Leave Buy Back Owcp May 2026

Leave Buy Back is a process allowing federal employees to repay their agency for sick or annual leave used during an approved period of work-related disability, in exchange for having that leave recredited to their leave account. This is generally advantageous for employees who used paid leave while awaiting claim approval (following the 45-day Continuation of Pay period). Key Takeaways

The employee pays the agency the calculated difference. If repayment is not made within 90 days, the OWCP check may be returned, and the LBB canceled. leave buy back owcp

Re-credits leave (especially valuable for sick leave accumulation for retirement purposes). Leave Buy Back is a process allowing federal

The agency calculates the total compensation owed, using Form CA-7b. If repayment is not made within 90 days,

Requires paying back full value in cash for a benefit that might not be used immediately.

Only sick or annual leave can be bought back. Compensatory time, credit hours, or time-off awards are not eligible.

The employee requests to buy back leave from their agency, changing paid leave to Leave Without Pay (LWOP).