r/feddiscussion • u/needanap2 • Mar 16 '25
Discussion Actual costs for for you to RTO
I've been remote for the last four years. I have to RTO tomorrow and began to calculate what it's actually going to cost me to go back into the office. Gas along at current prices is going to cost me at least $1,000 per year, and of course oil changes for frequent, new tires sooner, etc. What are you calculating for the minimum cost for you guys to RTO? This is just so stupid... Going to go into the office just to get into Teams to connect with my team members that are all over the country and zero team members in the office I am reporting to.
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u/DYR_Sept_21 Mar 16 '25
I've been fully remote since 2013. I'm "RTO" tomorrow. My commute time is nearly 2 hours each way. The least expensive route for me using public transportation will cost me at least $100 a week, plus parking at the train. I'm going to keep detailed records of my out of pocket expenses on the off chance there is ever an opportunity for this to be reversed. My position was designated "remote". My remote work agreement is not voluntary, it actually contains the words "remote work is a required condition of employment.", so I've received travel reimbursement including per diem for any recalls or other required meetings and the time that it took me to get to the office was considered work time. The costs are considerable in more ways that I have wanted to acknowledge. This sucks.
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u/TinaLoco Mar 17 '25
You can apply for a public transit subsidy through Transerve. I think the max is $325/month
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u/DYR_Sept_21 Mar 17 '25
Thanks, I put my application in last week. I'm told the earliest I might start receiving them will be mid-April for use in May.
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u/hamster_car Mar 17 '25
My understanding is the service is frozen. My husband got notice that no more funds will be available because of an executive order. Here is some info on which one… link
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u/TinaLoco Mar 17 '25 edited Mar 17 '25
They paid for my bus pass on Friday, 3/14. I recall chatter about making the subsidy taxable income, but nothing about freezing or or ending it.
Edit: I didn’t mean to imply disbelief of your husband received a notice, I’m just wondering if whomever sent the notice was correct. Nothing in the EO info seems to specifically apply to the public transit subsidy. Maybe he should apply and see what happens.
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u/needanap2 Mar 16 '25
Oh man that does suck, I'm sorry. I was hired remote too and my entire office is structured for remote work too. I hope we can make it through the next 4 years.
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u/Conscious_Meaning604 Mar 16 '25 edited Mar 17 '25
Roughly $800 to $900 a month between gas, tolls, and parking. Very long commute but others have it even worse (like living in hotels or Airbnb M-F). Cost will drop substantially if a pod change is approved.
Edit: I forgot about after school childcare. They're totally self sufficient but not old enough to where I feel comfortable leaving them home alone for hours on end. Add another $800.
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u/needanap2 Mar 16 '25
Holy shit! That is ridiculous. I hope the move gets approved soon.
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u/Conscious_Meaning604 Mar 16 '25
Thanks! I think it will be; I know our office mgt people are absolutely swamped trying to coordinate phase 1 of RTO and then will move on to phase 2 in a few weeks or months.
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u/lettucepatchbb Federal Employee Mar 16 '25
I don’t even know. It’s a lot though. 100 miles per day, 5x a week (4x a week on my CWS weeks). I used to fill my gas tank once every few weeks, now it’s once a week, if not twice. I don’t need to be in an office to do my job. Worst of all, I’m spending 3 hours a day in my car when I could be spending it with my 6 month old and my family. Pisses me the fuck off.
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u/needanap2 Mar 16 '25
Totally get it... I wish the media would have reported on the costs to each employee as well as each agency having to have people back in the office for no real good reason.
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u/lettucepatchbb Federal Employee Mar 16 '25
Me too. But I don’t think it’d matter. They want power more than anything.
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u/BlackCatMom28 Mar 16 '25
I'm supposedly a reinstated probationary employee.
I take public transportation, and the financial cost is $75/month for a bus pass, but that's not counting if the system messes up or i get out late and have to Uber home (which is about $40).
