2024 Step Pay Program for State of Colorado Employees

Resources

• Final FY 2024-25 Pay Plan - Please see the DHR Pay Plan webpage for a downloadable Excel file of the FY 2024-25 Pay Plan 
   

Frequently Asked Questions

Following the signing of the Long Bill on April 29, 2024 and approval of the FY 2024-25 State budget, the Step Pay Program is effective on July 1, 2024. These FAQs will be updated with new information as it becomes available.

What are the step placements and salary increases for eligible employees?

Step placement and salary increases for eligible employees as follows: 

• 5% step increase from minimum salary of the pay range at year 3 
• 5% step increase from year 3 salary at year 5
• 5% step increase from year 5 salary at year 8
• Movement to the range midpoint at year 10 
• 2% step increase from year 10 midpoint salary at year 12 
• 2% step increase from year 12 salary at year 15 
• 2% step increase from year 15 salary at year 20 
• 2% step increase from year 20 salary at year 25 

Eligible classified employees in the State Personnel System will be placed in their appropriate step on July 1 each year based on time-in-job series as of June 30 of that year. Salary increases are not provided on employee anniversary dates of hire.

Please note: the milestone step increases are a percentage increase from the salary listed on the State’s Pay Plan, not a percentage increase from an employee’s base salary at a previous step. For example, step year five is a 5% increase from the Pay Plan amount listed for step year three.

What are some benefits of the Step Pay Program?

The Step Pay Program addresses pay equity issues, reduces bias, and addresses employee pay progression through the pay range based on time-in-job series. This program will help to:

• Recognize and reward State employees for years of service
• Incentivize Coloradans to identify the State system as the ideal employer of choice
• Promote transparency
• Provide personal budget clarity
• Improve organizational budget forecasting

Are all classified employees in the state personnel system eligible for step pay?

All classified employees are eligible, except employees in positions classified under the Medical Pay Plan and State Troopers, whose compensation is set by statute. Employees with base salaries higher than the salary for the step increment for their time-in-job series will not receive a pay increase. However, they are eligible for any approved ATB.

How do employees identify their current job classification, job series or current pay rate?

Employees can find their classification information in their offer letter, position description, or performance review. Once the classification is located, employees can view their current job series by going to the DHR job classifications website and clicking on the classification description for their current job classification. For example, if the employee’s classification is an Accountant I, the Accountant classification description is the job series comprised of the Accountant I, Accountant II, Accountant III and Accountant IV classification levels.

Pay rate information can be found on an employee's current pay stub. If employees have questions about their current job classification or series, they should contact their State agency's human resources professional.

If an employee's base salary is above the amount listed for step placement, will the employee’s base pay be reduced to the salary for the step based on their time-in-job series?

No, the employee’s salary will not be reduced as a result of step pay. If an employee’s base salary is above the minimum pay for their step, they should have received the 3% ATB July 1, 2024 only. Following the signing of the Long Bill on April 29, 2024 and approval of the FY 2024-25 State budget, the Step Pay Program will became effective on July 1, 2024.

Will time in job series include the time in class series that have been consolidated or deconsolidated?

Where employees are impacted by a deconsolidation as a result of a system maintenance study, time in consolidated series will count toward the series an employee was placed in at the time of the deconsolidation.

If employees are eligible for a step increase and the 3% ATB is also approved for FY 2024-25, will they receive both?

Yes. The 3% across-the-board (ATB) increase will be applied, and then the step increase will be applied based on an employee’s time in their current job series.

How does step pay affect employees with 25 years time in series or more?

Placement in the new pay plan will be based on time in their current job series. Employees with more than 25 years of service receive ATB as a base building increase up to the pay range maximum of the pay range for their job class.

What if an employee’s job title changed, but the job class did not, do they get credit for the years in the same job series?

Yes, because job titles (sometimes also called working titles) may be different from the job series classification. For example, HR Specialist III positions may have a job title of “Compensation Analyst", "Labor Relations Specialist”, or “Benefits Specialist”

What if an employee left State employment and returned to the same classification in the same job series prior to their departure, is the time previously served counted for time-in-job series?

Yes, the time in the previous job series will count if it is the same job series the employee returned to. Time in job series is cumulative and does not require continuous time in the job series.

If an employee was promoted to a different class in a different job series and the prior job class and job series were substantially related, will the employee receive credit for time in the prior series for step placement?

Employees whose classification has changed as a result of System Maintenance Studies or have been in one of the Trainee classifications may receive time-in-job series for their previous role(s).

Generally speaking, time-in-job series is calculated based on time in the employee’s current job series.

Will an employee’s time as a Trainee count towards their time-in-job series calculation?

Yes. The Trainee series will count towards time-in-series for the job series the employee went into immediately after they were in the Trainee series.

Does previous time in the Technician job series count toward time in the current job series calculation?

Creditable time-in-job series includes any time served in an employee’s current class series. The Technician series is a unique job series that does not count toward any other unique job series. 

Are non-classified staff who fall under the Executive Pay Plan, such as Public Information Officer, Executive Assistant, Senior Executive Service, etc. eligible for step pay?

No, step pay is only for classified employees in the State Personnel System. However, these employees will receive the 3% ATB.

