September 8, 2025 — PEF recently received information from the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC) about the payment of some delayed 2025 performance awards. OSC previously acknowledged that there were challenges in calculating years of qualifying service for the 2025 awards for employees with more complicated work histories, including those with prior hourly service, and therefore many members did not receive their awards in April or may have received an incorrect amount.
The 2025 performance awards are based on 12, 17, or 22 years of qualifying continuous service in the Executive Branch of New York state government, instead of years at top of grade.
According to OSC, the additional 2025 longevity payment dates are as follows:
- For employees with Legacy service prior to PayServ conversion (1998) and employees who were reinstated by the Civil Service Commission after their rehire date, the payment will be processed and paid in Institution Pay Period 11L, checks dated Sept. 18, 2025, and Administration Pay Period 12L, checks dated Sept. 24, 2025.
- For employees with qualifying Hourly and FEE service, the payment will be processed and paid in Administration Pay Period 16L, checks dated Nov. 19, 2025, and Institution Pay Period 16L, checks dated Nov. 26, 2025.
For employees with qualifying service over multiple records, payment will be processed in subsequent pay periods. This applies to employees who may have worked for more than one Executive Department agency.
Performance award payments for those with more straightforward work histories were made as anticipated in April 2025.
Members who do not receive a longevity payment to which they believe they are entitled, or who believe they received the wrong amount, should contact their PEF Field Representative. PEF Field Services advises members gather information about their prior Executive Branch work history such as appointment letters and payroll history. You must fill out a release for payroll history requests, which needs to be notarized, according to these instructions.
Some things to keep in mind about the 12, 17 or 22 years of qualifying service:
- Service in public schools, municipalities, New York State courts or Legislature, public benefit corporations or public authorities (other than Roswell Park) does not count.
- Executive Branch service in other units such as CSEA, NYSCOPBA or management/confidential does count.
- The service must be continuous as defined by Civil Service Law Section 130.3(c). Leaves of absence including workers’ compensation and military leave do not constitute an interruption of service for this purpose, nor does a resignation followed by a reinstatement. So, for example, an employee with six years of service, then a one-year unpaid leave, and then another six years of service will have 12 years of continuous service, not 13. They do not have an interruption of continuous service, but the one year of unpaid leave does not count toward the total years of continuous service. Paid leaves and time spent on a workers’ compensation leave will generally count toward the 12, 17 or 22 years of service.