When is it mandatory to give overtime pay versus compensatory time earned?
When overtime is scheduled in advance (prior to the beginning of an administrative workweek), employees on compressed work schedules must be paid overtime. Compensatory time may not be substituted. Employees on flexible work schedules may be granted compensatory time for prescheduled overtime or mandated to substitute compensatory for overtime if there rate of pay is that of a GS-10 step 10 or above.