Who can receive COLAs and post differentials?
5 C.F.R. § 591.204
in effectEffective: 2024-07-01(a) Agencies pay COLAs and post differentials authorized under this subpart to civilian Federal employees whose rates of basic pay are fixed by statute. The following pay plans are covered by this subpart:
(1) General Schedule,
(2) Veterans Health Administration (Department of Veterans Affairs),
(3) Foreign Service (including the Senior Foreign Service),
(4) Postal Service (where applicable under title 39, United States Code),
(5) Administrative law judges paid under 5 U.S.C. 5372,
(6) Senior Executive Service (including the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Drug Enforcement Administration Senior Executive Service),
(7) Senior-level and scientific or professional positions paid under 5 U.S.C. 5376, and
(8) Administrative appeals judges paid under 5 U.S.C. 5372b.
(b) At its sole discretion and consistent with the intent of 5 U.S.C. 5941, an agency may apply this subpart to other positions authorized by specific law.
(c) Agencies pay COLAs to employees covered by paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section and whose official worksite is in a COLA area as defined in § 591.207.
(d) Agencies pay post differentials to employees covered by paragraphs (a) or (b) of this section whose official worksite or detail to temporary duty is in a post differential area as defined in § 591.231 and who are eligible to receive a post differential under § 591.233.
Source: eCFRURL: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/versioner/v1/full/2024-07-01/title-5.xmlFetched: 7/26/2026