NYC Sanitation Worker Salary and Take-Home Pay in 2026
A new NYC sanitation worker earns $47,752 a year for the first 6 months and reaches $95,316 after 5.5 years. Paid every two weeks, that is $1,352.56 take-home a paycheck at the start and $2,479.66 at the top step.
Hiring details are on DSNY's sanitation worker careers page.
| Step | Yearly pay | Take-home per paycheck | Take-home a year | Pension per paycheck |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First 6 months (annualized) | $47,752 | $1,352.56 | $35,166.48 | $80.81 |
| After 6 months | $50,321 | $1,418.68 | $36,885.75 | $85.16 |
| After 1.5 years | $52,332 | $1,470.45 | $38,231.69 | $88.56 |
| After 2.5 years | $56,049 | $1,566.13 | $40,719.40 | $94.85 |
| After 3.5 years | $62,853 | $1,741.28 | $45,273.33 | $106.37 |
| After 4.5 years | $78,860 | $2,118.58 | $55,083.03 | $133.46 |
| After 5.5 years (basic maximum) | $95,316 | $2,479.66 | $64,471.16 | $161.30 |
Take-home is worked out with our NYC paycheck calculator for a single filer living in New York City, paid every two weeks, after federal, state and city income tax, Social Security, Medicare and the 4.4% pension contribution.
Rates come from the Uniformed Sanitationmen's Association contract, which runs to February 27, 2028; its last raise, 4% on December 28, 2026, lifts the starting rate to $49,662 and the top step to $99,129.
The top step comes after the same 5.5 years as it does for FDNY firefighters.
How the DSNY 414(h) pension contribution is taxed
Sanitation workers in the Tier 3 sanitation plan pay 4.4% of pay into the New York City Employees' Retirement System (NYCERS). It is a 414(h) pension contribution: it comes out before federal income tax, but New York State and New York City tax it, and it still counts as wages for Social Security and Medicare.
At the top step, $161.30 goes to the pension from each paycheck. Because it comes out before federal tax, federal withholding is $35.48 lower each paycheck than if the same amount came out after tax. State and city tax do not change.
NYC sanitation worker salary calculator
The calculator starts at the top step, $95,316, with the 4.4% pension contribution already set. Change the salary to your own step to see your paycheck.
At $95,316, the top step is close to a $95,000 salary, which takes home $67,110.37 a year in NYC with no pension contribution.
Take-home pay per paycheck
$2,479.66
$64,471.16a year
Enter your salary to see your take-home pay.
- Effective tax rate
- 28%
- Marginal tax rate
- 38.8%
Based on 2026 IRS and New York State withholding tables.
Paycheck breakdown
| Line | Per paycheck | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $3,666.00 | $95,316.00 |
| 414(h) pension | $161.30 | $4,193.80 |
| Federal income tax | $431.42 | $11,216.92 |
| Social Security | $227.29 | $5,909.54 |
| Medicare | $53.16 | $1,382.16 |
| New York State income tax | $177.63 | $4,618.38 |
| New York City income tax | $135.54 | $3,524.04 |
| Take-home pay | $2,479.66 | $64,471.16 |
Where your paycheck goes
- Take-home pay$2,479.6667.6%
- Federal income tax$431.4211.8%
- Social Security and Medicare$280.457.7%
- New York State income tax$177.634.8%
- NYC income tax$135.543.7%
- Pre-tax deductions$161.304.4%
Paychecks through 2026
- All 26 paychecks come to $2,479.66.
Rent you can qualify for
$2,382a month
NYC landlords ask for a yearly income of at least 40 times the monthly rent, so this is the most they approve on this pay.
DSNY longevity, differentials and other pay
- Longevity. $2,000 a year after 5 years of service, $2,495 after 10, $3,395 after 15 and $5,000 after 20.
- Service differential. $788 a year after 5 years as a sanitation worker and $953 after 5.5 years, rising to $820 and $991 on December 28, 2026.
- Night differential. Up to 10% of the daily rate for a night shift.
- Sunday, chart day and holiday work. Sunday and chart day work is paid at double time, and holiday work earns an extra 1.5 days' pay.
- Snow and emergency call-ins. At least eight hours at time and a half for a call-in outside regular tours.
- Uniform allowance. $1,000 a year, rising to $1,100 on December 28, 2027.