Data / Federal rules / 2026-21319
Elimination of Time-in-Grade
The Personnel Management Office published this final rule in the Federal Register on October 19, 2026. It takes effect on January 19, 2027.
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What the agency says
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is adopting, substantially as proposed, its proposed rule eliminating the Time-in- Grade (TIG) restriction on advancement to competitive service positions in the General Schedule (GS). Under the prior regulations, a candidate generally could not be advanced to a covered position at GS-6 or above without completing 52 weeks in a position no more than one grade lower--or two grades lower for certain positions in two-grade-interval lines of work. This final rule removes that requirement. Employees remain subject to all applicable occupational qualification standards and any additional job-related qualification requirements established by their employing agency.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2026-21319
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Final rule
- Agency
- Personnel Management Office
- Published
- October 19, 2026
- Takes effect
- January 19, 2027
- Dates
- This rule is effective January 19, 2027.
- Docket
- Docket ID: OPM-2026-0067
- Regulation ID (RIN)
- 3206-AP05
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 5 CFR 300; 5 CFR 315; 5 CFR 316; 5 CFR 352; 5 CFR 410
- Topics
- Administrative practice and procedure; Education; Employment; Freedom of information; Government employees; Reporting and recordkeeping requirements
- Pages
- 18
Other documents from the Personnel Management Office
| Document | Type | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative Leave for Workforce Realignment and Other Purposes 2026-21320 | Final rule | Oct 19 |
| Managing Senior Professional Performance 2026-21316 · significant | Final rule | Oct 19 |
| Family and Medical Leave Act 2026-21104 | Final rule | Oct 15 |
| Employment in the Excepted Service 2026-19222 · significant | Proposed rule | Sep 18 |
| Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Optimizing FEHB Plan Offerings 2026-18944 | Proposed rule | Sep 15 |
| Promoting Employee Accountability 2026-18943 | Proposed rule | Sep 15 |
| Shared Certificates and Pooled Hiring Actions 2026-18828 · significant | Final rule | Sep 15 |
| Reduction in Force; Correction 2026-18800 · significant | Final rule | Sep 15 |
Everything from the Personnel Management Office · Rules on administrative practice and procedure · Rules on education · Rules on employment · Published in October 2026
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.