Title 5, Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-102
§5501 Disposition of Money Accruing From Lapsed Salaries or Unused Appropriations for Salaries
Title 5 › PART III — EMPLOYEES › Subpart D — Pay and Allowances › CHAPTER 55 — PAY ADMINISTRATION › SUBCHAPTER I — GENERAL PROVISIONS › § 5501
Summary
Leftover salary money or unused salary funding must be paid into the U.S. Treasury, and anyone who breaks this rule must be removed from federal service.
Full Legal Text
Title 5, §5501
Government Organization and Employees, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Money accruing from lapsed salaries or from unused appropriations for salaries shall be covered into the Treasury of the United States. An individual who violates this section shall be removed from the service.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
DerivationU.S. CodeRevised Statutes andStatutes at Large 5 U.S.C. 50 (1st sentence; and 2d sentence, so much as relates to removal).Aug. 5, 1882, ch. 389, § 4 (297th through 316th words), 22 Stat. 255.Aug. 23, 1912, ch. 350, § 5 (so much as relates to removal), 37 Stat. 414. In the last sentence, the word “removed” is substituted for “summarily removed” because of the provisions of the Lloyd-LaFollette Act 37 Stat. 555, as amended, and the Veterans’ Preference Act of 1944, 58 Stat. 387, as amended, which are carried into this title. 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. § 5501
Title 5, Government Organization and Employees
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102