The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2022

72 JULY-AUGUST 2022 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL overtime pay will be one and a half times your basic hourly rate. If your hourly rate is more than $30.17 and less than $45.12, your overtime hourly rate will be $45.12 overseas. If your hourly rate is more than $45.12 over- seas, your overtime hourly rate will be the same as your basic hourly rate. Q: Can I liquidate my comp time hours? A: In some cases, yes. Comp time must be used within 26 weeks of the pay period in which it was earned, or it will be forfeited. However, if you earned comp time under Title 5 and have been unable to use it due to the demands of the post, you may have the comp time converted to money if you follow the correct procedure, even if your basic rate of pay is greater than that of a GS-10/10. The award of comp time must have been approved by your supervi- sor and recorded on form DS-3060, and you must have requested to take the compensatory time off by submitting Form SF-71, “Application for Leave.” If you have earned comp time off, you must fill out the SF-71 and request to use the comp time within the 26 pay periods. If your supervi- AFSA NEWS sor denies the request, and if there is no opportunity to reschedule the leave within the 26 pay periods, make sure that a copy of the SF-71 showing the disapproval, along with your written request for liquidation, is provided to the timekeeper to support the payment of the overtime for those denied comp time hours. Q: Can I take my comp time with me when I transfer? A: Usually not. Accu- mulated comp time will be forfeited if it is not used or liquidated before you transfer to another post or back to the United States. Comp time requested by the employee but not granted before the employee’s trans- fer must be paid, subject to the premium pay caps noted above. Comp time may only be transferred to your next post, or used in conjunction with home leave, if spe- cifically authorized by HR in exceptional circumstances. If you have specific con- cerns regarding overtime or comp time which you cannot resolve at post, please email James Yorke at yorkej@state. gov. You may also submit a question to the HR Service Center at HRSC@state.gov . n Overtime and Comp Time Overseas Continued from page 71