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Verifying Your Pay

Verifying Your Pay

This guide walks you through the process of verifying your pay using PayChecker to ensure you received correct compensation during and after government shutdowns.

Before You Start

You'll need:

Step 1: Upload Your LES PDF

Download Your LES

  1. Go to employeeexpress.gov (opens in a new tab)
  2. Log in with your credentials
  3. Navigate to "Leave & Earnings Statement"
  4. Select the pay period you want to verify
  5. Download the PDF

Upload to PayChecker

  1. Log in to PayChecker
  2. Click "Upload LES"
  3. Select your LES PDF file
  4. Click "Upload"
  5. Wait for parsing to complete (usually 5-10 seconds)

What Gets Extracted

PayChecker automatically extracts:

  • Pay period number and dates
  • Your member number
  • Hourly base rate
  • Earnings line items (Regular pay, Overtime, etc.)
  • Deductions
  • Leave balances
  • Any remarks or notes

Example:

Pay Period: 01 (Dec 29, 2024 - Jan 11, 2025)
Hourly Base Rate: $45.50
Regular Earnings: $3,640.00 (80 hours)
Federal Tax: -$728.00
Net Pay: $2,912.00

Step 2: Track Your Shifts

Understanding Shift Types

Regular Shift

  • Your normal work schedule
  • Can include OJTI, CIC, overtime
  • Example: Monday 07:00-15:00

TOS (Time Off Station)

  • Overtime or credit hours earned
  • Automatically creates full-shift TOS entry
  • Use for shifts entirely dedicated to overtime

TNW (Time Not Worked)

  • Leave, furlough, or other non-work time
  • Cannot include premium time
  • Types: Annual Leave, Sick Leave, Furlough, etc.

RDO (Regular Day Off)

  • No entry needed
  • Absence of shift record = RDO

Adding a Regular Shift

  1. Navigate to the pay period
  2. Click "Add Shift"
  3. Select the date
  4. Choose shift type: "Regular"
  5. Enter start time (e.g., 07:00)
  6. Enter end time (e.g., 15:00)
  7. Click "Save"

Adding TOS or TNW

For Time Off Station:

  1. Click "Add Shift"
  2. Select shift type: "TOS"
  3. Choose sub-type: "Overtime" or "Credit Hours Earned"
  4. Enter times
  5. Click "Save"

For Time Not Worked:

  1. Click "Add Shift"
  2. Select shift type: "TNW"
  3. Choose sub-type: "Annual Leave", "Sick Leave", "Furlough", etc.
  4. Enter times
  5. Click "Save"

Step 3: Add Premium Time

OJTI (On-the-Job Training Instructor)

If you worked as an OJTI during a shift:

  1. Click on the shift
  2. Click "Add OJTI Time"
  3. Enter start time (e.g., 07:00)
  4. Enter end time (e.g., 09:00)
  5. Click "Save"

Note: OJTI time must be within the shift's start and end times.

CIC (Controller-in-Charge)

If you worked as CIC during a shift:

  1. Click on the shift
  2. Click "Add CIC Time"
  3. Enter start and end times
  4. Click "Save"

Overtime During Regular Shift

If you worked overtime after a regular shift:

  1. Click on the shift
  2. Click "Add TOS Entry"
  3. Select sub-type: "Overtime"
  4. Enter start time (e.g., 15:00)
  5. Enter end time (e.g., 17:00)
  6. Click "Save"

Step 4: Review Your Data

View Shift Summary

  1. Navigate to the pay period
  2. Click "Summary"
  3. Review total hours:
    • Total Regular Hours
    • Total OJTI Hours
    • Total CIC Hours
    • Total Overtime Hours
    • Total TNW Hours

Example Summary

Pay Period 01 (2025)
Regular Hours: 80.0
OJTI Hours: 4.0
CIC Hours: 2.0
Overtime Hours: 3.0
Annual Leave: 0.0

Verify Accuracy

Double-check that:

  • All shifts are entered correctly
  • Premium time matches your records
  • Dates and times are accurate
  • No shifts are missing

Step 5: Verify Pay

Run Verification

  1. Click "Verify Pay"
  2. Select the pay period
  3. Click "Calculate"
  4. Wait for results (usually instant)

Understanding Results

Match (✓)

Expected Pay: $3,640.00
Actual Pay: $3,640.00
Difference: $0.00
Status: ✓ Match

Your pay is correct!

