Accruing Overtime Hours and Retirement

[Code349]

When looking through the CHP salary and retirement information I noticed that the sample breakdown for a salary included $8,000 from overtime pay. I have also read on this forum that officers can expect to receive $10,000 in overtime pay.

How can the CHP predict that many OT hours? Do all officers accrue OT by responding to an accident and staying past their 8 hour shift? Or is it because they made a stop and returned to the station late because they were writing out a citation?

Or is it because they don't use one of their days off and end up working an extra shift or two every month? I'm a hard worker and have become accustomed to 6 days of work a week for 12 hours a day. Would I be able to work extra days and shifts every month if I volunteered to do so?

Also, how does the retirement plan work? Everything I have read states officers can receive up to 90% of their highest pay at retirement. I assume there is a condition upon which this based. Is it after 25 years of service? 30 years? Up to 90% doesn't mean 90% all the time, so how is this percentage determined?

[dw]

How can the CHP predict that many OT hours?It is an estimate. A low estimate, in my opinion.

FYI, my current OT rate is $59.25 (gross). 169 hours worked for the year would be $10,000. That's 14 hours a month, which is about as little overtime as I think would be possible unless you really work to avoid it. There are plenty of guys who pull 100+ hours each month.

Do all officers accrue OT by responding to an accident and staying past their 8 hour shift? Or is it because they made a stop and returned to the station late because they were writing out a citation?Yes and yes. Anything over the eight and one-half hour work day is paid as overtime (or compensation time off, at the choice of the officer). Think about this: A late stop on swing-shift turns into a felony arrest. The suspect will be arraigned the next morning and the court wants the paperwork. By the time booking and required paperwork is done, it's 0200 and you've just made four hours of OT.

Would I be able to work extra days and shifts every month if I volunteered to do so?Sometimes. You are asking about voluntary overtime. At many Areas, there is overtime to sign up for on a voluntary basis and outside of your normally scheduled shift. Voluntary OT is diverse and includes COZEEP and MAZEEP (working with CalTrans to keep construction and maintenance zones safe), proactive DUI/speed/seat belt enforcement, assisting allied agencies in their respective cities, traffic control for movies, and much more. Some Areas have more than they can handle whereas others may have little to go around.

Also, how does the retirement plan work?The retirement plan is traditionally referred to as 3% at 50. For each year of service credit, you earn 3% of your maximum salary with a cap at 90%. You may retire as early as age 50 with mandatory retirement at age 60. After you have a few years on the job, there is an option to "buy back" service credit for cash. By doing so, someone who comes on the job at 22 can buy two years of credit and still retire at age 50 with 90% (28 years service + 2 bought back). Similarly, someone who comes on at 34 could go out at 60 at 90% if they buy back four years.

[highwayranger2008]

The retirement plan is traditionally referred to as 3% at 50. For each year of service credit, you earn 3% of your maximum salary with a cap at 90%. You may retire as early as age 50 with mandatory retirement at age 60. After you have a few years on the job, there is an option to "buy back" service credit for cash. By doing so, someone who comes on the job at 22 can buy two years of credit and still retire at age 50 with 90% (28 years service + 2 bought back). Similarly, someone who comes on at 34 could go out at 60 at 90% if they buy back four years.



DW, how does this "buy back service credit" work? Is that for people who only served in the military? So for someone like me who has never served I won't be able to buy back any time?

[dw]

DW, how does this "buy back service credit" work? Is that for people who only served in the military? So for someone like me who has never served I won't be able to buy back any time?You can buy both military time and Non-qualified service credit. For the latter, anyone can buy time.

Check out https://www.calpers.ca.gov/index.jsp?bc=/member/online-svcs/retirement/my-tools/est-my-scce/faq.xml and https://www.calpers.ca.gov/index.jsp?bc=/member/service-credit/purchase-options/non-qualified/home.xml

[bcjack]

If you are thinking of buying time, DO IT VERY EARLY IN YOUR CAREER. The longer you wait, the more expensive it is. That is based on your age, years of service, and salary.

