DiNapoli: $1.6 billion in state agency overtime driven largely by prison staff
Corrections staff worked more than 8 million hours of overtime, up nearly 17% from the year before.
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State agency overtime spending jumped 22.7% last year, reaching $1.6 billion, according to New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.
The figures released Thursday in DiNapoli’s annual use of overtime and state workforce trends report reveal overtime made up one of the largest shares of state payroll.
“The use of overtime by state agencies continued to climb with overtime as a share of payroll at its second highest rate since at least 2007,” DiNapoli said.
Most of the increase was driven by the Department of Corrections, where overtime hours rose by 1.3 million in 2025. That translates to $264 million in overtime pay and accounts for more than 87% of the statewide increase, despite corrections employees making up only about 8% of the state workforce.
Corrections staff worked more than 8 million hours of overtime, up nearly 17% from the year before.
Overall, total state payroll costs reached $22.4 billion in 2025.
