Purpose:
The purpose of this bulletin is to provide agencies instructions for processing the 2025 Special Assignment to Duty Pay (SAD).
Affected Employees:
Employees of the Department of Transportation and the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in the following bargaining units who meet the eligibility criteria are affected:
| CSEA | |
| Administrative Services Unit | BU02 |
| Operational Services Unit | BU03 |
| Institutional Services Unit | BU04 |
| PEF | |
| Professional, Scientific & Technical Services Unit | BU05 |
Background:
Pursuant to the side letter contained in the 2021-2026 Agreements between the State of New York and the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) and a side letter contained in the 2023-2026 Agreement between the State of New York and the Public Employees Federation (PEF), employees whose assignment constitutes an exposure to inherent danger by virtue of unavoidable proximity to live vehicular traffic within the highway Rights-of-Way are eligible for Special Assignment to Duty Pay.
Effective Dates:
Effective Administration Pay Period 26L, paychecks dated 04/09/2025.
Eligibility Criteria:
Full-time employees in BU02, BU03, BU04 and BU05 in the Department of Transportation (Department ID 17XXX) or the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (Department ID 49XXX) who routinely work on Interstate Routes within New York State (NYS), on NYS highway routes, or on NYS parkway systems at least one-third or more of the time actually worked in the previous calendar year are eligible for an annual lump sum payment of $750.
Agency Actions:
To pay the 2025 Special Assignment to Duty Pay to eligible employees, agencies must submit the following information on the Time Entry page or the Time Entry Interface (NPAY502) using the appropriate Earnings Code:
| Earnings Begin Date: | 03/13/2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Earnings End Date: | 03/26/2025 | |
| Earn Code: | SAD (PEF) SDC (CSEA) | |
| Units: | 1 |
Payroll Register and Employee’s Paycheck/Advice:
The Earnings Code SAD or SDC and the amount paid will be displayed on the Payroll Register. The Earnings Description Special Assignment to Duty and the amount paid will appear on the employee’s paycheck stub or direct deposit advice
Undeliverable Checks:
When a valid payroll check is undeliverable due to the agency’s inability to locate the employee, the agency should follow the Agency Actions identified in Payroll Bulletin No. 1786 – Non-Negotiated and/or Undeliverable New York State Payroll Checks.
Checks issued to eligible employees who are now deceased should be submitted as a Stop Payment Request with a reason of Exchange in PayServ. The Report of Check Exchange (AC 1476-P), Next of Kin Affidavit (AC 934-P), and original death certificate should be submitted to the Payroll Reversal and Exchange mailbox at the same time as the Stop Payment Request. If a Next of Kin Affidavit has been previously submitted for a deceased employee’s payroll check, OSC will accept a photocopy of this form along with a new Report of Check Exchange.
Retirement information:
The Special Assignment to Duty Pay is pensionable but is not included in the calculation of overtime.
Tax Information:
The 2025 Special Assignment to Duty Pay is supplemental taxable income, will be included in the employee’s taxable gross, and is subject to all employment taxes and income taxes.
Federal, State, and New York City income tax withholding will be calculated using the Aggregate method. Yonkers income tax withholding will be calculated using the Flat Rate method. Yonkers Flat Rate Withholding is 1.95975% for Yonkers residents and 0.50% for Yonkers non-residents.
Questions:
Questions regarding this bulletin may be directed to the Payroll Earnings mailbox.