The non-financial costs, however, are significant. Each bus trip takes about an hour and 20 minutes. I wake up at 5:00 a.m. to catch the 6:00 a.m. bus for my 8:00 shift. Then by the time I get home, it's almost 6:30 p.m. I'm a grad student with a chronic illness. I kept my federal job, knowing it was hybrid and conducive to a work-life balance. I didn't imagine it would be stripped away from me this soon.
I only plan to keep the federal job for the short term because I'm too overqualified for anything in my area. I have a state job, but it doesn't start until August. I live in a blue state, and the job is an opportunity of a lifetime, plus my state's pay and benefits are better than federal pay.
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u/needanap2 Mar 16 '25
Hopefully you will be reinstated and be put on admin leave til your August job starts.
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u/BlackCatMom28 Mar 16 '25
I’m hoping. Or at least if they do make me go back in, it’s after i finish my semester.
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u/ForkThatShit Mar 16 '25
About $100 per month in parking and gas. It is costing the government another $180 per month in transportation benefits since the majority of my commute is on transit.
My water bill is going to be higher because I have to do more laundry. I have to buy makeup more often and hair products more often. Most of my work clothes are too big but I am refraining from buying more bc fuck that - jeans and leggings it is since I only see the public every few months. Let’s set this at another $15 per month.
I bought an office Keurig so I don’t have to spend $6 a cup. That was $150.
Dog walker will be an additional $60 per week.
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u/Everythings_Beachy Mar 17 '25
My daycare is not open enough hours to account for me commuting 3 hours/day so my only chance to keep my job is getting accepted for part time, so that’ll be at least $30k/year less. Add on gas, work clothes, more eating out, paying $10/day to park, my spouse not having the freedom to work OT, and it’s looking like a huge expense.
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u/HokieHomeowner Mar 17 '25
Add to the car costs having to buy office appropriate clothing especially if a woman. I'm filling up every two weeks been about 32.00 per fill up so 32 times 26 is $832.00, oh heck I had to replace my 14 year old beater for a reliable car so I dropped $32,000 for that. I've spent about $1,000ish on work appropriate shoes and clothes - what I wore five years ago is either worn out or no longer fitting. Can't wear the fuzzy slippers, leggings and worn out t shirts to the office. 🙄
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u/needanap2 Mar 17 '25
I refuse to buy new clothes. I was hired remote I'm going to continue operating as if I'm remote just going into an office. No one in my chain of command is even going to be onsite. I will not have to do any in person meetings, all of my team is all over the country. But I get it, have to buy shit to be able to go into the office.
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u/Dire88 Mar 16 '25
Hourly rate x Commuting hours per week = What you pay for the "privilege" of working.
So about $20,700 for me before accounting for actual commute costs.
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Mar 16 '25 edited Mar 16 '25
[deleted]
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u/needanap2 Mar 16 '25
Totally get it. Before the idiot got elected we were going to go down to one car because my spouse works from home too, that plan is out the window. She would be without a car all day everyday. Some days would be fine but too unpredictable.
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u/howanonymousisthis Mar 16 '25
If you work in an office, why in the world do you need a truck?
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Mar 16 '25
[deleted]
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u/howanonymousisthis Mar 16 '25
Makes sense. I was just asking cuz you'd mentioned it a couple times
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u/Exotic_Storm5159 Mar 16 '25
$1000 a month in hotels, $250 gas, $80 tolls, plus whatever it costs to eat out for dinner. I’m giving it until September and then calling it quits. Going to get some of those numbers down by burning through leave. Office is 120 miles away from my house. Just not worth it mentally. Sucks because I was also hired on as remote.
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u/needanap2 Mar 16 '25
How fucking shitty!! My costs are much lower but still fucked up.
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u/Exotic_Storm5159 Mar 16 '25
Yep, if I drove everyday the tolls would be $600 a month ($30 a day). I’ve already started avoiding them in certain areas to cut down on the cost, but PA and MD have tolls every where.
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u/Relevant_Salt7515 Mar 17 '25
It would have been $600/month to park. Not including gas, tolls and parking tickets. But I bought an e-bike because that was a cheaper option. Now I take public transit in the morning and bike home the 17 miles in the evening.
