PayChecker Overview

PayChecker is a tool designed to help NATCA members verify their backpay calculations during and after government shutdowns. The system makes it easy to check if you received the correct pay and helps identify any discrepancies.

What is PayChecker?

During the 2018-2019 government shutdown, many federal air traffic controllers experienced pay calculation errors when service resumed. PayChecker was created to help members ensure they receive correct backpay by:

Parsing your Leave & Earnings Statements (LES) automatically
Tracking your shifts and premium time (OJTI, CIC, overtime)
Calculating what you should have been paid
Comparing expected pay against actual pay
Identifying discrepancies that need correction

Who Can Use PayChecker?

PayChecker is available to all NATCA members who are federal air traffic controllers. The tool is particularly useful:

During government shutdowns - Track your work to ensure correct backpay
After shutdowns end - Verify you were paid correctly for furloughed periods
For historical verification - Check past pay periods for accuracy

Key Features

LES PDF Upload

Upload your Leave & Earnings Statement PDF from employeeexpress.gov, and PayChecker will automatically extract:

Pay period information
Your hourly base rate
Earnings breakdown
Deductions
Leave balances

Shift Tracking

Track your daily shifts including:

Regular shifts - Your normal work schedule
TOS (Time Off Station) - Overtime and credit hours earned
TNW (Time Not Worked) - Leave, furlough, and other non-work time

Premium Time Tracking

Record premium time worked during shifts:

OJTI - On-the-Job Training Instructor time
CIC - Controller-in-Charge time
Overtime - Time worked beyond regular hours
Credit Hours - Flexible credit hours earned

Pay Verification

Compare what you were actually paid against what you should have been paid based on:

Hours worked during the pay period
Your hourly base rate from the LES
Premium time rates from the Slate Book (NATCA-FAA contract)

How It Works

1. Upload LES PDF
   ↓
2. Track Your Shifts
   ↓
3. Add Premium Time
   ↓
4. Verify Pay
   ↓
5. Review Results

Step-by-Step Process

Upload Your LES - Download your LES PDF from employeeexpress.gov and upload it to PayChecker
Track Your Shifts - Enter your work schedule for the pay period
Add Premium Time - Record any OJTI, CIC, overtime, or credit hours
Verify - PayChecker calculates expected pay and compares to actual pay
Review Discrepancies - If any discrepancies are found, you can work with your facility or HR to correct them

What You'll Need

To use PayChecker effectively, you'll need:

LES PDFs - Download from employeeexpress.gov (opens in a new tab)
Shift Records - Your work schedule for the pay period
Premium Time Records - Documentation of OJTI, CIC, overtime, etc.
Member Account - Your NATCA member account with Auth0

Privacy and Security

PayChecker takes your privacy seriously:

Secure Storage - All data stored in encrypted database
LES PDFs Deleted - PDFs are parsed and immediately deleted
Minimal PII - Only necessary information is retained
Your Data Only - You can only access your own data
HTTPS Encryption - All communication is encrypted in transit

Getting Started

Ready to start verifying your pay? Here's what to do next:

Log In - Sign in with your NATCA member account
Upload Your LES - Start with your most recent LES PDF
Track Your Shifts - Enter your work schedule
Verify Pay - Let PayChecker do the calculations

For detailed instructions, see:

Support

Need help? Here are your options:

Technical Issues - Contact your FacRep or IT support
Pay Questions - Consult with your facility representative
Feature Requests - Contact Luke Garner at luke.garner@natca.net