April 1, 2004
POLICY NOTICE
Foreign Service Directives – Allowances and Dollar Amounts – April 1, 2004
FSD 17 - Appendix – Special short-term separation assistance for spouses or common-law partners – June 1, 2004
Subject: Foreign Service Directives – Allowances and Dollar Amounts
1. Provision is made under the Foreign Service Directives (FSD) to revise certain allowance and dollar amounts on the first of April each year in accordance with the methodologies agreed to in the National Joint Council Committee (NJC) on Foreign Service Directives.
2. Effective April 1, 2004, these allowances and dollar amounts are increased by 3.11 per cent.
3. The fixed rates for the personal use of a Crown-held automobile or alternative transportation under the provisions of FSD 30, Post Transportation and Related Expenses, remain unchanged pending a review of the methodology.
4. The following changes are effective April 1, 2004, except for FSD 17 – Appendix – Special Short-term Separation Assistance for Spouses and Common-law Partners, which is effective June 1, 2004.
FSD 10 – Posting Loan
Increase the maximum amount of the loan from $31,991 to $32,986 or up to 50 per cent of gross annual salary in effect at the time the loan is approved, whichever is the lesser.
FSD 15 – Relocation
FSD 15.31 – Incidental Relocation Expense Allowance
Increase the incidental relocation expense allowance from $2,327 to $2,399 per relocation.
FSD 15.32 – Car Rental Expenses
Increase the amount which may be claimed for car rental expenses under FSD 15.32(a) and (c) from $776 to $800 per relocation, and under (b) from $1,164 to $1,200 per relocation.
FSD 17 - Appendix - Special Short-Term Separation Assistance for Spouses or Common-law Partners
Special Short-term Separation Assistance for Spouses or Common-law Partners was introduced on June 1, 2001, on a trial basis, for three years and is scheduled to be reviewed two months prior to the expiry date of the trial period, that is, no later than April 1, 2004, to decide if it would be extended, incorporated into the Directive on a permanent basis, or terminated. This review may include amendments, as agreed.
It has been agreed to extend this assistance for an additional one-year period to May 31, 2005 to provide additional time to complete the scheduled review.
FSD 25 - Shelter – Shelter Cost
The methodology for the determination of adjustments to employees' shelter costs on April 1st of each year has been revised effective April 1, 2004. A Policy Notice will be published shortly explaining the rationale and methodology for the determination of increases to employees' shelter cost on April 1st of each year.
Appendix A applies to all employees except those who arrived at post before April 1, 2002, and for whom Appendix A would have represented an increase in shelter cost which exceeded the permissible increase under the revised methodology. Shelter cost for those employees is found in Appendix B.
The protected employees will continue to pay the shelter cost in Appendix B, adjusted April 1, 2004, by 1.1%, and annually thereafter by the Consumer Price Index movements, until the end of their posting, excluding extensions and cross-postings.
Where the relevant Appendix B shelter cost exceeds that of Appendix A, the latter shall apply.
Appendix A - Employee Shelter Cost (dollars per month) April 1, 2004
The Table below applies to all employees at post on April 1, 2004 on the basis of actual salary received on that date.
SHELTER COST TABLE EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2004 |
|||||
SALARY GROUP |
HOUSEHOLD SIZE |
||||
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 & + |
|
28,000 to 29,999 |
560 |
626 |
664 |
692 |
713 |
30,000 to 31,999 |
578 |
644 |
683 |
710 |
731 |
32,000 to 33,999 |
596 |
661 |
700 |
727 |
748 |
34,000 to 35,999 |
612 |
677 |
716 |
743 |
764 |
36,000 to 37,999 |
627 |
693 |
731 |
759 |
780 |
38,000 to 39,999 |
641 |
707 |
746 |
773 |
794 |
40,000 to 41,999 |
655 |
721 |
759 |
787 |
808 |
42,000 to 43,999 |
668 |
734 |
773 |
800 |
821 |
44,000 to 45,999 |
681 |
747 |
785 |
812 |
834 |
46,000 to 47,999 |
693 |
759 |
797 |
824 |
846 |
48,000 to 49,999 |
704 |
770 |
808 |
836 |
857 |
50,000 to 54,999 |
723 |
789 |
827 |
855 |
876 |
55,000 to 59,999 |
748 |
814 |
852 |
880 |
901 |
60,000 to 64,999 |
771 |
837 |
875 |
903 |
924 |
65,000 to 69,999 |
792 |
858 |
897 |
924 |
945 |
70,000 to 74,999 |
812 |
878 |
916 |
943 |
965 |
75,000 to 79,999 |
830 |
896 |
934 |
962 |
983 |
80,000 to 89,999 |
856 |
921 |
960 |
987 |
1,008 |
90,000 to 99,999 |
886 |
952 |
990 |
1,018 |
1,039 |
100,000 to 109,999 |
914 |
979 |
1,018 |
1,045 |
1,066 |
110,000 to 119,999 |
939 |
1,004 |
1,043 |
1,070 |
1,091 |
120,000 to 129,999 |
962 |
1,027 |
1,066 |
1,093 |
1,114 |
130,000 to 139,999 |
983 |
1,049 |
1,087 |
1,114 |
1,136 |
140,000 to 149,999 |
1,002 |
1,068 |
1,107 |
1,134 |
1,155 |
150,000 & + |
1,021 |
1,087 |
1,125 |
1,152 |
1,174 |
NOTE: Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 51 of the Public Service Staff Relations Act, revisions to this Appendix shall not constitute a change in terms and conditions of employment for employees subject to the Foreign Service Directives.
