If you are under a flexible work schedule, credit hours are hours that that you can voluntarily elect to work in excess of your basic work week so that you can use them later.
However, you may only earn and use credit hours with your supervisor’s approval. Your right may be further limited by your agency’s rules or those contained in an agreement negotiated with a union.
If you are a full-time employee, you can earn and carry over a maximum of 24 credit hours to the following pay period.
If you are part-time, only the hours in your biweekly basic work requirement may be carried over.
However, agency policy or a union agreement can result in stricter limitations on how many credit hours you can earn or carry over.
As a rule, credit hours cannot be earned while you are in travel status or in training. Nor may you earn overtime pay or comp time for your credit hours. And, while you can’t earn night pay or receive Sunday premium pay when you earn or use credit hours, you can earn hazardous duty pay, unless barred from doing so by an agency policy.
While you will normally not be paid basic pay or overtime for any credit hours you earn, if you are no longer covered by a flexible work schedule, transfer to another agency, or leave government, you will be paid for any unused credit hours at the your current basic rate of pay.