Occupational Pay Differential (OPD) is additional compensation that may be approved for State employees serving in positions designated as Managerial/Confidential to maintain appropriate salary relationships between supervisors and their represented subordinates. §130.13 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 approved title’s job rate 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.

OPD Pay must be reduced if the employee’s basic annual salary exceeds the job rate of their current position.

Employees at a reduced work percentage for any reason are eligible to receive OPD 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 this differential is terminated when an employee ceases to be employed in the position, area, or location for which the pay differential was authorized. The OPD pay may be changed or terminated at any time by the Director of Classification and Compensation at DCS with the Director of DOB’s approval.

Determining the OPD Amount an Employee is Entitled To:

Employees whose basic annual salary is at or below the job rate of their current position will receive the full differential that is approved by DOB. Employees whose basic annual salary is above job rate must receive a reduction to the differential that is approved by DOB (Employees who are in a position that also has a DOB approved GEO (Geographic Pay Differential) amount must be calculated per the Employees Receiving GEO Pay and OPD Pay section below).

This reduced OPD pay must be calculated as follows:

Note: OPD Pay must be evaluated each time the employee's salary changes.

1. The Adjusted Job Rate is calculated as: Job Rate of Current Grade + Full DOB Approved OPD Pay = Adjusted Job Rate
2. The Adjusted Salary is calculated as: Employee’s Current Salary + Full DOB Approved OPD Pay = Adjusted Salary
3. The reduction in OPD Pay is calculated as: Adjusted Salary (Step 2 Amount) – Adjusted Job Rate (Step 1 Amount) = Adjustment to OPD Pay
4. The final OPD pay amount the employee is entitled to is calculated as: Full DOB Approved OPD Pay – Adjustment to OPD Pay (Step 3 Amount) = Reduced OPD Pay
   • If the Reduced OPD Pay is equal to or less than zero, the employee is not entitled to any OPD 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

SPMM Occupational Pay Differentials

Last Updated 12/15/2025