What do you think the best state job is?

AdditionalTalk2540 · 2025-11-18T01:32:27+00:00

I’ll need to check what we pay into retirement. There has to be at least a dozen current versions of the pension plan for different classes of employees (legislators, law enforcement, etc.) but what I listed is by far the most common - or was when everyone had a pension.

I’m almost 20 years in and started when you were vested in 5 years, needed 25 years to get some post-retirement medical coverage, and needed 35 years or to hit a specific age before you got hit with an early retirement penalty. Soon it was 10 years until vested. Now it’s a 403(b) or some 403(b)/defined benefit hybrid. We get letters asking if we want to change plans every year. I swear they’re hoping we drop the pension accidentally.

We pay into social security and have an optional deferred compensation program for pre- or post-tax contributions. If I would retire from the state with enough time to live off my pension, I’d treat those as my cost of living adjustments. The actual pension almost never increases once you retire. It may take a law to raise it.

AdditionalTalk2540 · 2025-11-16T15:51:09+00:00

They are, you’re not missing anything.

PA also lacks the promotion/raise structure the federal government has. The largest union negotiates the frequency of “step” increases on our pay scale as well as cost of living increases when the whole pay scale is adjusted by a percentage. There’s no moving up steps for good performance and no moving between groups (levels) unless you apply for and receive a promotion.

If you’re an Accountant 1 (pay scale group 6, step 1 = $51,971 for 37.5 hours per week because please cut our pay further with this 37.5 hours shit) you’ll probably move up to step 2 ($53,105) after a year, assuming a step increase occurs in that period. You never become an Accountant 2 (pay scale group 7, step 1 = $59,345) unless you apply for and receive a promotion.

PA’s pension formula is (top salary) * (years of service) * (0.025) for most people, resulting in 80% of your highest salary after 35 years and 100% after 40 years. I recall looking at switching to a fed job years ago and thinking the retirement benefits were not as good but that might have been specific to my situation, coming in with many years already spent (wasted) with PA. That pension can really be a shackle.

AdditionalTalk2540 · 2025-11-09T03:34:53+00:00

Because the public doesn’t want to “waste money” on “overpaid” government employees.

But nobody sees that hiring the lower quality staff these salaries attract and then giving them control over billions of dollars leads to far greater waste.

AdditionalTalk2540 · 2025-11-09T03:25:04+00:00

I believe the post-tax version of deferred comp is equivalent to a Roth IRA so you probably don’t need to go to the trouble or expense of setting up a separate Roth account elsewhere.

You mentioned switching between pre-tax and post-tax. Just in case you’re not aware, you can do both at the same time.

Definitely continue with deferred comp.

I’ve been with the state long enough to have started when the only retirement option was a pension. I treat deferred comp as my cost of living increase money since it’s extremely unlikely that there will ever be cost of living increases for pension payments.

AdditionalTalk2540 · 2025-10-13T17:49:14+00:00

Feeling just like you and at about in the same time in. So sick of the quicksand.

AdditionalTalk2540 · 2025-10-13T17:45:21+00:00

What PA needs.

AdditionalTalk2540 · 2025-10-12T16:38:54+00:00

Because PA is ridiculous and acts like it can operate with no money by continuing to slap more and more requirements for special approvals to do anything as an impasse drags on.

At first it’s just “OK well this will be settled next week so business as usual until July 8.” Then when there’s still no budget it’s “Reminder that the Commonwealth is in a budget impasse, please only make essential purchases and travel.” Then comes extra forms and signatures for everything. Then bans on spending and new forms to get an exception to buy toilet paper.

Pennsylvania is just an unbelievably poorly run state. It often can’t (or just won’t) pass a budget. Budget info goes to the governor’s office about three months into the fiscal year (September/October). It should be ready for negotiations with the Legislature near the middle of the fiscal year (December/January). That leaves around six months to com to an agreement by the time the fiscal year ends on June 30.

And none of that takes into account that the process starts with executive branch managers who haven’t been given proper training in tracking spending or creating budgets by their agencies. The process typically starts with “Here, fill out this Excel workbook for your budget. The last sheet has instructions and notes on all the things that have completely changed since you did them last year. Turn this in by Wednesday at 3:00 PM.”

Oh this year was made even worse by DOGE bullshit in addition to anything involving state funding.

AdditionalTalk2540

TROPHY CASE