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Availability Pay -- Q's and A's on Travel Time
Question Answer
Do employees receive availability pay for hours in agency-approved travel status? Yes. Availability pay is paid during all periods of travel falling within the basic 40-hour workweek.  5 U.S.C. 5545a (f)(1)(C)

Note:  Availability pay is paid only for hours for which basic pay is paid.
Do hours in agency-approved travel status count toward determining whether a day is a "regular workday?"

No. Travel hours do not count toward the minimum 4-hour requirement for a regular workday.  5 CFR 550.183(b)(3)

Do hours in agency-approved travel status count toward the required 2-hour average of "unscheduled duty hours?

 Only travel hours outside the basic 40-hour workweek that meet the "hours of employment" test in 5 U.S.C. 5542(b)(2) are "unscheduled duty hours."  5 U.S.C. 5545a (a)(3)

Example: travel to an administratively uncontrollable event



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