3206-AP05 202510 The Regulatory Plan and the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions 3206 Office of Personnel Management OPM Elimination of Time in Grade

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) proposes eliminating the time-in-grade (TIG) restriction on advancement to competitive service positions in the General Schedule. Currently, employees in competitive service General Schedule positions in grades 5 and above must serve 52 weeks in grade before becoming eligible for promotion to the next grade level. Abolishing the restriction would eliminate the 52-week service requirement. If the requirement is eliminated, an employee must continue to meet occupational qualification standard requirements, and any additional job-related qualification requirements, established for the position.

]]> Other Significant First Time Published in The Unified Agenda Final Rule Stage No No Deregulatory 5 CFR 300, subpart F 5 U.S.C. 552 5 U.S.C. 3301 5 U.S.C. 3302 Yes

The intended effect of this proposed rulemaking is to remove an unnecessary barrier which may hinder recruitment and retention of needed skill sets; provide agencies greater flexibility and efficiency in the management of their workforces, and avoid conflicts with a skills-based hiring approach.

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OPM does not anticipate significant budgetary effects government-wide.  Time in Grade is an administrative burden which unduly restricts agencies’ ability to make selections based on job-related criteria.  The TIG restriction may be a disincentive to recruiting or retaining employees with needed skills sets.  OPM anticipates administrative cost reductions from eliminating TIG-related approvals and reviews which may lead to efficiency gains by enabling agencies to fill positions with qualified candidates more quickly than is currently the case.

]]> NPRM 05/28/2026 91 FR 31669 Final Rule 12/00/2026 No No Federal No No No No Michael Mahoney Mr Workforce Policy and Innovation (WPI) 3206 Office of Personnel Management OPM 202 936-3265 202 606-2329 employ@opm.gov 1900 E Street NW, Washington DC 20415