Title 5 — Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-73

§9804 Recruitment, redesignation, and relocation bonuses

Title 5 › Part PART III— - EMPLOYEES › Subpart Subpart I— - Miscellaneous › Chapter CHAPTER 98— - NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION › § 9804

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The agency can pay a hiring, reassignment, or moving bonus when it thinks it would be hard to fill a job and the person is either newly hired by the federal government, newly moved to a different job in the same area, or must move to a different area to take the job. If the workforce plan calls the job a critical need, the bonus can be up to either 50% of the person’s yearly basic pay times the length of the required service, or up to 100% of the yearly basic pay. Those amounts include any comparability pay. If the job is not a critical need, the bonus can be up to 25% of yearly basic pay and does not include comparability pay. The person must sign a written service agreement that says how long they must stay (minimum 6 months, maximum 4 years, counted in years and twelfths), how and when payments are made, the bonus amount and how it was worked out, and what happens if the agreement ends early. Bonuses are not part of basic pay. The agency must have a bonus plan approved by the Office of Personnel Management before paying, and no more than 25% of the total bonus money in a year can go to supervisors or managers.

Full Legal Text

Title 5, §9804

Government Organization and Employees — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Notwithstanding section 5753, the Administrator may pay a bonus to an individual, in accordance with the workforce plan and subject to the limitations in this section, if—

(1)the Administrator determines that the Administration would be likely, in the absence of a bonus, to encounter difficulty in filling a position; and

(2)the individual—

(A)is newly appointed as an employee of the Federal Government;

(B)is currently employed by the Federal Government and is newly appointed to another position in the same geographic area; or

(C)is currently employed by the Federal Government and is required to relocate to a different geographic area to accept a position with the Administration.

(b)If the position is described as addressing a critical need in the workforce plan under section 9802(b)(2)(A), the amount of a bonus may not exceed—

(1)50 percent of the employee’s annual rate of basic pay (including comparability payments under section 5304 and 5304a) as of the beginning of the service period multiplied by the service period specified under subsection (d)(1)(B)(i); or

(2)100 percent of the employee’s annual rate of basic pay (including comparability payments under section 5304 and 5304a) as of the beginning of the service period.

(c)If the position is not described as addressing a critical need in the workforce plan under section 9802(b)(2)(A), the amount of a bonus may not exceed 25 percent of the employee’s annual rate of basic pay (excluding comparability payments under section 5304 and 5304a) as of the beginning of the service period.

(d)(1)(A)Payment of a bonus under this section shall be contingent upon the individual entering into a service agreement with the Administration.

(B)At a minimum, the service agreement shall include—

(i)the required service period;

(ii)the method of payment, including a payment schedule, which may include a lump-sum payment, installment payments, or a combination thereof;

(iii)the amount of the bonus and the basis for calculating that amount; and

(iv)the conditions under which the agreement may be terminated before the agreed-upon service period has been completed, and the effect of the termination.

(2)For purposes of determinations under subsections (b)(1) and (c)(1), the employee’s service period shall be expressed as the number equal to the full years and twelfth parts thereof, rounding the fractional part of a month to the nearest twelfth part of a year. The service period may not be less than 6 months and may not exceed 4 years.

(3)A bonus under this section may not be considered to be part of the basic pay of an employee.

(e)Before paying a bonus under this section, the Administration shall establish a plan for paying recruitment, redesignation, and relocation bonuses, subject to approval by the Office of Personnel Management.

(f)No more than 25 percent of the total amount in bonuses awarded under subsection (a) in any year may be awarded to supervisors or management officials.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

5 U.S.C. § 9804

Title 5 — Government Organization and Employees

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73