take home pay with no OT

[Lawseeker]

I hope it is ok to post this question here...?

I am trying to get a gauge on what the typical net take home pay is for a new police officer/rookie grossing approx. 50K with NO OT. I say rookie since in some or most?? cases you don't qualify for OT off duty. At least that is what I heard. Not sure if you can get OT on shift too.

So I am trying to find out a base pay that I could potentially be earning if I get picked up by a dept.

For the Rookies that make approx. $50K GROSS a year, what is your average take home pay bi-weekly? I mean figuring you pay any union dues, and benefits for only you not family.

If you are from Florida that would be even greater help since Florida does not have a state income tax.

Thank you in advance.

[StudChris]

I make 37Kish, after taxes, insurance, and my part of my retirement (only 0.5% of our pay comes out for retirement), I bring home $1147 every two weeks without overtime. I'm sure you can do the math to figure out what it would be for 50K.

[goodfella]

My first years salary was 47k, my take home pay bi-weekly was about 1250. Rookies might not be able to do off duty work, but depending on the dept, there's plenty of overtime that probably will pay you time and a half. Minimum shift standards, court, and working past your shift because of a late call/arrest which happens quite often.

Second year we are bumped to 57k and take home is just under 1600. Overtime is at 42 dollars an hour.

[creolecop]

The respnses are going to be affected of course by geographical location. What may allow you to live comfortably here in Louisiana or Florida, might qualify you for food stamps and section 8/HUD housing in other parts like the NE or West coast. My depts pay scale is 0-3yrs, 4-5yrs, 6-8, 9-10yrs, I'm in 4-5yr range and I take home 1,472.00 every two weeks and I don't work no overtime I don't have to, LOL!! which is none. Cost of living is IMO pretty cheap here. I'v lived in many places while in the military and I find it really low cost to live here in Southern Louisiana minus N.O. area. My 3bdr 2 bath home with large backyard and spacious front yard in a good area near 1 block away from the mall costs me $600 a month, water bill is $23 a month, lights cost about 100 a month (kids leave lights on all day long). Cable Tv is $53 per mo W/internet. Plus, I still have my wifes paycheck basically 1 of my paychecks pays all our bills, oh, I forgot my $300 truck note but one check still pays my bills.

I know friends who make waaaay more than me who work up north and in the NE states and they barely skimp by, but they pay $1700 a month for their 2 bdrm townhome/apartment, They say a house would put them paying over 2K a month so it depends on where your living. Florida if I'm correct has their expensive places just like we do with N.O. but in the "regular" cities cost of living is pretty cheap.

[TheKansan]

The respnses are going to be affected of course by geographical location. What may allow you to live comfortably here in Louisiana or Florida, might qualify you for food stamps and section 8/HUD housing in other parts like the NE or West coast. My depts pay scale is 0-3yrs, 4-5yrs, 6-8, 9-10yrs, I'm in 4-5yr range and I take home 1,472.00 every two weeks and I don't work no overtime I don't have to, LOL!! which is none. Cost of living is IMO pretty cheap here. I'v lived in many places while in the military and I find it really low cost to live here in Southern Louisiana minus N.O. area. My 3bdr 2 bath home with large backyard and spacious front yard in a good area near 1 block away from the mall costs me $600 a month, water bill is $23 a month, lights cost about 100 a month (kids leave lights on all day long). Cable Tv is $53 per mo W/internet. Plus, I still have my wifes paycheck basically 1 of my paychecks pays all our bills, oh, I forgot my $300 truck note but one check still pays my bills.

I know friends who make waaaay more than me who work up north and in the NE states and they barely skimp by, but they pay $1700 a month for their 2 bdrm townhome/apartment, They say a house would put them paying over 2K a month so it depends on where your living. Florida if I'm correct has their expensive places just like we do with N.O. but in the "regular" cities cost of living is pretty cheap.

Very good point. The cost of living here in Kansas (except Johnson county) is very low. I am struggling a little bit, but my money issues aren't because I don't make enough money, but rather they are due to the debt I accumulated by being unemployed for so long.

[TheKansan]

I wouldn't know, our new guys make 24,107 a year and I have about 100 applications on my desk.

People are desperate for jobs right now. Extremely desperate.

[Lawseeker]

A lot of good info thanks.

I just am not familiar with how much is taken out for union dues, pension etc.. so I was just trying estimate what a reasonable take home amount would be.

Thanks to all that replied.

[navy80]

at a fed. prison base pay is 37,953 i bring home anywhere from 1,100 to 1,300 every two weeks.

