Summary
The FY21 Annual Overtime Report provides a detailed analysis of overtime expenditures across Philadelphia’s city government, which totaled $185.6 million, marking a $22.5 million (10.8%) decrease from FY20. Despite this reduction, city departments overspent their overtime allocations by 24.6%, with 15 departments exceeding their full-year budgeted overtime.
The report highlights Police ($64.9 million), Fire ($62.6 million), and Prisons ($24.6 million) as the highest overtime-spending departments, continuing a multi-year trend of reliance on overtime to compensate for staffing shortages. Notably, staffing reductions due to a pandemic-era hiring freeze contributed to overtime cost escalations, with the City ending FY21 with 21,138 full-time employees, a 3.9% decline from FY20.
While some departments successfully reduced overtime spending—including Prisons, Fleet Management, and Parks & Recreation—others, such as Streets and Human Services, saw notable increases. The City has now exceeded its combined overtime allocations for 11 consecutive years, underscoring the need for better workforce planning, strategic hiring, and improved budget forecasting.
This report serves as a key financial oversight tool, offering insights into the long-term implications of overtime spending and providing recommendations to enhance fiscal stability and operational efficiency in future budget cycles.