Separation Incentives
The Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment (VSIP) Authority, also known as buyout authority, allows Agencies that are downsizing or restructuring to offer employees lump-sum payments up to $25,000 as an incentive to voluntarily separate. When authorized by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), an Agency may offer a VSIP to employees who are in surplus positions or have skills that are no longer needed in the workforce and who volunteer to separate by resignation, optional retirement, or voluntary early retirement, if approved. By allowing employees to volunteer to leave the Government, Agencies can minimize or avoid involuntary separations using costly and disruptive reductions in force (RIF).
Note: A VSIP is a one-time payment.
When an Agency has received approval from OPM to offer VSIPs, any employee who meets these general eligibility requirements may receive an offer. The employee must:
- Be serving in an appointment without time limit;
- Be currently employed by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government for a continuous period of at least 3 years;
- Be serving in a position covered by an Agency VSIP plan (e.g., in the specific geographic area, organization, series and grade);
- Apply for and receive approval for a VSIP from the Agency making the VSIP offer; and
- Not be included in any of the ineligibility categories listed below.
Employees in the following categories are not eligible for a VSIP:
- Reemployed annuitants.
- Have a disability such that the individual is or would be eligible for disability retirement.
- Have received a decision notice of involuntary separation for misconduct or poor performance.
- Previously received any VSIP from the Federal Government.
- Performed service for which a student loan repayment benefit was paid, or is to be paid, dliuring the 36-month period preceding the date of separation.
- Performed service for which a recruitment or relocation incentive was paid, or is to be paid, dliuring the 24-month period preceding the date of separation.
- Performed service for which a retention incentive was paid, or is to be paid, dliuring the 12-month period preceding the date of separation.
An Agency computes a VSIP based on the lesser of:
- An amount equal to the amount of severance pay the employee would be entitled to receive, as computed under 5 U.S.C. 5595(c), without adjustment for any previous payment made; or
- An amount determined by the Agency head, not to exceed $25,000.
An employee who receives a VSIP and later accepts employment for compensation with the Government of the United States within 5 years of the date of the separation on which the VSIP is based, including work under a personal services contract or other direct contract, must repay the entire amount of the VSIP to the Agency that paid it - before the individual's first day of reemployment.
Note: In rare instances, the VSIP repayment may be waived by the head of the Agency.
Personnel Document Processing
The following guidelines apply to processing separation incentive actions:
- The separation action and the separation incentive action must be processed with the same effective date.
- The separation action must clear the Personnel Input and Edit System (PINE) edits and must display in Information/Research Inquiry System (IRIS) Program IR122, SF 50B Data Elements, before the separation incentive action may apply.
Refer to the Processing Tip for Entering Multiple EmpowHR Actions in the Same Day for additional information.
Following is the OPM guidance for processing a separation incentive:
|
Incentive |
Requirement |
Nature of Action Codes |
Authority Code |
Authority |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Separation Incentive for an Employee who resigns or retires |
Employee is not in the Department of Defense, and incentive was granted prior to 3/1/95 with approval for a delayed separation. |
825, Separation Incentive |
Z2R |
PL 103-226 |
|
Separation Incentive for an Employee who resigns or retires |
Employee is not in the Department of Defense, and incentive was granted after 3/1/95. |
825, Separation Incentive |
ZAA |
(Enter Agency Authority) |
Note: Access IRIS Program IR132, Separation Information to verify the separation action processed.
Deleting/Modifying a Separation Incentive in the Current Processing Pay Period
In the event a separation incentive is terminated or changed in the pay period it was processed, the Agency must process a rollback prior to the processing of the Payroll/Personnel System (PPS) for the current processing pay period to delete the incentive award personnel action from the employee's personnel history or to modify the amount of the award payment. If the Agency submitted the Web-based Special Payroll Processing System (SPPS Web) request to pay the incentive, the Agency must submit an SPPS Web request to terminate or change the incentive.
Canceling an Incentive
If the separation incentive is terminated after the processing of PAYE for the current processing pay period, Agencies must process a cancellation incentive personnel action in the applicable entry system (EmpowHR or Web-based Entry, Processing, Inquiry, and Correction System (EPIC Web)) during a subsequent pay period to correct the employee's personnel history.
Agencies must also submit an SPPS Web request to establish a debt for the payment the employee must return/repay to the Agency.
Correcting an Incentive
If the separation incentive is changed after the processing of PAYE for the current processing pay period, Agencies must process a correction incentive personnel action in the applicable entry system (EmpowHR or EPIC Web) during a subsequent pay period to correct the employee's personnel history.
Agencies must also submit an SPPS Web request to establish a debt for any payment the employee must return/repay to the Agency.
SPPS Web Processing
Updating Miscellaneous Payment and Adjustment Details
-
To Update Miscellaneous Payment and Adjustment Details, select Adjustment List. The Adjustments List page is displayed with all transactions for the specified employee.
Note: If the search does not return the specified transaction, the transaction must be established in the system before the payment or adjustment record can be processed.
- Select the SSN for the transaction that is to be adjusted by double clicking the SSN. The Miscellaneous Payment page is displayed.
- Complete the applicable fields on the Miscellaneous Payment page including the Accounting, Hours, and Rate fields.
- After completing the page, select the Save button to apply all changes and update the record.
- Select the OK button.
Note: Accounting must validate against MASC if stored accounting is to be used. Select Copy to copy stored accounting information from one pay period record to the pay period record being processed.
You must include a statement if reemployed within 5 years of the date of separation the employee must repay the entire amount of the separation incentive, including monies deducted for taxes, etc., and the process on how to make the payment.
Tax Withholding
The gross amount of the incentive award is recorded as supplemental income to the employee, as well as the deductions Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA), Medicare, Federal, State, and local income taxes. The employment tax withholding due on supplemental wages is calculated under the flat rate method.
- The correct amount of Federal income tax withholdings is calculated by taking a flat 28 percent of the supplemental wages.
- State taxes are calculated based on the employee's current withholdings.
- Social security tax and Medicare tax withholdings are calculated at the usual rates and are in addition to the 28 percent Federal income tax withholding.
Reporting to OPM
Agencies are required to report annually to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on their use of the separation incentive authority. Before March 31 of each year, Agencies must submit their reports for the previous calendar year. The reports must contain:
- The number of employees who received separation incentives.
- The job classifications of the employees who received separation incentive benefits.
- The cost to the Federal Government of providing separation benefits.
- Other information, records, reports, and data as OPM may require.
Note: To assist Agencies with reporting, SPPS Web includes a Separation Incentive report identifying separation incentive payment transactions.