Citationjet (C525/C526) - CJ I / II / III / IV
Air Traffic Control Fully Certified
Air Traffic Control Time Certified In Pos 1 (yrs) 3.4
Situational Awareness; Training / Qualification
ATC Issue All Types; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Air Traffic Control Issued New Clearance; Air Traffic Control Provided Assistance; Air Traffic Control Separated Traffic
Human Factors; Manuals; Airspace Structure; Procedure
Neighboring sector handed me off Aircraft X with Flight Level 330 descending Flight Level 240 in the data block very near my boundary. My boundary is 80 miles from Aircraft X's destination. I usually get pointouts on these inbounds. Aircraft X had been vectored to parallel an overflight at 31;000 feet. Their sector was fairly busy and mine had slowed down just recently from a very busy period. I got a call about 1 minute flying time from my boundary that Aircraft X was my control with adjacent underlying sectors. This call was pretty useless because of the now 45 seconds flying time to my boundary; the plane's altitude; and the fact that the pilot didn't even call until my boundary anyway.The pilot calls and says 'descending to Flight Level 310' when the data block showed Flight Level 240. Still on a northeast vector to parallel the traffic I told the pilot to descend to 24;000 feet and 'set up for crossing 30 miles west of destination at 9;000 feet' because the landing runway is essentially a straight-in approach from the west. Pilot acknowledges but STILL floats his plane down. I call sector underlying me; and give them control. That sector has to vector the plane quite a bit more for appropriate altitude loss.I hear talk from the area which we received this plane that this pilot 'does this all the time.' Well for one; pilots only do what we allow them to and number two; their controller did not meet our facility SOP.Especially during busier times; allowing pilots to 'hang it up' or some such is unacceptable. I would ensure that controllers stick fairly strictly to the SOP REGARDLESS of pilot whining.
A Center Controller received a handoff on an aircraft at an altitude not in compliance with the facility SOP manual.