Title 5 — Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-73
§5511 Withholding pay; employees removed for cause
Title 5 › Part PART III— - EMPLOYEES › Subpart Subpart D— - Pay and Allowances › Chapter CHAPTER 55— - PAY ADMINISTRATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - WITHHOLDING PAY › § 5511
Summary
If an employee is fired for cause, they must be paid the wages they already earned. If that employee owes money to the United States, the wages due can be used, in whole or in part, to pay that debt.
Full Legal Text
Title 5, §5511
Government Organization and Employees — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Except as provided by subsection (b) of this section, the earned pay of an employee removed for cause may not be withheld or confiscated.
(b)If an employee indebted to the United States is removed for cause, the pay accruing to the employee shall be applied in whole or in part to the satisfaction of any claim or indebtedness due the United States.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
DerivationU.S. CodeRevised Statutes andStatutes at Large 5 U.S.C. 46a.Feb. 24, 1931, ch. 287, 46 Stat. 1415. In subsection (a), the words “From and after February 24, 1931” are omitted as executed. The word “employee” is coextensive with and substituted for “civil employee of the United States” in view of the definition of “employee” in section 2105. Standard changes are made to conform with the definitions applicable and the style of this title as outlined in the preface to the report.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
5 U.S.C. § 5511
Title 5 — Government Organization and Employees
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73