5 CFR § 575.302 - Definitions.

---
identifier: "/us/cfr/t5/s575.302"
source: "ecfr"
legal_status: "authoritative_unofficial"
title: "5 CFR § 575.302 - Definitions."
title_number: 5
title_name: "Administrative Personnel"
section_number: "575.302"
section_name: "Definitions."
chapter_name: "OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT"
subchapter_number: "B"
subchapter_name: "CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS"
part_number: "575"
part_name: "RECRUITMENT, RELOCATION, AND RETENTION INCENTIVES; SUPERVISORY DIFFERENTIALS; AND EXTENDED ASSIGNMENT INCENTIVES"
positive_law: false
currency: "2026-03-24"
last_updated: "2026-03-24"
format_version: "1.1.0"
generator: "[email protected]"
authority: "5 U.S.C. 1104(a)(2) and 5307. Subparts A and B also issued under 5 U.S.C. 5753. Subpart C also issued under 5 U.S.C. 5754. Subpart D also issued under 5 U.S.C. 5755. Subpart E also issued under 5 U.S.C. 5757 and sec. 207 Pub. L. 107-273, 116 Stat. 1780 (5 U.S.C. 5307 note)."
regulatory_source: "56 FR 12838, Mar. 28, 1991, unless otherwise noted."
cfr_part: "575"
---


# 575.302 Definitions.

In this subpart:

*Agency* means an executive agency or a legislative branch agency included in 5 U.S.C. 5102(a)(1).

*Authorized agency official* means the head of an agency or an official who is authorized to act for the head of the agency in the matter concerned.

*Competencies* means the knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and other characteristics an employee needs to perform the duties of a position.

*Employee* has the meaning given that term in 5 U.S.C. 2105, except that the term also includes an employee described in 5 U.S.C. 2105(c).

*Executive agency* has the meaning given that term in 5 U.S.C. 105.

*OPM* means the Office of Personnel Management.

*Rate of basic pay* means the rate of pay fixed by law or administrative action for the position to which an employee is appointed before deductions and including any special rate under 5 CFR part 530, subpart C, or similar payment under other legal authority, and any locality-based comparability payment under 5 CFR part 531, subpart F, or similar payment under other legal authority, but excluding additional pay of any other kind. For example, a *rate of basic pay* does not include additional pay such as night shift differentials under 5 U.S.C. 5343(f) or environmental differentials under 5 U.S.C. 5343(c)(4).

*Service agreement* means a written agreement between an agency and an employee under which the employee agrees to a specified period of employment with the agency in return for payment of a retention incentive.