Geographic Pay Differential (GEO) is additional compensation that may be approved for State employees in one or more areas of the State when recruitment and/or retention difficulties can be tied to private or other non-State employers in such areas paying substantially higher salaries for a similar occupation. §130.7 of the Civil Service Law provides that the Director of the Division of Classification and Compensation at the Department of Civil Service (DCS) may authorize this additional compensation. All such determinations are subject to the approval of the Director of the Division of the Budget (DOB). This additional compensation may be designated as a percentage of the basic annual salary or a fixed dollar amount. The differential is not part of the employee’s basic annual salary and does not affect other provisions of the laws concerning salary determination.

Eligible employees in these positions are entitled up to the full amount of GEO Pay listed in the Special Salary Search Engine (https://www.cs.ny.gov/sstse) or as authorized by the State University of New York for employees working at Teaching and Research Centers. GEO Pay must be reduced if the employee’s basic annual salary exceeds the job rate and/or longevity step (if applicable) of their current position.

Employees at a reduced work percentage for any reason are eligible to receive GEO pay at a reduced bi-weekly amount. The bi-weekly amount will be pro-rated based on the employee’s percentage in PayServ.

The payment of a differential is terminated when an employee ceases to be employed in the position, area, or location for which the pay differential was authorized. The GEO pay may be changed or terminated at any time by the Director of Classification and Compensation with the Budget Director’s approval

Civil Service Section 130.7

SPMM Geographic Pay

Determining the GEO Amount an Employee is Entitled to:

Employees in the following situations will receive the full differential that is approved by DOB:

1. Employees whose basic annual salary is at or below the job rate of their current position.
2. Employees whose basic annual salary is above job rate but is at or below their equated longevity step based on years of service in an eligible bargaining unit (applicable to Security Bargaining Units).

Employees in the following situations must receive a reduction to the differential that is approved by DOB:

1. Employees whose basic annual salary is above job rate.
   • Employees who are in a position that also has a DOB approved OPD (Occupational Pay Differential) Pay amount must be calculated per the Employees Receiving GEO Pay and OPD Pay section below.
2. Employees whose basic annual salary is above the equated longevity step based on their years of service in an eligible bargaining unit (applicable to Security Bargaining Units).

This reduced GEO pay must be calculated as follows:

Note: In all circumstances below, GEO Pay must be evaluated each time the employee's salary changes.

Employees Appointed to a Bargaining Unit without Longevity Steps:

1. The Adjusted Job Rate is calculated as: Job Rate of Current Grade + Full DOB Approved GEO Pay = Adjusted Job Rate
   • Employees in a traineeship position must be calculated based on the job rate of their journey level title.
2. The Adjusted Salary is calculated as: Employee’s Current Salary + Full DOB Approved GEO Pay = Adjusted Salary
3. The reduction in GEO Pay is calculated as: Adjusted Salary (Step 2 Amount) – Adjusted Job Rate (Step 1 Amount) = Adjustment to GEO Pay
4. The final GEO pay amount the employee is entitled to is calculated as: Full DOB Approved GEO Pay – Adjustment to GEO Pay (Step 3 Amount) = Reduced GEO Pay
   • If the Reduced GEO Pay is equal to or less than zero, the employee is not entitled to any GEO pay.

Employees Appointed to a Bargaining Unit with Longevity Steps:

1. The Adjusted Longevity Step is calculated as: Equated Longevity Step of Current Grade + Full DOB Approved GEO Pay = Adjusted Longevity Step
   • Employees in a traineeship position must be calculated based on the job rate of their journey level title.
2. The Adjusted Salary is calculated as: Employee’s Current Salary + Full DOB Approved GEO Pay = Adjusted Salary
3. The reduction in GEO pay is calculated as: Adjusted Salary (Step 2 Amount) – Adjusted Longevity Step (Step 1 Amount) = Adjustment to GEO Pay
4. The final GEO pay amount the employee is entitled to is calculated as: Full DOB Approved GEO Pay – Adjustment to GEO Pay (Step 3 Amount) = Reduced GEO Pay
   • If the Reduced GEO Pay is equal to or less than zero, the employee is not entitled to any GEO pay.

Employees Receiving GEO Pay and OPD Pay

1. The percentage of the total Additional Pay Earnings each DOB approved GEO pay and OPD pay amount represents is calculated as:
   • (1a) Full DOB Approved GEO Pay + Full DOB Approved OPD Pay = Sum of Approved Additional Pays
   • (1b) Full DOB Approved GEO Pay / Sum of Approved Additional Pays (Step 1a Amount) = GEO Percentage
   • (1c) Full DOB Approved OPD Pay / Sum of Approved Additional Pays (Step 1a Amount) = OPD Percentage
2. The Adjusted Job Rate is calculated as: Job Rate of Current Grade + Full DOB Approved GEO Pay + Full DOB Approved OPD Pay = Adjusted Job Rate
3. The maximum amount of GEO Pay and OPD Pay the employee is eligible to receive is calculated as: Adjusted Job Rate (Step 2 Amount) – Employee’s Current Salary = Maximum Amount
4. The final GEO pay amount the employee is entitled to is calculated as: Maximum Amount (Step 3 Amount) * GEO Percentage (Step 1b Amount) = Reduced GEO Pay
5. The final OPD pay amount the employee is entitled to is calculated as: Maximum Amount (Step 3 Amount) * OPD Percentage (Step 1c Amount) = Reduced OPD Pay

Last Updated: 12/15/2025