Most Often Misused NOACs Processing Tips

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) uses Nature of Action Codes (NOAC) to identify the different types of personnel actions and legal authorities. NOACs in the 900 series are used for certain payroll/personnel processes and Agency unique requirements. All NOACs are listed on the Table Management System (TMGT) Table 061, Nature of Action Conversion.

OPM’s Guide to Processing Personnel Actions (GPPA) and Agency processing manuals provide specific guidance for determining the NOAC to select in preparing personnel actions; however, there are at least four NOACs that are consistently misused in the National Finance Center (NFC) Payroll Personnel Processing System (PPS). These NOACs are:

• 790 Realignment: This NOAC is only used when an employee’s position is moved due to a transfer of function or an organization change. The employee stays in the same Agency, and there is no change in the employee’s position, grade or pay. Refer to 
  GPPA Chapter 21, Realignment and Mass Transfer. 

Note: Some Agency personnel offices attempt to use NOAC 790 to promote employees to a higher grade. For changes in grade, refer to GPPA Chapter 14, Promotions, Changes to Lower Grade, Level or Band, Reassignments, Position Changes and Details.

• 792 Change in Duty Station: This NOAC is used when only the duty station is changing – it cannot be used if any other field is changing on the personnel action. Refer to GPPA Chapter 23, Change in Duty Station.

Note: Some Agency personnel offices attempt to use the 792 for duty station changes that move the employee into a different locality pay area. According to the GPPA,
NOAC 792 is not used if the new geographic location causes the locality pay to change. Refer to GPPA Chapter 17, Pay and Step Changes when locality pay is changing. For processing in PPS, using NOAC 721 Reassignment, is recommended. While OPM does permit the use of NOAC 894, General Adjustment, it does not accurately reflect the duty station change in PPS.

• 800 Change in Data Element: This NOAC is only used for one or more of changes listed below. Refer to GPPA Chapter 28, Change in Data Element. The NOAC is not used when other fields change at the same time as these fields. Remark Code M74 changes data element(s) in block(s). The following fields are required:
  • Agency Code
  • Annuitant Indicator
  • Bargaining Unit Status (BUS)
  • FLSA Category
  • Occupational Code
  • Pay Rate Determinant
  • Personnel Office Identifier (POI)
  • Position Occupied
• 903 Change in Non-CDPF Data Element: This NOAC is not an official OPM approved action, and the SF 50 for NOAC 900 is not sent to OPM nor is it filed in the OPF/eOPF.  This NOAC is only used to document payroll or system changes such as:
  • 903/MIL to enter the hourly rate by which the civilian salary must be offset for employees using the 22 days offset military leave under Title 5, Section 6323(b);
  • 903/ZOO when the employee has a birthday which results in the placement of the employee in a higher FEGLI premium rate; or
  • 903 when the Position Sensitivity Code or Official Title Code changes in Position Management System Online (PMSO).

Some Agency personnel offices attempt to process NOAC 903 to document changes to PMSO fields reported to OPM via the Enterprise Human Resources Integration (EHRI) data files. Refer to GPPA Chapter 28, Change in Data Element. OPM requires an official personnel action when one or more of these fields change; therefore, the Agency personnel offices must process an appropriate official NOAC. In PMSO these fields include:

• Bargaining Unit Status
• Duty Station
• FLSA
• Occupational Series
• LEO Indicator
• Occupational Function
• Organization Structure
• PATCOB
• Pay Plan
• Pay Table
• Supervisory Status