Appendix B - Employee Shelter Cost (dollars per month) April 1, 2004
Number of Persons in Household |
|
Salary Group |
1 person |
90,000 - 99,999 |
894 |
100,000 – and up |
894 |
NOTES:
1. This table applies to those employees who arrived at post prior to April 1, 2002 in accordance with FSD 25.08(a)(ii).
2. This table represents the 2003 Shelter Cost table increased by 1.1%, which is the increase from November 2002 to November 2003 as reported by Statistics Canada.
3. When no shelter cost is listed in Appendix B, the shelter cost in Appendix A applies.
4. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 51 of the Public Service Staff Relations Act, revisions to this Appendix shall not constitute a change in terms and conditions of employment for employees subject to the Foreign Service Directives.
FSD 32 - Day Care Assistance
Various dollar amounts have been revised effective April 1, 2004, to reflect 2004 rates, as follows:
- The deductible amount which is payable by the parents is increased from $930 to $970 for full days and from $465 to $485 for half days.
- The maximum amount payable has been increased from $2,790 to $2,910 for full days and from $1,395 to $1,455 for half days.
- Missions will revise the mission representative daycare ceiling to reflect 2004 costs, effective April 1, 2004.
FSD 56 – Foreign Service Premium – Appendix A
The Table below reflects FSP rates effective April 1, 2004. An employee at post on March 31, 2004 shall not receive a lesser premium on April 1, 2004 than that which would have been received on the basis of the salary range in effect on March 31, 2004. In effect, all employees at post on March 31, 2004 shall receive an increase in FSP of 3.11 per cent on April 1, 2004.
FOREIGN SERVICE PREMIUM TABLE EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2004 |
|||||||||||
STEPS |
|||||||||||
SALARY RANGES |
I |
II |
III |
IV |
V |
VI |
|||||
(0-23) |
(24-59) |
(60-95) |
(96-131) |
(132-167) |
(168 +) |
||||||
UNACCOMPANIED |
|||||||||||
0 to 44,017 |
4,762 |
7,140 |
9,523 |
10,473 |
11,425 |
12,378 |
|||||
44,018 to 65,970 |
5,000 |
7,496 |
10,000 |
10,997 |
11,998 |
12,996 |
|||||
65,971 to 87,957 |
5,239 |
7,856 |
10,473 |
11,519 |
12,567 |
13,624 |
|||||
87,958 to 109,946 |
5,473 |
8,215 |
10,950 |
12,044 |
13,139 |
14,235 |
|||||
109,947 & over |
5,714 |
8,571 |
11,425 |
12,567 |
13,713 |
14,857 |
|||||
ACCOMPANIED BY ONE DEPENDANT |
|||||||||||
0 to 44,017 |
6,549 |
9,821 |
13,091 |
14,400 |
15,711 |
17,017 |
|||||
44,018 to 65,970 |
6,874 |
10,313 |
13,747 |
14,912 |
16,500 |
17,876 |
|||||
65,971 to 87,957 |
7,201 |
10,804 |
14,400 |
15,623 |
17,285 |
18,728 |
|||||
87,958 to 109,946 |
7,530 |
11,296 |
15,058 |
16,334 |
18,071 |
19,573 |
|||||
109,947 & over |
7,855 |
11,783 |
15,711 |
17,047 |
18,855 |
20,424 |
|||||
ACCOMPANIED BY TWO OR MORE DEPENDANTS |
|||||||||||
0 to 44,017 |
8,033 |
12,054 |
16,071 |
17,676 |
19,276 |
20,887 |
|||||
44,018 to 65,970 |
8,435 |
12,654 |
16,870 |
18,562 |
20,240 |
21,937 |
|||||
65,971 to 87,957 |
8,839 |
13,255 |
17,676 |
19,446 |
21,208 |
22,977 |
|||||
87,958 to 109,946 |
9,242 |
13,860 |
18,475 |
20,328 |
22,171 |
24,016 |
|||||
109,947 & over |
9,643 |
14,461 |
19,276 |
21,209 |
23,132 |
25,066 |
FSD 58 – Post Differential Allowance
The table below reflects the Post Differential Allowance rates effective April 1, 2004:
POST DIFFERENTIAL ALLOWANCE TABLE EFFECTIVE APRIL 1, 2004 |
|||
LEVEL |
UNACCOMPANIED |
ACCOMPANIED BY |
ACCOMPANIED BY TWO OR MORE DEPENDANTS |
I |
2,639 |
3,296 |
3,960 |
II |
3,963 |
4,950 |
5,940 |
III |
5,277 |
6,596 |
7,917 |
IV |
7,917 |
9,894 |
11,873 |
V |
10,555 |
13,196 |
15,833 |
Enquiries
Requests for more information or clarification should be addressed to departmental personnel.
Designated departmental officials may contact:
G.R. Clayburn
Senior Policy Analyst
Safety, Health and Employee Services Group
Labour Relations & Compensation Operations
Human Resources Management Office
Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat
Telephone (613)941-4608
Fax (613)952-3002
Clayburn.George@tbs-sct.gc.ca