Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed federal civilian firefighters' compensation to determine whether: (1) pay calculation complexities have resulted in pay errors; (2) promotions to supervisory positions have resulted in pay reductions from lost overtime pay; and (3) legislation would correct these pay problems.

GAO found that: (1) errors from misinterpreted regulations could be attributed to payroll complexities; (2) errors will be less likely when the Department of Defense (DOD) completes the full automation of its payroll systems; (3) firefighters were undergoing pay reductions due to lost overtime following promotions to supervisory levels; and (4) legislation was needed to entitle supervisors to overtime.