(a) Basic severance pay allowance. Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, the basic severance pay allowance consists of the following:

(1) One week of pay at the rate of basic pay for the position held by the employee at the time of separation for each full year of creditable service through 10 years;

(2) Two weeks of pay at the rate of basic pay for the position held by the employee at the time of separation for each full year of creditable service beyond 10 years; and

(3) Twenty-five percent of the otherwise applicable amount for each full 3 months of creditable service beyond the final full year.

(b) Basic severance pay allowance for employees with variable work schedules or rates of basic pay. In the following circumstances, the weekly rate of basic pay used in computing the basic severance pay allowance must be determined based on the weekly average for the last position held by the employee during the 26 biweekly pay periods immediately preceding separation, as follows:

(1) For positions in which the number of hours in the employee's basic work schedule (excluding overtime hours) varies during the year because of part-time work requirements, compute the weekly average of those hours and multiply that average by the hourly rate of basic pay in effect at separation.

(2) For positions in which the rate of annual premium pay for standby duty regularly varies throughout the year, compute the average standby duty premium pay percentage and multiply that percentage by the weekly rate of basic pay (as defined in §550.103) in effect at separation.

(3) For prevailing rate positions in which the amount of night shift differential pay under 5 U.S.C. 5343(f) varies from week to week under a regularly recurring cycle of work schedules, determine for each week in the averaging period the value of night shift differential pay expressed as a percentage of each week's scheduled rate of pay (as defined in §532.401 of this chapter), compute the weekly average percentage, and multiply that percentage by the weekly scheduled rate of pay in effect at separation.

(4) For positions with seasonal work requirements, compute the weekly average of hours in a pay status (excluding overtime hours) and multiply that average by the hourly rate of basic pay in effect at separation.

(5) For positions held by firefighters compensated under subpart M of this part, where the firefighter has a recurring cycle of variable workweeks within his or her regular tour of duty (as defined in §550.1302), compute the weekly average of hours in the regular tour of duty and determine the weekly rate of basic pay based on the average workweek and the rate of basic pay in effect at separation.

(c) Age adjustment allowance. The basic severance pay allowance is augmented by an age adjustment allowance consisting of 2.5 percent of the basic severance pay allowance for each full 3 months of age over 40 years.

(d) Lifetime limitation. The severance pay fund is limited to that amount which would provide 52 weeks of severance pay (taking into account weeks of severance pay previously received, as provided in §550.712).

[55 FR 6593, Feb. 26, 1990, as amended at 63 FR 64593, Nov. 23, 1998; 64 FR 69177, Dec. 10, 1999]