Title 5Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-73not60

§6121 Definitions

Title 5 › Part III— EMPLOYEES › Subpart E— Attendance and Leave › Chapter 61— HOURS OF WORK › Subchapter II— FLEXIBLE AND COMPRESSED WORK SCHEDULES › § 6121

Last updated Apr 3, 2026|Official source

Summary

Defines words used for the rules about flexible and compressed work schedules for federal workers. "Agency" means Executive agencies, military departments, and specific offices like the Government Publishing Office, the Library of Congress, the Architect of the Capitol, and the Botanic Garden. "Employee" means the person defined in section 2105(a) of the law and also includes those listed in section 2105(c). "Basic work requirement" is the regular hours an employee must work or account for, not counting overtime. "Credit hours" are extra hours worked under a flexible schedule that the employee chooses to change a day or week. "Compressed schedule" fits biweekly work hours into fewer than 10 workdays (80 hours for full-time; less than 80 for part-time). "Overtime hours" for flexible schedules are hours over 8 in a day or 40 in a week that are officially ordered in advance (credit hours are not overtime). For compressed schedules, overtime is any hours beyond the compressed schedule. "Collective bargaining" terms use the meanings in section 7103 for units under chapter 71, or the matching definitions in whatever personnel system covers other units.

Full Legal Text

Title 5, §6121

Government Organization and Employees — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

For purposes of this subchapter—
(1)“agency” means any Executive agency, any military department, the Government Publishing Office, the Library of Congress, the Architect of the Capitol, and the Botanic Garden;
(2)“employee” has the meaning given the term in subsection (a) of section 2105 of this title, except that such term also includes an employee described in subsection (c) of that section;
(3)“basic work requirement” means the number of hours, excluding overtime hours, which an employee is required to work or is required to account for by leave or otherwise;
(4)“credit hours” means any hours, within a flexible schedule established under section 6122 of this title, which are in excess of an employee’s basic work requirement and which the employee elects to work so as to vary the length of a workweek or a workday;
(5)“compressed schedule” means—
(A)in the case of a full-time employee, an 80-hour biweekly basic work requirement which is scheduled for less than 10 workdays, and
(B)in the case of a part-time employee, a biweekly basic work requirement of less than 80 hours which is scheduled for less than 10 workdays;
(6)“overtime hours”, when used with respect to flexible schedule programs under sections 6122 through 6126 of this title, means all hours in excess of 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week which are officially ordered in advance, but does not include credit hours;
(7)“overtime hours”, when used with respect to compressed schedule programs under section 6127 and 6128 of this title, means any hours in excess of those specified hours which constitute the compressed schedule; and
(8)“collective bargaining”, “collective bargaining agreement”, and “exclusive representative” have the same meanings given such terms—
(A)by section 7103(a)(12), (8), and (16) of this title, respectively, in the case of any unit covered by chapter 71 of this title; and
(B)in the case of any other unit, by the corresponding provisions applicable under the personnel system covering this unit.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2009—Par. (1). Pub. L. 111–68 substituted “the Library of Congress, the Architect of the Capitol, and the Botanic Garden” for “and the Library of Congress”. 1996—Par. (2). Pub. L. 104–106 amended par. (2) generally. Prior to amendment, par. (2) read as follows: “ ‘employee’ has the meaning given it by section 2105 of this title;”. 1989—Par. (1). Pub. L. 101–163 inserted “the Government Printing Office,” after “military department,”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

“Government Publishing Office” substituted for “Government Printing Office” in par. (1) on authority of section 1301(b) of Pub. L. 113–235, set out as a note preceding section 301 of Title 44, Public Printing and Documents.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

5 U.S.C. § 6121

Title 5Government Organization and Employees

Last Updated

Apr 3, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60