, ST, SL, and SES); and
(4) Presidential appointees and appointees
described in 5 CFR 317.801(a)(2) who elect to retain
SES provisions.
b. When grade retention is terminated, enter the
appropriate step or rate of the grade of the position the
employee occupies.
c. When grade retention is not involved and the
employee is in the competitive or excepted service,
enter the appropriate step or rate within the grade or
level, for example “1” (or “01”). If the position has
only one basic pay rate, enter two zeros (“00”).
THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
4-28
Job Aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for Completing Part B (blocks 139) and Parts C, E, and F of the Standard Form 52, continued
Block Number and Title
20
Total
Salary/Award
When to Complete
Complete on all
actions except
separations and
actions that place
employee in nonpay
status.
How to Complete
a. For an 818/AUO action that grants or changes the
percentage an employee will receive, enter administratively
uncontrollable overtime pay percentage (for example,
“10%”). For an 818/AUO action that terminates
administratively uncontrollable overtime pay, enter “00%.”
b. For an 819/Availability Pay action that grants
availability pay, enter the dollar amount of availability pay.
For an 819/Availability Pay action that terminates
availability pay, enter “0.”
c. For actions other than administratively uncontrollable
overtime pay, presidential rank awards, or separation
incentives, enter the amount of adjusted basic pay plus any
AUO, availability pay, *** or supervisory differential after
taking into account all pay caps that may be applicable. The
total salary must be compatible with the pay basis for the pay
plan under which the employee is paid. Except in cases
described in d. below, this is the pay basis for the pay plan in
block 16. For example, if the pay plan under which the
employee is paid is “GS” or another one for which pay is set
on an annual basis, a per annum rate of pay must be entered.
If the plan is one for which pay is set on an hourly basis,
then the per hour rate of pay must be entered.
d. When employee is entitled to begin or continue a period
of grade retention under 5 U.S.C. 5362, show salary in terms
of the pay system under which the employee is paid. For
example, if an employee who is entitled to retain the grade
and salary of a General Schedule position is being assigned
to a prevailing rate position, show retained salary on per
annum basis. If employee who is entitled to retain the grade
and salary of a prevailing rate position is being assigned to a
General Schedule position, show retained salary on a per
hour basis. To convert per hour rate of pay to equivalent
annual rate, multiply the per hour rate by 2087; to convert
annual rate of pay to per hour rate, divide the annual rate by
2087.
e. When employee is not entitled to begin or continue a
period of grade retention, follow completion instructions for
block 12.
f. If action is a separation incentive, enter the dollar amount
of the separation incentive.
g. If action is a presidential rank award, enter the dollar
amount of the award.
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
4-29
Job Aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for Completing Part B (blocks 139) and Parts C, E, and F of the Standard Form 52, continued
Block Number and Title
When to Complete
How to Complete
20A
Basic Pay
a. Leave blank on:
(1) actions that
document
Enter the employee's rate of basic pay. For
example, under the General Schedule pay system,
enter a General Schedule base rate, a law
enforcement officer special base rate, or a
retained rate. Exclude allowances, adjustments,
and differentials.
20B
Locality Adjustment
administratively
uncontrollable overtime
pay, availability pay,
separation incentives, and
presidential rank awards.
(Natures of Action 818,
819, 825, and 878).
Enter the difference between the adjusted basic
pay (block 20C) and basic pay (block 20A.) This
difference represents the value of an employee’s
locality payment, special rate supplement, or
equivalent payment. If an employee is not
entitled to any such payment leave blank. For
example, an employee receiving a retained rate
under the General Schedule pay system is not
entitled to either a special rate supplement or a
locality payment.
20C
Adjusted Basic Pay
(2) separations; and
Enter the maximum adjusted rate of basic pay,
including any locality payment, special rate
supplement, or equivalent payment, after taking
into account all pay caps that may be applicable.
20D
Other Pay
(3) actions that place
employee in nonpay status;
b. Complete on any action
that changes employee's
salary.
c. Completion is optional
for other actions; follow
your agency's instructions.
a. Enter the difference between total salary (block
20) and adjusted basic pay (block 20C).
b. Leave blank if employee is not entitled to
administratively uncontrollable overtime pay,
availability pay, or supervisory differential.
c. Explain any other allowances/ differentials to
which employee is entitled (for example, uniform
allowance or shift differential) in remarks.
d. All other allowances/differentials are excluded
from the amounts shown in blocks 20 or 20D.