I looked at buying 2 years at age 50, with 31 years of service and at my salary ($140k), 2 years was going to cost me +-$62,000.

[OfficerWife]

2 years was going to cost me +-$62,000.

Per year or for the 2 years total?

[Mary-1]

If you are thinking of buying time, DO IT VERY EARLY IN YOUR CAREER. The longer you wait, the more expensive it is. That is based on your age, years of service, and salary.

I looked at buying 2 years at age 50, with 31 years of service and at my salary ($140k), 2 years was going to cost me +-$62,000.

Just remember the one draw back in buying back time. If you are injured or quit (even fired) prior to turning 50 and do not retire on a service retirement, you then lose the money you paid into PERS when you bought back the time. Other then that, as bcjack stated, DO IT VERY EARLY IN YOUR CAREER."

[x MAIT]

If you are thinking of buying time, DO IT VERY EARLY IN YOUR CAREER. The longer you wait, the more expensive it is. That is based on your age, years of service, and salary.

I looked at buying 2 years at age 50, with 31 years of service and at my salary ($140k), 2 years was going to cost me +-$62,000.

I paid $9,200 for 3 years military service. I did this when I was in my 40's and had between 15 and 20 years on (officer salary). It must have been the right combination of age and years on the job because it was a great deal.

[bcjack]

Per year or for the 2 years total?

$62k was for the 2 years of service credit.

[Jeff Rhea]

Don't forget court. You get an automatic 4 hours OT (if it is outside your shift). 15 minutes in court will earn roughly $100.00 in OT.

The average is base on a statewide estimate. In many Areas it's higher, in some Areas it's lower. It is not at all unheard of for active officers to exceed $100,00.00 a year in salary and overtime, especially in the metro areas. For couples on this job....life is good. I know an officer who routinely makes more in OT than he does in his regular check.

[feedmelies]

FYI, my current OT rate is $59.25 (gross). 169 hours worked for the year would be $10,000. That's 14 hours a month, which is about as little overtime as I think would be possible unless you really work to avoid it. There are plenty of guys who pull 100+ hours each month.


Wow.

Let me know if this is correct.

Top step base with a BA is $78,250, which is $6,520.83 a month. 100 hours of overtime would be an additional $5,925 a month. In sum, that would be $149,349.96 a year! :shock:

Then I guess you can throw in the 8-1/2 Hour Day Pay, PPP Pay, and Swing Shift Differential Pay for an additional $10,475 a year ($159,842.96 in total). :!:

Is that right?

I got my info from http://www.chp.ca.gov/recruiting/osalary.html which I know has been inaccurate in the past.

[ResQ]

... unless you really work to avoid it.

...and I do. I don't like overtime. There is money to be made, and I have seen guys get $6K NET at the end of the month!

But I like MY time and MY time is worth more than what I can make in OT.

to each his own...but for me...I'll be kicking back with a cold one while you are Cozeep 1.

I say all of this because I am comfortable. My family is provided for. I don't "need" anything...plenty of wants though. So, be careful to manage your whole LIFE and not get lured into the extra money as a lifestyle. You can live comfortably on regular pay.

I did work a few extra shifts to pay for a secondary...so I am not opposed to OT...just don't do it as a matter of course.

good luck

[Chippler]

Wow.

Let me know if this is correct.

Top step base with a BA is $78,250, which is $6,520.83 a month. 100 hours of overtime would be an additional $5,925 a month. In sum, that would be $149,349.96 a year! :shock:

Then I guess you can throw in the 8-1/2 Hour Day Pay, PPP Pay, and Swing Shift Differential Pay for an additional $10,475 a year ($159,842.96 in total). :!:

Is that right?

I got my info from http://www.chp.ca.gov/recruiting/osalary.html which I know has been inaccurate in the past.
The salaries on the recruiting page are incorrect. I make 78k with no BA and only 3 years on. Thats with no OT.

[Code349]

Where would I be able to find an up-to-date breakdown of a salary?

