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5 CFR §531.504

Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
A quality step increase shall not be required but may be granted only to—
  1. (a)An employee who receives a rating of record at Level 5 (“Outstanding” or equivalent), as defined in part 430, subpart B, of this chapter; or
  2. (b)An employee who, when covered by a performance appraisal program that does not use a Level 5 summary—
    1. (1)Receives a rating of record at the highest summary level used by the program; and
    2. (2)Demonstrates sustained performance of high quality significantly above that expected at the “Fully Successful” level in the type of position concerned, as determined under performance-related criteria established by the agency.