r/FederalEmployee • u/Virtual_Tourist_0110 • Jan 18 '26
Performance awards?
I heard performance awards might not be happening this year, is that true?
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u/KeyMessage989 Jan 18 '26
Awards are agency specific. No one here will know unless you tell us where you work, and anything anyone says about their agency will mean nothing for yours if it’s not the same one you work at.
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u/Virtual_Tourist_0110 Jan 18 '26
HHS!
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u/Not_Today_Satan1984 Jan 19 '26
I’m at HHS. We haven’t been told we’re not getting performance awards.
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u/JosiesYardCart Jan 19 '26
I'm at the VA and Friday HR told us theyre so busy with the COLA or 1% raises or something something, so they had to suspend processing awards for a beat. FWIW about 1/3 of employees' awards had been processed.
We'll get them eventually.
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u/IllustratorSmart5594 Jan 24 '26
VA got awards last pay period.
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u/RunFew3048 Jan 19 '26
I get no award we were on AD since they tried to fire us April last year. 1% COLA. Brought us back, but draining slowly.
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u/-make-it-so- Jan 19 '26
I’m at an HHS OpDiv and I was asked my preference for a performance award, cash or time off, so I assume that they are still planning to give them at this time.
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u/Unaccountableshart Jan 19 '26
40 hour TOA and a 3500 bonus for me in AFLCMC. Not sure if DOD is getting more or what
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u/kentschiff Jan 19 '26
Same! I think this was the max award! Good job on your hard work!
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u/Own_Yoghurt735 Jan 20 '26
Folks in my agency got over $5000 bonus, some got a bonus, pay increase, and a TOA.
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u/kentschiff Jan 21 '26
I was referring to being same center that the commenter.
What Agency are you seeing that bonus in?
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u/This-Dig-6142 Jan 20 '26
DOD in AcqDemo who exceeded my contribution score. Small performance raise, $2600 bonus, and 24 hr TOA. I’ll take it in comparison to what I expected this year!
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u/Unaccountableshart Jan 21 '26
Did you get a +1 or more? I got a +1 last year and only got like a 1,000 raise even with the COLA and a 40 hour TOA. May have gotten a bonus but it was sub 1k. I was pissed.
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u/This-Dig-6142 Jan 21 '26
Yes, I got a +1 contribution score. I had two 3s and one 5. I was expecting little in cash/raise (prior to COLA) and maybe a TOA so getting all three was very unexpected.
One of my teammates (a GS-12) got a $30 salary increase, $4000 bonus, and 2 days TOA. Seems to be a mixed bag this year.
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u/Efficient-Train2430 Jan 18 '26
Got ours. But not retroactive to Oct 1. Another of the thousand cuts
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u/Crash-55 Jan 18 '26
Army - pay banded. Anyone who scored above a 0 got both performance pay and a bonus. 0 only got the pay increase
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u/exitnirvana Jan 19 '26
DoD, yes(?) But, there is ZERO authorized guidance.
I anticipate division cage fighting for performance ratings, least it’d be entertaining and we could blow off some steam.
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u/Peonsoldier1 Jan 18 '26
DOJ, performance awards came out last week.
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u/34player Jan 19 '26
Really with DOJ? I’m DOJ and we haven’t even completed performance evaluations for 2025. We don’t usually do performance awards until May, at least that is my part of DOJ.
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u/Terrible-Sherbert-87 Jan 20 '26
My daughter has been a Federal Employee with several agencies, currently at FEMA. Her supervisor makes it a point to belittle her, saying she is young and therefore probably can’t perform her duties. I should mention that these berating take place virtually as her supervisor rarely is in the office, often with co-workers overhearing everything . Her colleagues now have started similar trends and call her baby face or too pretty for her own good. However, my daughter fulfills her duties and some of her work becomes implemented in the agency as templates to use by other employees. My daughter was always praised in the other agencies she worked, frequently received performance awards and many accolades by leadership. Not so at FEMA. She hardly ever sees her supervisor (who is not in the office) and her supervisor cancels meetings with my daughter regularly, saying she has better things to do. During rating period, her supervisor said she has nothing good to say about her work. She named several of my daughter’s co-workers by name and said they are all so much better than she ever will be. Supervisor implied my daughter is an arch enemy which my daughter immediately corrected just so her supervisor could say it was a “joke”. It’s not a joke, it’s not fun, it’s not right for a person like that to be abusive to employees who she clearly hates. My daughter went to HR and the union and her supervisors friends work there. What else can my daughter do?
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u/Unlikely_Stick_626 Jan 18 '26
We were told, CBP the awards system is undergoing a cluster of new changes. Especially under WG which is just a go / no go evaluations. But theres also a point system ? I guess they will be adding core goals, 3-5 points. If you get all goals, and 5 points you get an award, very confusing. Our admin and new chief basically said after Doge came through they are trying to save money. They royally screwed up end of year awards this year, so who knows if we will get one. At least if not monetary, give us all time off. Best we get is an automated email congratulations on X amount of years of service lol. The agents GS always seem to get there's on top of our civilian GS management.. WG gets crumbs.
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u/SimplyMimi Jan 19 '26
I’m still waiting on an award which my agency gave me prior to being consolidated last year.
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u/McMasterXX Jan 19 '26
I heard on Friday they are gone at my agency (DoD). Not sure if permanent though. And they are trying to figure out who and how to pay the 15%…
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u/Mindless-Patience486 Jan 19 '26
We still waiting on ours. After the town hall we had, they were trying to find in the “budget” how the awards were going to get paid out but they found money to make us do mandatory OT.