For example, how much would a first year officer with a BS make not including OT?

[feedmelies]

The salaries on the recruiting page are incorrect. I make 78k with no BA and only 3 years on. Thats with no OT.

Yeah, I guess that page is destined to be outdated. Oh well.

All that means is more $!

[dw]

Let me know if this is correct.

Top step base with a BA is $78,250, which is $6,520.83 a month. 100 hours of overtime would be an additional $5,925 a month. In sum, that would be $149,349.96 a year! :shock:Well yeah, if you consistently work 100 hours of OT... Don't get me wrong, some guys do that month after month, year after year. I find myself working consistently less overtime over the years. I'd rather be at home. (Or here, I suppose. :think:) But yes, if you want to sell your soul to the State, $150k or so is realistic.

Where would I be able to find an up-to-date breakdown of a salary?

For example, how much would a first year officer with a BS make not including OT?First year with a BS, monthly salary including all the incentives with no OT is in the neighborhood of $69k. Top step with BS, looking at my most recent pay statement, comes to $87,288 with no OT.

Full disclosure: Because of a change in the way we pay into our retirement, a small portion of that is immediately deducted. If I am reading my pay statement correctly, that amount is $128/mo or $1536/year. The number most agencies sell does not account for the employee share of retirement, but I wanted to make it clear we now pay a small portion into our retirement.

(FYI, in the past the State paid both the "state" and "employee" contribution into our retirement with a net "out-of-pocket" cost of $0. In the most recent contract, there has been a procedural change in which we "pay" our (or an adjusted portion of) "employee" contribution, but the State increases our gross salary to make the payment moot. End result: Inflated gross annual income.)

[Code349]

dw,

How does an officer reach the top step? Is it for every year of service? Every 5 years of service?

[Miami2Cali]

Just curious about how CHP Offices and OT work.

(example) Are Officers allowed to work OT in another Area Office within their Divison...permitting they are the 1 hour driving time from the Office?

vise versa...Is an Officer allowed to work OT in a different Division though it may be closer to their home? I guess that could be a Coastal Division Officer who lives within the Southern Division boundaries...would they be able to pull some OT from an Area Office close to their home?

May sound confusing...I've been trying to familiarize myself with the state but couldn't find any cities/area offices to use for an example.

...and of course I understand if something like this cannot be discussed here...just inquiring, Thanks :cool:

[silverman10051]

"Just curious about how CHP Offices and OT work.

(example) Are Officers allowed to work OT in another Area Office within their Divison...permitting they are the 1 hour driving time from the Office?

vise versa...Is an Officer allowed to work OT in a different Division though it may be closer to their home? I guess that could be a Coastal Division Officer who lives within the Southern Division boundaries...would they be able to pull some OT from an Area Office close to their home?

May sound confusing...I've been trying to familiarize myself with the state but couldn't find any cities/area offices to use for an example.

...and of course I understand if something like this cannot be discussed here...just inquiring, Thanks :cool:"
http://www.chpforums.com/forum/images/statusicon/user_online.gif http://www.chpforums.com/forum/images/buttons/report.gif (http://www.chpforums.com/forum/report.php?p=49965)

Generally no. Your overtime is normally out of the office that you are assigned to. There may be an occassion that you could work a special detail in another area within your division but this does not happen very often. Officer safety is a huge factor. You don't want to work in an area that you are not familiar with.

[Artem]

Don't forget court. You get an automatic 4 hours OT (if it is outside your shift). 15 minutes in court will earn roughly $100.00 in OT.

The average is base on a statewide estimate. In many Areas it's higher, in some Areas it's lower. It is not at all unheard of for active officers to exceed $100,00.00 a year in salary and overtime, especially in the metro areas. For couples on this job....life is good. I know an officer who routinely makes more in OT than he does in his regular check.
Jeff what about potential top salary amount? Can you go over it with OT? Sounds like some officers can make over 10k a month; is it possible? :question:. Thanks.

