FSO: SOP 134A6

BUREAU OF GLOBAL TALENT MANAGEMENT
OFFICE OF TALENT ACQUISITION

STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES NOTICE (SOP) NO. 134A6

This SOP replaces and supersedes SOP 134A5 dated 10/15/2024 and all previous versions.

SUBJECT: SALARY STANDARDS FOR ENTRY-LEVEL FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER CAREER CANDIDATES EFFECTIVE FEBRUARY 20, 2025

PURPOSE: To provide procedures for determining the entry-level salary for Foreign Service Officer Career Candidates in accordance with 3 FAM 3121.1-1.

AUTHORITY: 22 USC 3964 and Section 404 of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 authorize the Secretary to assign all Foreign Service personnel “to appropriate salary classes in the Foreign Service Schedule.

3 FAM 3121.1-1 governs salary assignments for Foreign Service Officers.

PROCEDURE:

The Office of Intake, Planning, and Onboarding (IPO) is responsible for determining the entry-level salary (grade and step) offered to a candidate, based on their qualifying professional experience, education, and current federal agency salary history. Salary review/appeal procedures are covered by Salary Review Procedure SOP No. 134D6.

Determination of Entry-level Grade and Step:

A candidate’s grade and step are based on the combination of their level of education and their years of qualifying professional experience (QPE), as provided in the chart below:

For the relevant education level and range of QPE, one step above the minimum is added for each year of QPE beyond the minimum, up to the maximum within the range indicated above. For example, a bachelor’s degree plus nine years of QPE would receive FP-5, Step 10.

Education:

To be considered, a degree must be conferred prior to appointment by a nationally accredited college or university. The accrediting institution must be recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. A degree received after IPO has sent a Confirmed Offer of Employment Letter (an offer to join a specific orientation class with a specified start date) but before the candidate has been sworn in as a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) will be credited for grade and salary determination upon submission of evidence of the degree to IPO. Education completed at foreign institutions may be used to meet education requirements if the candidate can demonstrate that the foreign education is comparable to U.S. education.

Calculation of Qualifying Professional Experience:

An additional step may be granted for each year of qualifying professional experience, calculated up to the effective date of the Appointment offer (i.e., class start date). Regardless of the nature of work performed, the number of positions held, hours worked, or employment status (including self-employment), no more than 40 hours of qualifying professional experience will be credited for anyone-week period. Part-time work will be prorated. When totaling a candidate’s qualifying professional experience, no credit is given for periods of less than one year (e.g., four years and eleven months of experience is credited as four years).

For the purposes of this SOP, qualifying professional experience (QPE) refers to work in a field that generally requires a bachelor’s degree or higher. Experience in clerical, wage-grade positions, or other roles that do not require a bachelor’s degree will not be considered. Qualifying professional experience involves the application of specialized knowledge, acquired through a bachelor’s degree or higher in a relevant field conferred from an accredited academic institution. Recognized fields include, but are not limited to, journalism, social sciences, business management, project management, marketing, economics, political science, law, engineering, computer science, healthcare, teaching, or natural sciences. Volunteer work may be credited if it meets the definition of qualifying professional experience.

Military Service:

All relevant military experience, whether as a commissioned or non-commissioned officer, can be considered qualifying professional experience if it aligns with the job requirements of the position.

Training:

Credit towards salary calculation for periods of qualifying training can be included if the candidate received full salary during the training. Any training considered as QPE cannot also be counted in another part of the calculation, such as educational credit.

Internships:

Credit towards salary calculation for an internship can be applied if the internship is:
a. Involved work that would be considered qualifying professional experience, as defined above.
b. Was not part of an academic requirement (e.g., the internship was neither required nor part of an advanced degree program).
In computing salary level, any internship considered as QPE cannot also be counted in another part of the calculation, such as educational credit.

Salary Matching Considerations:

Once a candidate’s grade and step are determined based on education and qualifying experience, IPO will review their current salary to determine if it exceeds the projected salary in the Foreign Service Overseas Salary Table. If the current salary is higher, the candidate’s starting salary will be adjusted to the closest step at or above their current salary within the assigned grade. If the current salary exceeds the highest step available for the assigned grade, the candidate will be placed at step 14 of that grade.

For this SOP, “current salary” refers to the base salary earned for at least 90 days before appointment as a Foreign Service Career Candidate. Federal government civilian direct-hire employees must have no more than a three-calendar-day break in service between their current federal employment and Foreign Service appointment, per government-wide regulations.

For candidates with current or previous federal employment, only base salary will be considered for the purposes of salary matching. Locality pay or other special differentials will not be considered part of “current salary.” The highest federal base salary held for at least 90 days may be considered for purposes of salary matching regardless of how long ago the position was held.

For all other (non-federal) candidates, there must not be a break in service of more than 45 calendar days between their most recent employment and Foreign Service appointment for current salary matching considerations to apply.

Candidates must submit proof of their current salary, e.g. a copy of 90 days’ worth of earnings statements; an SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action (for federal civilian employees only); a signed statement on letterhead from the Human Resources Office of their most recent employer; and/or other appropriate documentation.

For candidates who are not entering the Foreign Service directly from other federal civilian employment but previously held a federal government civilian direct-hire position, their highest federal salary will be considered for purposes of salary matching. Candidates must submit a copy of an SF-50 Notification of Personnel Action for proof of their prior federal employment.

Salary Offer Response Deadline:
You will have 10 calendar days to either accept, decline, or appeal the salary offered.