21
Pay Basis
a. Leave blank on actions
that document,
administratively
uncontrollable overtime
pay, presidential rank
awards, and separation
incentives (Natures of
Action, 818, 825, and 878).
b. Complete on all other
actions for which block 20
is completed.
Enter code for basis on which employee is to be
paid. Use The Guide to Data Standards to
select appropriate code.
Pay basis must agree with the way in which the
total salary is shown in block 20; for example, if
annual amount is shown in block 20, then “pa”
must be entered in block 21. Note: pay basis “sy”
is to be used only for teachers/educators.
THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
4-30
Job Aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for Completing Part B (blocks 139) and Parts C, E, and F of the Standard Form 52, continued
Block Number and Title
When to Complete
How to Complete
22
Name and Location of
Position’s Organization
a. Leave blank on:
(1) actions that place
employee in nonpay status,
and
(2) separations that are not
immediately followed by
appointment in another
agency
or in a public international
organization, and
(3) separation incentives.
b. Complete on all other
actions.
Enter name of lowest subdivision of an
organization to which an employee is assigned.
For example: Bureau of Management,
Personnel Division, Staffing and Employee
Relations Branch.
a. Enter organization name as it is shown on
the position description.
b. In separation actions for movement to a
different agency, enter the agency code for the
gaining agency.
c. For separations to accept employment with a
public international organization from which
employee will have reemployment rights, enter
“PI00.”
23
Veterans’ Preference
a. Complete on appointments,
conversions to appointments,
actions that change veterans’
preference (883) and
separations.
b. Completion is optional on
other actions; follow your
agency's instructions.
Enter the appropriate code based on preference
for appointment, adverse action, reduction in
force, or performance-based action purposes.
Use The Guide to Data Standards to select
the appropriate code. >When code 7 is cited,
remark E59 is required.<
24
Tenure
a. Completion is optional on
pay change actions; follow
your agency's instructions.
b. Complete on all other
actions.
Enter appropriate tenure group. (Do not show
subgroup.) If employee is not in one of the
tenure groups defined in The Guide to Data
Standards, enter a zero (“0”). Also enter zero
for employees in the Senior Executive Service
and for employees appointed by the President
subject to Senate confirmation.
Continued on next page
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
4-31
Job Aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for Completing Part B (blocks 139) and Parts C, E, and F of the Standard Form 52, continued
Block Number and Title
25
Agency Use
When to Complete
Complete when required by
your agency.
How to Complete
Follow your agency’s instructions.
THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
4-32
Job Aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for Completing Part B (blocks 139) and Parts C, E, and F of the Standard Form 52, continued
Block Number and Title
When to Complete
How to Complete
26
Veterans’ Preference
for Reduction in Force
Complete on all actions on
which block 23 is completed.
a. For employees to whom preference for
reduction in force does not apply, enter “X” in
“No” block. (Veterans’ preference for
reduction in force does not apply to Senior
Executive Service appointees, to excepted
service Schedule C appointees, or to those
excepted service appointees who are appointed
by the President subject to Senate
confirmation.)
27
Federal Employees
Group Life Insurance
a. Complete on:
(1) appointments, and
conversions to appointments,
(2) placements in nonpay
status and return-to-duty
actions,
(3) 881/FEGLI Chg
actions,
(4) separations, and
(5) all actions for which
block 12 or 20 shows salary.
b. Completion is optional on
other actions; follow your
agency's instructions.
Enter appropriate code and definition (for
example, “C0-Basic only”). Codes and
definitions are listed in The Guide to Data
Standards.
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
4-33
Job Aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for Completing Part B (blocks 139) and Parts C, E, and F of the Standard Form 52, continued
Block Number and Title
When to Complete
How to Complete
28
Annuitant Indicator
a. Complete on:
(1) appointments,
(2) conversions to appointments,
(3) separations,
(4) any action that results in a
change in the code shown in this
block.
b. Completion is optional on other
actions; follow your agency's
instructions.
Enter appropriate code and title; follow
descriptions in Table 4-D or The Guide
to Data Standards to select the code.
29
Pay Rate Determinant
a. Complete on all actions on which
block 20 shows salary.
b. Leave blank on actions that
document administratively
uncontrollable overtime pay, Senior
Executive Service rank awards,
>Senior Career Employee rank
awards, or separation incentives
(Natures of Action 818, 878, 825
and 849).<
Use Table 4-C or The Guide to Data
Standards to select the code that best
describes any special factors used in
determining employee's rate of basic pay.
