Before paying an extended assignment incentive, the agency must require the employee to sign a written service agreement to complete a specified period of employment with the agency in a particular territory, possession, or commonwealth. The service period must meet the following conditions:

The service period must begin on the first day of a pay period and end on the last day of a pay period; and

The service period must not cause an employee to exceed the 5-year lifetime limitation described in § 575.508.

In addition to the service requirement in paragraph (a) of this section, the service agreement may specify other terms and conditions of employment applicable to the employee. For example, the service agreement may specify the employee's work schedule, type of position, and performance level. In addition, the service agreement may address the extent to which periods of time on a detail, in a nonpay status, or in a paid leave status are creditable towards the completion of the service period.

The service agreement must specify the method of payment of an extended assignment agreement. The agency may choose to pay an extended assignment incentive in an initial lump-sum payment at the beginning of the service period, in installments at the end of specified periods throughout the service period (biweekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.), in a lump-sum payment at the end of the entire service period, or through a combination of payment methods.

The service agreement must include the conditions under which the employee would be required to repay an extended assignment incentive under § 575.513.

The service agreement must specify the conditions under which the payment of an extended assignment incentive may be terminated by the agency under § 575.512.

The service agreement must specify the conditions under which the agency may be obligated to pay an additional incentive payment for partially completed service, as provided in § 575.513(d).

The service agreement must specify the conditions under which the agency may impose a repayment penalty under § 575.513(e) for an employee who fails to fulfill the terms of the service agreement.

The service agreement must specify the conditions under which the agency may be obligated to pay an incentive payment attributable to some or all of the employee's uncompleted service for employees covered by § 575.511 or § 575.512.