Title 5, Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-102
§5550b Compensatory Time Off for Travel
Title 5 › PART III — EMPLOYEES › Subpart D — Pay and Allowances › CHAPTER 55 — PAY ADMINISTRATION › SUBCHAPTER V — PREMIUM PAY › § 5550b
Summary
Time an employee spends traveling away from their official work location, when they would not otherwise be paid, must count as hours worked for earning compensatory time off. If those travel hours are counted as compensatory time, the employee cannot receive pay for any of those hours that they do not use as comp time.
Full Legal Text
Title 5, §5550b
Government Organization and Employees, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)Notwithstanding any provision of section 5542(b)(2) or 5544(a), each hour spent by an employee in travel status away from the official duty station of the employee, that is not otherwise compensable, shall be treated as an hour of work or employment for purposes of calculating compensatory time off.
(b)An employee who has any hours treated as hours of work or employment for purposes of calculating compensatory time under subsection (a), shall not be entitled to payment for any such hours that are unused as compensatory time.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
Amendments
2008—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–181 substituted “any provision of section 5542(b)(2) or 5544(a),” for “section 5542(b)(2),”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2008 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 110–181 effective on the earlier of the
Effective Date
of any
Regulations
prescribed to carry out
Amendments
by section 1111 of Pub. L. 110–181 or the 90th day after Jan. 28, 2008, see section 1111(c) of Pub. L. 110–181, set out as a note under section 5541 of this title.
Effective Date
Pub. L. 108–411, title II, § 203(c), Oct. 30, 2004, 118 Stat. 2313, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by this section [enacting this section] shall take effect on the earlier of— “(1) the
Effective Date
of any
Regulations
prescribed to carry out such
Amendments
or “(2) the 90th day after the date of the enactment of this Act [Oct. 30, 2004].” Compensatory Time Off for Travel for Department of Justice Attorneys Pub. L. 109–425, § 1, Dec. 20, 2006, 120 Stat. 2910, provided that: “(a) In General.—Attorneys employed by the Department of Justice (including assistant United States attorneys) shall be eligible for compensatory time off for travel under section 5550b of title 5, United States Code, without regard to any provision of section 115 of the Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000 (as enacted into law by section 1000(a)(1) of Public Law 106–113 and reenacted by section 111 of the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2001 (as enacted into law by appendix B of Public Law 106–553) [set out as a note under section 5541 of this title]). “(b) Applicability.—Subsection (a) shall apply with respect to time spent in travel status on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 2006].”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
5 U.S.C. § 5550b
Title 5, Government Organization and Employees
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102