The NCUA offers many benefits and services in addition to those offered throughout federal service to help its employees thrive at work and in life. We are proud to offer one of the best pay and benefits, work/life and career development programs in the federal government.
Salary Information
As an independent federal agency and financial regulator, the NCUA does not follow the General Schedule (GS) Pay Scale. Instead, the NCUA has its own salary structure that provides a range of pay bands for entry-level to senior leadership positions. Additionally, the NCUA has a pay-for-performance system that grants eligible employees annual merit increases between two and four percent. As a result, we offer competitive salaries that reward education, experience and performance.
Benefits Programs
We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees across the country — including standard federal employee benefits as well as unique benefits provided to NCUA employees.
| Benefits Available to Employees of... | NCUA | Most Federal Agencies |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Employee Health Benefit (FEHB) premium subsidy (Approximately 72%) | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| Federal Employee Group Life Insurance with 1/3 of the Basic premium | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) with up to 5% agency matching on employee contributions | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| Federal Employee Dental and Vision Insurance Program | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| Flexible Spending Accounts | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program (program currently suspended) | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| Paid leave of up to 26 days annual, 13 days of sick, and 11 holidays | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| Opportunities for Telework (depending on position) | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| 5 Alternative Work Schedules including maxiflex (depending on position) | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| NCUA Savings Plan (401k) with up to 5% agency contributions | ✔Yes | ✖No |
| Additional bi-weekly $75.00 FEHB premium subsidy payable in lump sum if not enrolled |
✔Yes | ✖No |
| Bi-Weekly Federal Dental ($40.00) and Vision ($25.00) premium subsidy | ✔Yes | ✖No |
| NCUA pay scale with entry level salary and pay caps above the General Schedule | ✔Yes | ✖No |
| Maximum annual leave carryover of 280 hours | ✔Yes | ✖No |
| On-Site NCUA fitness center and up to $500 annual fitness facility subsidy | ✔Yes | ✖No |
| Domestic partner insurance subsidy. Equal to 72% for domestic partners of 1 year and covered by non-subsidized health plans | ✔Yes | ✖No |
| NCUA Health Examination Program offering free physical exam services to employees after 1 year of service or, reimbursement of exam fees rendered privately | ✔Yes | ✖No |
| Benefits Available to Executives of... | NCUA | Most Federal Agencies |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum annual leave carryover of 720 hours | ✔Yes | ✔Yes |
| NCUA SSP pay scale with entry level salary and pay caps above the Rates of Pay for Members of the Senior Executive Service. |
✔Yes | ✖No |
| NCUA Health Examination Program offering immediate eligibility for free physical exam services or, reimbursement of non-covered exam fees rendered privately |
✔Yes | ✖No |
Health Insurance Programs
- Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) - Employees can choose fee-for-service plans, HMO plans, point-of-service plans, and several consumer-driven and high-deductible plans as part of the health benefits offered to federal employees. The government pays on average 72 percent of employees' premiums. The NCUA also provides a premium subsidy of up to $75 biweekly or up to $1,950, cash payment at year-end for those not enrolled in an FEHB plan.
- Domestic Partner Health Insurance Subsidy - NCUA will reimburse 72 percent of the cost of an employee’s domestic partner’s privately obtained non-subsidized health insurance. The maximum reimbursement cannot exceed 72 percent of the highest cost FEHB plan.
- Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) - The FEDVIP provides comprehensive dental and vision insurance to eligible employees and their eligible family members. NCUA provides a premium subsidy of up to $40 biweekly for dental insurance and up to $25 biweekly for vision insurance.
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAFeds) - FSAFeds lets you set aside pre-tax money to pay for certain health and dependent care expenses.
- Health Examination Program - The NCUA’s Health Examination Program offers numerous health examinations to employees who meet age and tenure requirements. You can use our medical contract provider or your personal physician. If you choose to use your personal physician, we will reimburse you for out of pocket expenses for a covered examination, up to specified limits.
Life and Long-Term Care Insurance Programs
- Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) - Federal employees automatically receive basic life insurance coverage approximately equal to their total annual salary, unless they waive coverage. The federal government pays one-third of the basic premium. Employees may also purchase additional coverage.
- Federal Long-term Care Insurance - The Federal Long-term Care Insurance Program provides long-term care insurance for federal employees and their parents, parents-in-law, stepparents, spouses, same-sex domestic partners and adult children. You can apply for long-term care insurance even if you do not enroll in the FEHB program.
Work/Life Programs
- Flexible Work Schedules and Telework Opportunities - The NCUA offers employees flexible work schedules and options to work from home or another location away from the office, with a supervisor’s approval.
- Garage Parking and Transit Subsidy - The NCUA offers free parking or a monthly transit subsidy. Employees can claim transit-parking fees as part of the transit subsidy benefit.
- Fitness Facility or Subsidy - The NCUA employees have access to physical fitness facilities at some of its offices. For employees without access to an on-site facility, the NCUA will reimburse the cost of health club use or membership up to a maximum of $500 per year.
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP) - EAP offers free, confidential counseling to employees and their immediate family members 24/7. Additionally, the EAP provides valuable information, educational materials, resources, and self-assessments on key behavioral health topics, including depression, anxiety, relationship issues, alcohol abuse, and health and wellness, to help you live healthy and work well.
- Worklife4You - Provides free information, resources and referral to services like childcare, eldercare, relocation, schools, and adoption.
Leave and Holidays
- Annual Leave - Full-time employees earn 13, 20 or 26 days of annual leave each year based on their years of combined federal and creditable military service. Additionally, NCUA allows employees to carry over 35 days of annual leave from year to year.
- Sick Leave - Full-time employees earn 13 days per year. Sick leave may be used for personal illness, medical treatments, or to care for a family member. Sick leave hours accrue without limit.
- Paid Parental Leave - Full-time employees, with at least 12 months of qualified federal service, may be granted up to 12 weeks (480 hours) of paid leave for use after the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child thus allowing for increased bonding between parent and child.
- Paid Holidays - Full-time employees receive 11 paid holidays a year.
Retirement Benefits
- Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) - FERS is a three-part retirement plan consisting of a defined benefit annuity, a tax-deferred retirement savings plan (TSP), and Social Security benefits. New eligible employees are covered automatically under FERS.
- Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) - The TSP is a tax-deferred retirement savings and investment plan for federal employees. NCUA employees covered by FERS are enrolled automatically in the TSP and 5 percent of their basic pay is deducted and deposited into their TSP account. They also begin receiving automatic agency contributions equal to 1% of their pay and agency matching contributions equal to 4% of their pay.
- NCUA Savings Plan 401(k) - The NCUA Savings Plan is an additional tax-deferred retirement savings and investment plan in addition to the TSP. NCUA automatically contributes three percent of an employee’s salary to the agency’s 401(k) savings plan whether you contribute or not. Employees that contribute can receive an up to an additional two percent in the NCUA matching contributions for a total of five percent from the NCUA each year.