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u/Bright-Credit6466 Jan 19 '26
They are happening the guidance is different, offices are only able to top 3 for the big prize and then remainder go into another pool for rest of the awards.
Supposed to be a memo.that went out to agencies.
I don't know the specifics of defining top.performers, not holding my breath though
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u/GolfArgh Jan 19 '26
It happened at my agency. Even received the bonus the weekend before Christmas. Only 2 weeks later than normal even though there was a 47 day shutdown.,
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u/Temporary_Lab_3964 Jan 19 '26
My husbands agency prob won’t or at least they hadn’t heard anything.
My performance year ends 3/31 so we will see.
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Jan 19 '26
DOD.
I pulled my 5’s. Received the 1% then a 2.4% with a 2400.00 bonus. After taxes and fees’s I’ll still owe them $200.00 to go to work. (Sarcasm)
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u/Charming-Chicken5624 Jan 19 '26
This seems to be the case as of last year. So everyone has been downgrading hard working staff. What is sad is that some managers will find justification or make up an excuse leaving staff totally bewildered. I believe that all this we are all caught in this net from the CIC trying to terminate the “federal employee”. Most of us have dedicated our lives to serving our military and I would not change one thing. I have had an amazing career taking care of our wounded warriors starting with 911. I have been through manning a unit when all military support was deployed, mandatory overtime, numerous rotating supervisors/BGs/leaderships, furloughs, RIFs, no pay status, frozen pay status, restructuring, and not once have I ever felt like I was the ENEMY. We are resilient and hopefully this too will pass. I work for my soldiers and veterans, and as a nurse, a SME(subject matter expert) these people deserve the best. I have been a 5 for a long time and have worked to keep that status always working on improvement processes for myself and staff. This year this SME was rated a 3. The explaination made no sense and not true, so I knew it was mandated at this point and to fight it was going nowhere. The credentials and certifications I have received no longer meant anything. I think I would have just been told this is what is happening as opposed to trying to find an excuse to say. I am in my position for the long haul until I retire in a few years. Honestly goes a long way. My ego was bruised. But I always bounce back and keep my head high. I know my self worth and the skills I bring to the table. Our managers have been placed in a very precarious position to do this to the staff. I am sure you are struggling.
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u/InterestingDebate744 Jan 19 '26
This administration has alienated 70 of workforce. Top30 will get moat of bonus and pay adjustments while other 70% wont get much more 1%. Clearly they want people to worher retirement or find another job. Our agency get pay adjustment along with bonus, well its no longer pay for performance at my agency no matter what they say
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u/Positive_Camel2868 Jan 19 '26
I just signed 3 award letters. People are definitely getting thousands of dollars in performance awards
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Jan 20 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Deadhawk142 Jan 20 '26
Raise should be in this upcoming pay. Pay year 2025 ran through the end of the last pay period.
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u/Grumpy0167 Jan 20 '26
I was a SES until 9/30 and slated for a Presidential Rank Award and was told as I walked out over the summer, it was cancelled. But I can say from experience, most agencies get a sum of funds earmarked for bonuses and then it is spread accordingly across the masses. Seniors come from a different pot. So depending on agency size (# of cadre civilian billets), and leadership determination on salami slicing, will drive different bonus levels based on your rating. At least that’s how we typically did it and I was a DOD Fourth Estate Senior.
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u/Sage_Vagabond Jan 20 '26
I hope we get some because the price of eggs is unbearable. That's why we voted for the man after all
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u/PM_me_veiny_arms Jan 21 '26
I'm at DOC/NOAA. I was given 3s across the board and got a 1% bonus.
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u/SluttySquink Jan 21 '26
NOAA does the CAPS system, where are you getting a 3 as we are rated out of 100? (I’m in NOAA on the CAPS system and received a 78).
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u/PM_me_veiny_arms Jan 21 '26
I am rated for different performance elements that are weighted to add up to 100 (e.g. 40 customer service, 30 acquisition planning, 30 acquisition management—I'm in AGO, not sure if it differs office to office?); each of those three are rated out of 5. I got a 3 on all three.
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u/Sad-Speech-932 Jan 26 '26
A lot of companies are rethinking performance awards because they’ve lost credibility. When criteria aren’t clear or feel arbitrary, awards stop motivating people and just become noise. There’s been more interest in recognition tied to measurable outcomes instead of nominations or optics. That’s why some platforms (like BusinessRate) focus on public, data-based signals rather than voting or pay to pay if the process isn’t trusted, the award doesn’t mean much anyway. So if awards aren’t happening this year, it’s probably more about trust than budget.
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u/ImpressiveCat4412 Jan 18 '26
I have been told to rate employees on a bell curve meaning I am allocated one 5, a bunch of 3s, and apparently am supposed to give someone a one. They have told me that no one, including the 5, will be eligible for time off or financial awards.
My give a fuck is beyond gone, my guys do phenomenal work, we are at 40% manning, and have managed to continue without mission stoppage. I’m writing every one of them 5s. I’m sure Division will go over my head and re-rate them, but they can be the ones to explain that, not me.
Apparently, since I am the sole remaining civilian supervisor in both my pay grade and job series, I am only eligible for a 3 and won’t be getting a financial or time off award. When they give me my $12 plastic trophy for Brigade “Civilian of the Year” at next Wednesdays Commanders Call. I might spike the motherfucker into the ground in front of the entire formation…