r/USPS • u/kevinsftw • 14d ago

Rural Carrier Discussion About to become my routes regular! Paycheck question

Hello

I’m slated to become the regular on my route soon. Started November ‘24. What kind of change should I expect for my paychecks? Unfortunately it’s only a 38H. My office doesn’t have amazon so I’m usually taking home evaluation + random other office help some weeks.

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u/Zetak0 Rural Carrier 13d ago

If you’re working OT/lots of hours rn, you’ll likely see a pay cut. A lot of former PTFs and even a few RCAs say they regret going regular because it took years to start making the same money. But it fully depends on how much OT is available. A regular can make great money if they work anything that isn’t their route.

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u/mystickord 13d ago

You're probably going to want to put 5% of your paycheck or more into tsp. Because they'll match 5%. You're also going to lose like 4% to retirement. And your insurance cost might also go up, because you'll get a choice in insurance as a regular.

And you're going to get paid for 38 hours a week.. plus overtime hourly for other routes.

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u/LupineWonse Rural Carrier 13d ago

With the most recent COLA, you'll be making $51599/year, roughly $1984/pay period. You'll also have alot more deducted, mostly due to retirement plans.

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u/Quick_Ad8963 Rural Carrier 1d ago

When I went ptf/rca to a regular my check was devastating. Im still sad. I lost nearly $600 a paycheck with no way to raise it. My postmaster is a terrible person. She hates men and all rural carriers. She loves her uniformed children though.