30
Retirement Plan
a. Complete on:
(1) appointments,
(2) conversions to appointments,
(3) separations, and
(4) any action that results in a
change in the code shown in that
block.
b. Completion is optional on other
actions; follow your agency's
instructions.
a. Use The CSRS and FERS Handbook
for Personnel and Payroll Offices to
determine who is covered under Old Age
Survivor and Disability Insurance tax
(FICA) and to determine who is covered
under the Civil Service Retirement
System or the Federal Employees
Retirement System.
Continued on next page
THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
4-34
Job Aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for Completing Part B (blocks 139) and Parts C, E, and F of the Standard Form 52, continued
Block Number and Title
30
Retirement Plan,
continued
31
Service
Computation Date
(Leave)
When to Complete
How to Complete
b. Use The Guide to Data Standards to
select the appropriate code and definition.
a. Complete on:
(1) appointments,
(2) conversions to appointments,
(3) separations, and
(4) any actions that result in a
change to the service computation date
for leave accrual.
b. Completion on other actions is
optional; follow your agency's
instructions.
Enter month-day-year, for example,
“05-18-81” or “05-18-1981.” (See
Chapter 6 for instructions in computing
the service computation date for leave
accrual.)
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
4-35
Job Aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for Completing Part B (blocks 139) and Parts C, E, and F of the Standard Form 52, continued
Block Number and Title
When to Complete
How to Complete
32
Work Schedule
a. Complete on:
(1) appointments and
conversions to appointments,
(2) separations,
(3) pay change actions,
(4) actions that move
employee into and out of pay
status, and
(5) 781/Chg in Work
Schedule actions.
b. Completion on other
actions is optional; follow
your agency's instructions.
Use The Guide to Data Standards to enter
appropriate code and definition.
33
Part-Time Hours per
Biweekly Pay Period
a. Complete when block 32
shows work schedule is parttime.
b. Leave blank on all other
actions.
Self explanatory.
34
Position Occupied
a. Complete on:
(1) appointments,
(2) conversions to
appointments,
(3) separations, and
(4) 800/Chg in Data
Element actions that document
the change from a Senior
Executive Service Career
Reserved position to Senior
Executive Service General
position or vice versa.
b. Completion is optional on
other actions; follow your
agency's instructions.
Use The Guide to Data Standards to enter
appropriate code.
THE GUIDE TO PROCESSING PERSONNEL ACTIONS
4-36
Job Aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for Completing Part B (blocks 139) and Parts C, E, and F of the Standard Form 52, continued
Block Number and Title
When to Complete
How to Complete
35
Fair Labor Standards
Act Category (FLSA)
a. Complete on:
(1) appointments,
(2) conversions to
appointments,
(3) separations, and
(4) any action that
moves employee to another
position or results in a
change in the code shown in
that block.
b. Completion is optional
on other actions; follow
your agency's instructions.
Use The Guide to Data Standards to enter
appropriate code.
36
Appropriation Code
Complete when required by
your agency.
Follow your agency’s instructions.
37
Bargaining Unit Status
a. Must be completed on:
(1) appointments,
(2) conversions to
appointments,
(3) separations, and
(4) any action that
moves employee to a
different position or results
in a change to the
employee's Bargaining Unit
Status.
b. Completion is optional
on other actions.
Follow instructions below to select code. (Code
refers to whether the incumbent of the position is
eligible to be represented by a bargaining unit.
Code does not indicate whether employee is or is
not a member of a union.)
a. When employee is eligible for and represented
in a bargaining unit, enter >the four digits of the
Bargaining Unit Status (BUS) code which is
available at http://lairs.opm.gov. If the unit is not
listed, contact the Office of Personnel
Management’s Center for Workforce Relations &
Accountability Policy to obtain the assigned
number.<
b. When an employee is eligible but not
represented in a bargaining unit, enter “7777.”
Code “7777” also includes temporary employees
where the bargaining unit does not include
temporary employees.
c. When employee is ineligible for inclusion in a
bargaining unit, enter “8888.”
d. Consult with the agency or installation labor
relations officer for further assistance.
Chapter 4. Requesting and Documenting Personnel Actions
4-37
Job Aid
Instructions for Completing the Standard Form 50 and for Completing Part B (blocks 139) and Parts C, E, and F of the Standard Form 52, continued
Block Number and
Title
When to Complete
How to Complete
a. Complete on:
(1) appointments and
conversions to appointments,
(2) separations, and
(3) any action that moves
employee to a new duty station.
b. Completion is optional on
other actions.