[CAHPDist2X]

dw,

How does an officer reach the top step? Is it for every year of service? Every 5 years of service?
A good place to find all the details of the contract is www.dpa.ca.gov (http://www.dpa.ca.gov) We are unit 5 and our contrac was signed in 2006. You can add up all the incentives.

[Code349]

Do any present officers have a side-job for an extra source of income? Before it's mentioned, I'm not changing careers for the money. I'm just naturally inclined to keep myself busy.

[dw]

dw,

How does an officer reach the top step? Is it for every year of service? Every 5 years of service?You will reach top step after five years of service. (5% step-raises annually for five years, with cadet to officer being the first of the five -- so really four raises once you become an officer.) There is senior officer pay that starts around 15 years, IIRC.

Do any present officers have a side-job for an extra source of income? Before it's mentioned, I'm not changing careers for the money. I'm just naturally inclined to keep myself busy.Some guys have side jobs, but most who simply want to supplement income do so with overtime. By working OT for the CHP, you're not only paid very well, but are still covered legally and financially should anything happen.

[mb116]

Jeff what about potential top salary amount? Can you go over it with OT? Sounds like some officers can make over 10k a month; is it possible? :question:. Thanks.

Very possible. I will make a bit over 11k this month gross with OT. Less than 1 year on. I work a lot of OT though.

Do any present officers have a side-job for an extra source of income? Before it's mentioned, I'm not changing careers for the money. I'm just naturally inclined to keep myself busy.

Find me a side job that pays over $50 an hour, that's as fun as this job...

[TahoeTex]

Being a first year officer and working in an area with sparatic OT, I find myself enjoying my family time and not really working any overtime. My salary is more than enough to live comfortably in NorCal. To answer the 1yr with BS question:

Net Salary per month with 4 Exceptions (no shift diff/OT): approx $4800

$4800 x 12 = $57,600 in your pocket

Hope this helps

TT

[Dipmo]

Lots of OT is all good and well until the tax man comes along pimp slaps you for being "rich."

If you get on and work lots of OT don't neglect to evaluate your monthly withholdings (or jack up that 401k) or you could have a bitter pill to swallow that first April.

[OfficerWife]

Lots of OT is all good and well until the tax man comes along pimp slaps you for being "rich."

Having a dual income is bad enough as it is...:mad:

[mb116]

Lots of OT is all good and well until the tax man comes along pimp slaps you for being "rich."

If you get on and work lots of OT don't neglect to evaluate your monthly withholdings (or jack up that 401k) or you could have a bitter pill to swallow that first April.

Yes I agree, I adjust my 457 deferral accordingly, on a month like this I have it maxed out, if I don't make as much OT next month, I'll drop it back down to $500, which is my personal minimum per month. The plan is to build a small savings and keep it maxed out so If I am a few hundred short I will have the money to pay the bills.

[dw]

Lots of OT is all good and well until the tax man comes along pimp slaps you for being "rich."

If you get on and work lots of OT don't neglect to evaluate your monthly withholdings (or jack up that 401k) or you could have a bitter pill to swallow that first April.

Having a dual income is bad enough as it is...:mad:With all due respect, I've never understood the "I made too much money this year" argument, other than as a general complaint or misconception about taxes. There is no such thing as "making too much money." While your income may bump you to a higher tax bracket, only that portion which you earn above the cutoff is taxed at the higher rate. Yes, you "work harder to take home less" as your income increases, but you're not being taxed any more on the money you made "earlier in the year" or "before overtime." You're average tax rate will almost always be less than your marginal tax rate.

Most of us are looking at the 25% and 28% marginal rates for federal income tax. If paying an extra 3% tax on your income over $77,100 (if filing single, $128,500 married filing jointly) is that big of a deal, then yeah -- don't work so much OT.

[OfficerWife]

With all due respect, I've never understood the "I made too much money this year" argument, other than as a general complaint or misconception about taxes. There is no such thing as "making too much money." While your income may bump you to a higher tax bracket, only that portion which you earn above the cutoff is taxed at the higher rate. Yes, you "work harder to take home less" as your income increases, but you're not being taxed any more on the money you made "earlier in the year" or "before overtime." You're average tax rate will almost always be less than your marginal tax rate.