Discrepancy (✗)

Expected Pay: $3,640.00
Actual Pay: $3,500.00
Difference: -$140.00
Status: ✗ Discrepancy Found

You were underpaid by $140.00.

Missing Data (?)

Status: ? Missing Data
Message: Shift data incomplete for verification

Add missing shifts or LES data.

What Gets Calculated

Expected Pay Formula:

Base Pay = 80 hours × Hourly Base Rate
OJTI Premium = OJTI hours × Premium Rate
CIC Premium = CIC hours × Premium Rate
Overtime Premium = OT hours × Premium Rate

Total Expected = Base Pay + Premiums

Actual Pay:

  • Extracted from your LES earnings
  • Includes "Regular" and "Gov Shutdown Retro Pay" entries

Tolerance

PayChecker allows a $0.01 difference due to rounding. Differences greater than $0.01 are flagged as discrepancies.

Step 6: Take Action

If Pay Matches

Great! No action needed. Keep your records for future reference.

If Discrepancy Found

  1. Document the Issue

    • Screenshot the verification results
    • Export your shift data
    • Save your LES PDF

  2. Contact Your FacRep

    • Provide verification results
    • Share shift records
    • Explain the discrepancy

  3. Work with HR

    • Your FacRep can help escalate to HR
    • Provide documentation from PayChecker
    • Request pay correction

  4. Follow Up

    • Keep records of all communications
    • Verify correction in next pay period
    • Update PayChecker with corrected data

Common Scenarios

Scenario 1: Government Shutdown

Situation: You worked during shutdown but were furloughed on paper.

Steps:

  1. Upload LES showing furlough
  2. Track actual shifts worked
  3. Verify pay - will show discrepancy
  4. Use results to request backpay

Scenario 2: Overtime Not Paid

Situation: You worked 3 hours overtime but it's not on your LES.

Steps:

  1. Upload LES
  2. Add regular shift + overtime entry
  3. Verify pay - will show underpayment
  4. Contact FacRep with documentation

Scenario 3: OJTI Premium Missing

Situation: You worked 4 hours as OJTI but didn't receive premium.

Steps:

  1. Upload LES
  2. Add shift with OJTI time
  3. Verify pay - will calculate missing premium
  4. Request correction through proper channels

Tips for Accurate Verification

Keep Good Records

  • Save all LES PDFs
  • Document shifts in real-time
  • Note premium time as it happens
  • Keep email confirmations of overtime approval

Regular Verification

  • Verify each pay period
  • Don't wait until shutdown ends
  • Catch errors early
  • Maintain continuous records

Understand Pay Calculations

  • Review the Slate Book
  • Know your premium rates
  • Understand how overtime is calculated
  • Familiarize yourself with pay periods

Troubleshooting

LES won't parse

  • Ensure it's a valid LES PDF from employeeexpress.gov
  • Try re-downloading the PDF
  • Contact support if issue persists

Verification shows "Missing Data"

  • Ensure you've uploaded the LES for that period
  • Verify all shifts are entered
  • Check that shift dates match pay period

Expected pay seems wrong

  • Double-check shift entries
  • Verify premium time is correct
  • Ensure hourly rate in LES is accurate
  • Review calculation breakdown

For more help, see Troubleshooting.

Privacy Reminder

PayChecker is designed with privacy in mind:

  • LES PDFs are deleted after parsing
  • Only you can see your data
  • All communication is encrypted
  • Data stored securely in Supabase

Related Documentation

Regular pay verification helps catch errors early. Make it a habit to verify each pay period, especially during and after shutdowns.

OverviewTracking Shifts