FECA Leave Buy Back Calculator

Used annual or sick leave while waiting for your OWCP claim to be approved? Calculate exactly how much OWCP will pay and how much you owe your agency to repurchase that leave.

Leave Type

Annual Leave Leave charged to your annual leave balance during the disability period.

Sick Leave Leave charged to your sick leave balance during the disability period.

LWOP Leave Without Pay — no leave balance charged; agency paid nothing.

Leave Hours Used

Total leave hours charged during the accepted disability period.

Weekly Pay Rate ($)

Your gross weekly pay at the time of the injury (annual salary ÷ 52).

FECA Compensation Rate

Use 75% if you have at least one dependent.

Hours Per Workweek

Usually 40 for full-time; adjust for part-time schedules.

How FECA Leave Buy Back Works

1

You used leave instead of LWOP. When you were injured, you may not have known your claim would be approved. Many federal employees use their annual or sick leave to continue receiving full pay while waiting for OWCP to make a decision.

2

OWCP accepts your claim, covering the leave period. Once OWCP accepts your claim and the disability period overlaps with your leave usage, you have the option to "buy back" that leave — restoring your leave balance as if you had been on LWOP.

3

OWCP pays your agency ⅔ or ¾ of your regular pay. OWCP sends its share (66⅔% without dependents, 75% with) directly to your agency for the leave period. Your agency was paid 100% of your regular pay originally.

4

You pay the difference. You pay your agency the remaining amount — the gap between 100% pay and the FECA compensation rate. Together, your payment and OWCP's payment make the agency whole, and your leave balance is restored.

5

LWOP is different — no repayment needed. If you were on Leave Without Pay during the accepted period, your agency paid you nothing. OWCP pays you directly and nothing is owed to the agency.

One-year deadline. Leave buy back requests must generally be made within one year of the end of the accepted disability period. Contact your agency HR and OWCP claims examiner promptly — do not wait.

Leave Buy Back Tips

You are not required to buy back leave — it is optional. Weigh whether restoring the leave balance is worth the out-of-pocket cost.
Sick leave restoration can be especially valuable since sick leave counts toward retirement calculations under some systems.
Request a formal leave buy back statement from your agency payroll office before signing any repayment agreement — verify their numbers.
You can repay in a lump sum or ask about installment arrangements through payroll deduction.
If you are unsure which leave type was used, check your leave and earnings statement (LES) for the pay periods in question.

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