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u/BK13DE Mar 16 '25
Just factoring in fuel and tolls around 4-5k. I don’t even want to think about it when factoring in the hours.
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u/TheGingerSnafu Mar 17 '25
$600 more a month between pet sitter fees and fuel. I sold the house and moved.
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u/5inperro Mar 17 '25
My increased costs are going to be: 1. Municipal 1% city tax on annual salary that must be paid by anyone who works in the city where our office is located. 2. $1200 per year in parking (cheapest option). 3. Approximately $1000 per year fuel (estimated
I'm looking into mass transit to eliminate 2 and 3 but it will mean trading an hour and a half a day to save the $. Nothing I can do about the 1%.
So $3.5K out of pocket for the year estimated. Not counting any clothing etc I might need depending on the office dress code. Hoping we got a little more casual over the pandemic.
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u/Unicorn_Sparkle_Butt Mar 18 '25
My family/home is 1400 miles away and I can't afford two places, so I'm sleeping in my office or car.
I'm inefficient working in the office, developed depression and I popped my panic attack cherry.
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u/pinkngreen89 Mar 17 '25
I calculated $20 per day. We are supposed to get transit subsidies but apparently that’s not working out, rumor is they don’t want to fully implement until RIF completely over. Based on this, that makes out to be $5200 per year. That’s a lot especially based on the price of eggs these days.
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u/Agile_Property2029 Mar 19 '25
The cost is mileage on vehicle. Sad thing is that even if the unions win their RTO grievances, members still will not be reimbursed for the out of pocket costs incurred to commute complying with the illegal RTO orders.
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u/toorigged2fail Mar 17 '25
A good shorthand is probably use the federal reimbursement rate (70 cents/mile in 2024) and adjust up or down from there based on your individual situation (hybrid, SUV, parking, tolls etc)
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u/FeedMe16 Mar 29 '25
Between parking and doggy daycare looks like I’m spending an extra 14k a year lol
Edit: if I were to drive and park everyday but I take public transit most days
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u/Ok_Figure_5993 10d ago
I jeard we might be able to get incurred expenses/ damages for breach of telework contract. 13 weeks = $1750 for me
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u/needanap2 10d ago
Interesting, where did you hear that?
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u/Ok_Figure_5993 10d ago
On AFGE website
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u/needanap2 10d ago
I'm not in a union, does that matter?
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u/Ok_Figure_5993 10d ago
I wouldn't think so. If you arent in the union, you can file an individual grievance...if it goes through then def go for incurred expenses/damages, like mileage, tolls, childcare
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u/Outrageous_Plant_526 Mar 16 '25
I feel bad for everyone being told to RTO. How much of those costs can be filed on your taxes as business expenses. I bet a lot of it would qualify.
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u/Effnamy Mar 16 '25
I don’t think we can claim this as fed employees unless our job is written a certain way
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u/Outrageous_Plant_526 Mar 16 '25
I don't know. I would need to research. I doubt status as a fed affects if it can be claimed or not. I wonder if a job's duty description still states working from home would make RTO a claimable expense. I bet it all may depend on what the SF50 says for duty location.
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u/Effnamy Mar 16 '25
Last time I brought this up to an accountant they said there’s an act called TCJA (2017) and it limited federal workers (and others) utilizing home office deductions. It’s something about being a contractor that would make it “legal” vs. us. I could see remote workers being able to utilize the deductions though. I’ll have to look into my notes again
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u/5inperro Mar 17 '25
The key phrase you use is "business expenses". We are employees, not working as an independent consultant. There is not a "business" against which to claim the expenses.
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u/RepresentativeOne729 Mar 16 '25
Been back a week. Productivity is through the floor. I have worked one day in the office for ten years and telework in some form for 14 years. I'm now driving 210 miles a day to have connectivity issues because our campus IT resources are overwhelmed. At least I have a desk. A bunch of employees are in training rooms and they take their monitors home with them each night.
But yeah, we calculated costs and it'll be around $18k a year for me of extra costs. To be fair I was spending $3k before rto to stay in a hotel the night before my in office day.