Instructions for Using the Furlough Pay Calculator
Below are the instructions on how to input your own data to help figure out what your "take home" pay will be in the event of a furlough. This tool is about 99% accurate and is totally dependent on the user's input of their information. For close accuracy, it is recommended that you have a copy of your most recent LES when you are inputting the values.
Instructions:
In the BLUE SECTION at the top: Current Bi-Weekly Pay"
NOTE:**You will only be able to enter dollar amounts and percentages in the WHITE blocks. Gray Shaded areas calculate automatically based on what you put in the white blocks. There may need to be a value in each selectable box, so if you mean to not have any amount in a category, place a zero in the box. Don’t just leave it blank or the calculator may not work.
Step #1: Enter your gross pay for an 80 hour pay period (On your LES it’s titledPay Period hours & Gross Pay).
Border Patrol Agents should be aware that the change in pay will not reflect the additional 30 percent loss from decertification of Administratively Uncontrollable Overtime. To calculate that deduct your AUO, before you enter your Bi-Weekly Gross salary on spreadsheet. I included that deduction in my calculations. I am presently a GS-12, step 3. (Note: since I used my most recent LES, it includes holiday (Presidents’ Day) and night and Sunday pay, all of which increase the total pay amount but may not be available in later pay periods, thus lowering overall pay.)
Step #2: Enter your "elective" deductions from your LES into the appropriate boxes below #2 (Tip** If it is not listed on your LES, then it does not apply to you)
Acronym listing:
FEGLI: Federal Employee Group Life Insurance
FSA -HC: Flexible Spending Account-Health Care (Most Border Patrol Agents don’t have this)
MIL Deposit: Military Deposit-Only applies if you sold back military time
FEHB: Federal Employee Health Benefits
DENTAL: Self Explanatory
TSP Savings: Thrift Savings Plan ( Only enter your percentage and should come close to what is on your LES)
OTHER: In this block you can group all other deductions together into a total figure, i.e. Vision Plan, Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) or charitable contributions deductions. I included my TSP here since I pay in a lump sum amount, not as a percentage. I also included my financial allotment that I place automatically in my savings account, my motorcycle payment I have taken out per payperiod, Union dues and my CFC payments. (Note: I have left all of my deductions the same between the pre and post furlough to reflect the real change in pay caused by furloughing one-day per pay period.)
Step #3: Enter your percentages for " Standard" deductions. Adjust the percentage for STATE and FEDERAL taxes until amount in white box is pretty close to what is on your LES statement. (We pay no state income tax in Texas.)
Step #4: Adjust the OASDI (Social Security) percentage based on what retirement system you are covered under; FERS = 6.2% and CSRS=0%
Step #5: Adjust the RETIREMENT percentage based on whether you are under FERS or CSRS. If you were part of FERS prior to 2013, use .8%, after 2013 use 3.1%. For CSRS, use 7%, 7.5% or 8%
In the ORANGE SECTION at the bottom: Furlough Bi-Weekly Pay"
Step #6: Enter the number of furlough days per pay period you would like to calculate (1 day per bi-weekly pay period or 2 days per bi-weekly pay period)
At this point the YELLOW blocks will reflect what your "New take home" pay will be in the event of a furlough and the delta per pay period based on your original "take home" pay. The Delta per pay period is what you will lose from each PP paycheck.
The original calculation is based on lowering your TSP to 5%. Go to step #7
Step #7: Adjust any of your allotments or TSP in order to see what change what the delta will be from your original "take home" pay. Recommend that you do not go below 5% (or the equivalent dollar amount) TSP so you still get the agency match. Also enter your MIL Deposit from above if applicable.
Remember, this is only a rough guide.
Summary:
If I continue to invest the same amount of money in my TSP, make payments on my motorcycle, keep sending money to savings, and contribute to CFC, I should bring home just enough money to pay for my mortgage (about 1,000 dollars per month.) Obviously, I will have to make some radical changes to my pay allotment to reflect this minimized income. It is tragic though that most of those cuts will have to come from savings and investments that I have made which will make me far less likely to use medicare and social security in the future.
Please notice that this calculator does not include payments I make to a life insuranceplan outside of the Federal Government, vehicle insurance, credit card bills, electrical bills, and investments in Roth IRAs for my wife and me. All of these bills will now have to be paid from that meager amount of money that we Border Patrol Agents will soon be bringing home. I am one of the lucky ones, too. I don’t pay for school loans, water, rent, or an additional vehicle (my wife does though.) We also don’t pay for the costs of supplementary dental or vision insurance or, perhaps one of the largest costs, raising children. Indisputably, the next several months will be very difficult for all Federal employees, but this calculator evinces that no other group of workers in the entire government will be as financially devastated as Border Patrol Agents.