SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

The GSA routinely hires, reassigns, promotes, or transfers Federal employees to duty stations in foreign areas ( i.e., outside of the United States and its territories and possessions). Civilian employees located in foreign areas are eligible for different compensation authorities compared to employees located in the United States or its territories or possessions. Besides basic pay, certain foreign allowances are often used as recruitment or retention incentives to make foreign service more attractive and economically feasible. One type of allowance is called a “living quarters allowance,” or “LQA,” and allows an agency to reimburse the cost of rental housing as well as utilities (such as electricity, natural gas, and water service). Under this authority (conveyed by the Overseas Differentials and Allowances Act of 1960, Pub. L. 86-707, Sept. 6, 1960, codified at 5 U.S.C. 5923(a)(2)), not all job candidates or overseas employees are necessarily eligible (for example, if Government-provided housing is made available). In addition, for those job candidates who are eligible, the amount of the benefit varies by rank ( i.e., GS grade), presence overseas with or without family, and overall family size. Detailed rules concerning eligibility and other matters are found in the State Department's Department of State Standardized Regulations, sections 031.12 and Chapter 130.

To more effectively administer LQA, GSA created GSA Form 5039, “Living Quarters Allowance Eligibility Questionnaire”. This form collects basic demographic and housing-related information. It also includes questions meant to coordinate housing benefits between the U.S. military and other Federal agencies (for example, if two spouses work for different Federal agencies). Individuals who complete this pre-employment questionnaire are considered job candidates and members of the public (if not already Federal civilian employees). The purpose of this data collection is to ensure that eligible applicants receive allowance consideration, in the correct amounts based on the position and family size, and that ineligible candidates are not erroneously provided with this significant monetary benefit.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

Respondents: 25.

Responses per Respondent: 1.

Total Annual Responses: 25.

Hours per Response: 2.

Total Burden Hours: 50.

C. Public Comments

A 60-day notice was published in the Federal Register at 91 FR 9852 on February 27, 2026. Three comments were received that contained a total of six (6) suggestions, all of which we found very helpful.

First, a commenter suggested that within the form we could briefly summarize the Department of State eligibility criteria so that users of the form would not have to independently search elsewhere. Second, a commenter suggested that we add a new section to provide definitions of three significant terms: “actual place of residence,” “personal reasons,” and “single employer test.” Third, a commenter suggested that we incorporate a document attachment checklist. A fourth comment was that we should increase the time burden estimate because of the need to locate and attach outside documents to the GSA form. The commenters also suggested that the form completion process could be automated, by developing a system to both pre-fill the demographic data and then electronically transmit the form to the agency.

We have implemented several of these suggestions by revising the form in ways to include additional information. First, we have incorporated a new section that provides easy-to-understand definitions for the three terms of art identified by the commenter. We also have incorporated a new section that summarizes, in lay language, the Department of State regulations that govern allowance eligibility. For the third comment, to add a checklist, we note that Section D of the form already includes a checklist. We believe that this existing checklist should be sufficient. For the fourth comment, regarding time burden, we agree, and have therefore doubled the estimated time to a total of 2 hours: 1 hour to complete the form and then a separate ( printed page 66707) hour to locate and collect other supplementary documents, when they are needed. In terms of the two comments concerning automation of the completion and submission process, at GSA specifically, we do not currently have an existing information technology system that could serve this purpose. At GSA, since we currently have fewer than 25 employees annually transferred or hired for overseas work, the cost of this automation would most likely exceed the cost savings in labor hours from that automation.

We thank the commenters for their helpful feedback.

91 FR 66706