Maryland ignored audit warning, now has overtime disaster

Topline: Maryland state employees earned a record $406 million in overtime last year, according to payroll records, backing up the findings of a recent state audit that found Maryland has no “comprehensive process” for monitoring overtime spending.

Key facts: The state audit defines “excessive overtime” as more than 50% of an employee’s base salary. Open the Books’ records show 3,810 employees collected that much in 2025.

There were 375 employees who each made more than $100,000 in overtime.

The Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services spent $213.3 million on overtime, more than half the state total.

But 22 of the top 30 overtime earners worked for the Maryland State Police, including one who made $236,000 — the highest overtime payment in state history.

The state audit already had warned that overtime spending was “increasing significantly,” with a 48% boost from 2021 to 2024.

The audit also found that many employees used paid leave but worked the same day to earn overtime, “which could be indicative of potential abusive overtime.” The state did not investigate the employees and told auditors there are no plans to do so.

Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com. 

Background: The Department of Public Safety has had staffing issues for years, with officers saying they work 80-hour weeks. The state says some progress has been made. Public Safety Secretary Carolyn Scruggs previously told WBAL-TV the agency’s vacancy rate was 17% in January 2023 and was down to 10.4% as of early 2025.

The staffing shortage has impacts that extend beyond finance. One corrections officer blamed understaffing for a recent rise in prison homicides in an interview with ABC7. A family member of one inmate argued that there are not enough staff members to care for inmates’ physical and mental health.

Summary: Maryland has one of the largest state workforces relative to its population and consistently faces large budget deficits. Reforming overtime would go a long way towards fiscal sustainability.

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