Does step pay apply to other non-classified employees in the executive branch, excluding Institutions of Higher Education?

Non-classified staff would be eligible for any approved ATB increase, but are not eligible for step pay.

What types of supporting documentation are helpful for employees to provide during the time-in-job series validation?

If employees believe their time-in-job series estimate is incorrect, they should follow the Time-in-Job Series Additional Information Submission Instructions to submit additional information which could include their time-in-series placement from the Step Pay Estimator, an offer letter, annual review, years of service recognition letter) they are encouraged to include it in their submission.  

Documentation that is not applicable to time-in-job series calculation are transcripts from an institute of higher education, personal resumes, job history records from private sector work, or college diplomas. 

Does the time in a series prior to a reassignment as a result of an ADA accommodation count toward the current time-in-series placement?

When an individual is placed in a new job series, even if it is as a result of an accommodation, time in the previous job series will not count. The Step Pay Program recognizes that each job series is unique, and awards accumulated knowledge and experience in specific job series.

What does time-in-series mean?

Time-in-series or time-in-job series means an employee’s total completed number of years, as of June 30, occupying a position in their current job classification or classifications within a job series. Eligible classified employees in the State Personnel System will be placed in their appropriate step on July 1 each year based on time-in-job series as of June 30 of that year. Salary increases are not provided on employee anniversary dates of hire.

Time in temporary positions or the temporary aide classification does not count toward time-in-job series. The exception is anyone who was hired before January 1999 and accepted a permanent position in the same class series as the temporary position without a break in service.

A job series, sometimes referred to as class series or job class series, is a group of similar positions, such as Accountants, Client Care Aides, and Nurses. Within each series, there are different levels of job classifications. For example, in the Accountant job series, the classifications are Accountant I, Accountant II, Accountant III and Accountant IV. If an employee has held positions as an Accountant I, was then promoted to an Accountant II position, then later promoted to an Accountant III, all of the time spent in those classifications would count as time in the Accountant job series. However, if the employee was an Accountant I before being promoted to an Analyst III position, and later moved to an Accountant III position, then only the time spent as an Accountant I and Accountant III would count towards the step increase because the Analyst III position is in a different job series altogether. Employees can view their current job series by going to the DHR job classifications website and clicking on the classification description for their current job title. See the Step Pay Calculate Your Rate 1-pager for reference. 

Why was time-in-job series selected as the metric to determine step placement rather than overall tenure with the State?

The State of Colorado and COWINS came together in the fall of 2022 to negotiate wages, per the partnership agreement. In those negotiations the Parties agreed that the new step program would be based on time-in-job series.

What is expected of State entities to implement step pay for their employees?

DPA is working on processes, criteria, training, necessary data cleanup, and validations of data. State entities will be responsible for sharing information with their employees, gathering and sharing feedback with DPA regarding step pay, and assisting DPA with exception research and clarification to support July 1, 2024 implementation. Operational support funding to implement steps was approved last legislative session and more information including the project plan will be provided to State entities as it becomes available.

When will step increases be applied moving forward?

Step increases will be applied annually on July 1, based on an employee’s completed years in their current series as of June 30. Salary increases are not provided on employee anniversary dates of hire.

The initial step pay placement letter outlines a monthly pay rate. If an employee is being paid biweekly, does this mean their pay schedule is changing?

Employee pay schedules will not change because of the Step Pay Program. Bi-weekly salaries were converted to monthly for the step pay letters for ease of comparison to the FY 2024-25 Step Pay Plan. 

Helpful Definitions

• Base Pay - An employee’s salary without premium pay. Synonymous with base salary.
• Classification or Class - A group of positions whose essential character (general nature of the work and responsibilities) warrants the same pay grade, classification title, and similar qualifications for entry into the class. 
• Class Conversion - Automatic movement of a current title and grade to a new title and grade. 
• Class Description - The official written description of a class series and its levels as issued by the Department of Personnel. 
• Class Placement - Portion of a system maintenance study in which all affected positions are individually placed in the proper new class. 
• Class Series - A group of classes engaged in similar occupational work but representing different levels. Exception: time in trainee class series in occupational groups is included for time in targeted class series.
• Equal Pay for Equal Work Act - Requires employers to include compensation in job postings, notify employees of promotional opportunities, and keep job description and wage rate records.
• Job Series - Means the same as “class series”. 
• Pay Grade - Reflects the minimum and maximum base salary rates for work in a specific class. Individual salaries vary within the ranges depending on individual movements in accordance with these provisions. Synonymous with pay level, range, or band. 
• Pay Plans - Listing of all pay grades and their corresponding ranges for occupational groups. 
• Pay Plan (Medical) - The pay plan that applies to classified positions in specific class series within the Health Care Services Occupational Group. The statutory lid for the class series pay ranges is greater than the general statutory lid. Employees occupying these positions are compensated based solely on performance as established in the required annual contract.
• Pay Rate - Actual base pay or salary amount.
• Skills-based Hiring - Helps employers identify candidates who may not have formal education or traditional career paths, but have the right mix of skills for the job.
• Total Years in Job Series or Time-in-Job Series - An employee’s total number of years occupying a position in a job classification or job classifications within a job series, excluding temporary assignments.