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New incident response premium pay (IRPP): who qualifies, how it’s calculated and payroll timing
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Summary
BLM/NIFC managers described IRPP as a daily lump paid after 36 continuous hours away from home or for assignments more than 50 miles away; the daily rate is 4.5× hourly salary with an annual cap of $9,000 and local GS‑10 Step 10 cap per day, and implementation requires HR coding and QuickTime entries.
BLM and NIFC officials outlined the Incident Response Premium Pay (IRPP) rules, how it will be calculated, and how agencies plan to track it.
Ken Schmidt (division chief for budget and evaluation, BLM fire and aviation) said IRPP applies when an employee is ordered to a qualifying incident and is either (a) on that incident more than 36 continuous hours, or (b) more than 50 miles from the duty station such that returning home is impractical. Panelists emphasized that work performed in a home unit or from home in support of an incident generally will not qualify unless the distance/36‑hour conditions are met.
Calculation and caps: Schmidt said the IRPP is paid as a daily lump equal to 4.5 times the employee's hourly salary (not as an hourly supplement) and that departments will cap daily payments at the locality-adjusted equivalent of a GS‑10 Step 10 rate for the employee’s locality. The CR includes an annual calendar-year limit for IRPP accruals; panelists stated that limit on the call as $9,000 per individual.
Examples and operational effect: using the BLM calculator, Schmidt showed a GS‑5 Step 1 example where the base pay rises substantially and IRPP would be roughly $113 per day; at that rate lower grades would need many days away (for example, dozens of assignment days) to reach the $9,000 cap. Higher grades have higher daily caps and different days‑to‑cap calculations; many managers and some higher-graded staff may still earn less under the new structure than they previously did under temporary incentive schemes, though their retirement-eligible base pay increases.
Payroll systems and tracking: agencies plan to use a QuickTime pay code (referenced on the call as FRF) to record IRPP in payroll. Schmidt and other speakers warned that until system-level safeguards are fully implemented (an anticipated system update in August was mentioned), employees and timekeepers need to monitor accruals to avoid overpayments and potential collection actions. BLM staff said they will continue to refine the calculator and publish formal guidance once OPM finalizes direction.
Outstanding clarifications: the panel deferred on edge cases including whether IRPP applies while traveling to an assignment (answer pending OPM guidance), how staging or prescribed-fire assignments on home units are treated if they span multiple days, and precise HR coding for several dispatch and AD roles. The agencies said they will issue more detailed guidance and post the CR language and departmental materials with the recorded briefing.
Next procedural steps: finalize OPM guidance, publish GW and FWS tables in HR systems, issue SF‑50 notices and payroll codes, and complete a one-year evaluation as required by the continuing resolution.