I was a police officer base pay was 32,500 i brought home anywhere from 800 to 1,100

[YELLOWLAB]

I wouldn't know, our new guys make 24,107 a year and I have about 100 applications on my desk.

I still never understood how the officers in the New York area make such a low amount. New York, the largest city in the U.S. and as much crime it has, it appears very low?

[oneoldcop]

if you'll just factor about 27% off your gross you will be pretty close; 50 grand minus the 27% = 36,500, 25,000= 18,250...

[GrayPatriot]

I still never understood how the officers in the New York area make such a low amount. New York, the largest city in the U.S. and as much crime it has, it appears very low?

NY is around 55,000 sq miles! NYC is around 305 sq miles!!!!

Just because someone says they live in NY it doesn't mean it is NYC.

I live 6 hours from NYC and my the median cost of a house in my Town was $60,000 in 2000 and is still less than $100,000 today!

[SHU]

I live in San Diego. At my current pay grade I'm going to make about 85k this year after OT and night diff. That does not buy me crap in southern california. I have a small one bedroom in a decent area and I drive a used honda. I get by but not much more than that. A nice home here will run me about 500k. I think I'm going to be living in an apartment for a long time. At 50k in FL with no state tax you will be doing a lot better than me.

[Mstangfk]

around 25 here, in my first year, it aint much good thing i got a sugah mama


the two largest city PD's start at 40k, and the troopers slightly less than that..

[ZGXtreme]

Little over $42k. Without knowing the base reason why you are asking, I am going to jump the gun and say good job for budgeting while not counting OT. Too many guys get in trouble when they fail to do so and get to a point where the OT makes or breaks them. The OT should be a bonus, not a factor.

[Iowa #1603]

if you'll just factor about 27% off your gross you will be pretty close; 50 grand minus the 27% = 36,500, 25,000= 18,250...

Yep..............that 27% is pretty durn close..................

[DARE_SUPPORTER]

You said something about union dues, mine are 7 bucks ever 2 weeks

[nasa808]

When I was making 54k.. I was coming home with 1,487.00 and thats after taxes,pension which is $200 ( 8.5% ),$35 for union dues, and $125.00 for deferred comp.

[Iowa #1603]

You said something about union dues, mine are 7 bucks ever 2 weeks

Ours equal about 1% or in other words exactly 1 hours pay per paycheck.

[S.O.444]

My first years salary was 47k, my take home pay bi-weekly was about 1250.

Same here. I generally get 5-6 hrs of OT on a two-week check, unless I get a cluster of a call or we get hammered with extreme weather. I made 45k last year with a little bit of OT and one 8-hr off-duty gig and my paychecks were typically $1200/check (bi-weekly) after taxes and 7% off the top for retirement.

[Lawseeker]

Little over $42k. Without knowing the base reason why you are asking, I am going to jump the gun and say good job for budgeting while not counting OT. Too many guys get in trouble when they fail to do so and get to a point where the OT makes or breaks them. The OT should be a bonus, not a factor.

Planning ahead, budgeting etc.. Yes, figuring the OT as a bonus if it comes available and putting it in some sort of other savings. I figured out the 25 to 27% out of the gross to get the net take home, but what I am not familiar with is the union dues and what benefits (med and dental), pension might be, all that plus the 27%... I guess I am just not familiar with all the other deductions outside of the standard taxes etc... Everyone has been a great help. Thank you.

[mfh83]

I make 51k gross in my first year, and my net take home is weekly $780.

[jcastw]

What creolecop said....cost of living in your geographical area says it all. I knew a guy in sales here in SE texas making about 60k per year. Got offered a transfer to LA that would bump his gross/commissions to 85k. I told him he was taking a pay cut. Within 3 mos he was back in SE Texas, back to living in his old apartment. 30k in a rural area here and you can live great. Get to Houston or Dallas and you can get by on 30k...but your scrapin'. Go look at the Feds pay rates for a GS5 position in LE. Varies from city to city according to cost of living.

[Red Swan]

31,000 a year.. with as much over time as one wants to work.. doing prisoner transports, border patrol OT, and traffic OT grants we get.

[Run it Back]

I think those in Cali would agree we take home $70-90K yearly W/O OT. That being said, I do not know any cops driving around in a Benz either. Ca is so frikin expensive, I rent a modest 3 bedroom house @ $2000/mo. Over half my monthly take home goes to rent.
I would gladly take a huge pay cut to get out of Ca's huge cost of living expense.

[mikeymedic]

Wow I feel much better now. My starting is 26,000 a year but we have no cap on our OT since there is only 2 of us...since there is only 2 of us we don't get time and a half, just straight pay. I work about 140 hours in 2 weeks and take home 1,500 bi-weekly.