Most of us are looking at the 25% and 28% marginal rates for federal income tax. If paying an extra 3% tax on your income over $77,100 (if filing single, $128,500 married filing jointly) is that big of a deal, then yeah -- don't work so much OT.

I don't know... I am not a tax/financial professional by any means, but I do know that when we got first married (combined incomes) we certainly owed Uncle Sam the first year or two. We had to buy a house and increase the 401Ks to lessen our taxable income.

[Artem]

I don't know... I am not a tax/financial professional by any means, but I do know that when we got first married (combined incomes) we certainly owed Uncle Sam the first year or two. We had to buy a house and increase the 401Ks to lessen our taxable income.
So there you go. Buy, invest, and avoid to pay taxes in full with respect to the tax Laws.

[Dipmo]

With all due respect, I've never understood the "I made too much money this year" argument, other than as a general complaint or misconception about taxes. There is no such thing as "making too much money." While your income may bump you to a higher tax bracket, only that portion which you earn above the cutoff is taxed at the higher rate. Yes, you "work harder to take home less" as your income increases, but you're not being taxed any more on the money you made "earlier in the year" or "before overtime." You're average tax rate will almost always be less than your marginal tax rate.

Most of us are looking at the 25% and 28% marginal rates for federal income tax. If paying an extra 3% tax on your income over $77,100 (if filing single, $128,500 married filing jointly) is that big of a deal, then yeah -- don't work so much OT.

I only say too much money in the sense we weren't allowed to take the full dependent deduction because we made over a certain amount and our child care deduction was greatly reduced due to our income being above certain levels. It's really not a big deal, we were just unprepared for it. Now that we know, we can take steps to ensure we don't owe a huge amount again (things like lowering exemptions on paychecks, raising 401k contributions, buying a home, etc.)

I never meant it as a warning to not work OT, or to say we made too much money (because heck yeah, there ain't no such thing), it was just a word of caution to watch the ol' hiney at tax time if these income levels are something new.

[OfficerWife]

I only say too much money in the sense we weren't allowed to take the full dependent deduction because we made over a certain amount and our child care deduction was greatly reduced due to our income being above certain levels. It's really not a big deal, we were just unprepared for it. Now that we know, we can take steps to ensure we don't owe a huge amount again (things like lowering exemptions on paychecks, raising 401k contributions, buying a home, etc.)

I never meant it as a warning to not work OT, or to say we made too much money (because heck yeah, there ain't no such thing), it was just a word of caution to watch the ol' hiney at tax time if these income levels are something new.

My thoughts exactly...just better stated :smile:

[Eagl5]

:shock:We get paid? We get OT? man my wife has been lying to me for all these years.

[Go2guy]

Hi, I am new to this forum and is curious about the 90% retirement. Is this 90% of you highest pay check including over time or just of your base salary, because if it includes overtime then it would make sense to work as much as possible during the last year before retirement to maximize the 90%. Thank you and be safe

[dw]

Hi, I am new to this forum and is curious about the 90% retirement. Is this 90% of you highest pay check including over time or just of your base salary, because if it includes overtime then it would make sense to work as much as possible during the last year before retirement to maximize the 90%. Thank you and be safeNeither really, there is a formula that includes more than the strict "base" salary (things like 8 1/2 hour day pay, etc...), but overtime is not included in the calculation.

[OfficerWife]

Neither really, there is a formula that includes more than the strict "base" salary (things like 8 1/2 hour day pay, etc...), but overtime is not included in the calculation.

Oh wow! That is news to me DW. We always thought it was 90% of your highest paid year (including overtime). Good to know, thanks!

[dw]

Oh wow! That is news to me DW. We always thought it was 90% of your highest paid year (including overtime). Good to know, thanks!Wouldn't that be nice. :wink: