Pay and Benefits

In 2019 the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office began diligently working on putting together a Public Safety Pay Scale for both sworn personnel as well as our Communications Officers. Competitive and fair pay is a priority for our agency. Effective July 1, 2020 the Stafford County Sheriff’s Office officially placed all public safety personnel on this pay scale. After initial placement, employees will automatically receive a step each year on their anniversary date as long as the scale continues to be funded. On years two, five and eight, employees will receive Career Development; taking them to Deputy First Class, Senior Deputy, and finally Master Deputy. Salaries outlined on our pay scale do not include overtime, which all non-exempt employees are eligible for.  Click on the chart below to enlarge.

*The values represented on the Stafford County Public Safety Pay Scale are subject to change every fiscal year, which starts in July. Each spring, the Stafford County Board of Supervisors adopts a budget that can include percentage increases.

Benefits Overview

Stafford County offers an extensive list of competitive benefits for employees. Benefits offered to Sheriff’s Office employees include:

Health Insurance: Stafford County offers 3 plans with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and contributes a substantial portion of the cost.

Dental Insurance: 2 plans are offered with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield. Stafford County contributes a substantial portion of the cost if employee also elects medical insurance.

Supplemental Insurance: Flexible Spending Accounts, Group Accident, Allstate Cancer, CAIC Hospital Indemnity, CAIC Critical Illness, AUL Short-Term Disability, and Legal Resources are all additional plan options offered to employees.

Retirement: Stafford County is a participant of the Virginia Retirement System (VRS). Employees are required to contribute 5% of their income to VRS retirement. Sworn members can retire with full benefits after 25 years of service at age 50 based on the last 5 highest years of salary. The VRS Plan 2 standard multiplier is 1.7% for members. Stafford proudly offers sworn members a 1.85% multiplier. In addition to VRS, sworn employees have optional 457 deferred compensation options.

In addition to the standard retirement benefit, Sworn employees are eligible for a Hazardous Duty supplement after 20 years of law enforcement service. This supplement is a dollar amount added to the retiree’s monthly retirement payment. The supplement starts when the member retires and is paid until the person reaches their normal retirement age under Social Security. Currently, the supplement is $1,407/month ($16,884/annually).

Retirement Health Insurance:

Another retirement benefit that Stafford County offers is retiree health insurance at a subsidized rate. All employees who retire from Stafford County are eligible to continue their health insurance through Stafford. Eligibility to receive subsidized health insurance rates is based on years of employment but retirees must have at least 15 years of service with Stafford County to be eligible. The retiree’s insurance is covered at a subsidized amount, however, they are responsible to pay 100% of the cost of any eligible dependents enrolled in the plan.

Leave: Annual leave is based on years of service and shift worked. For those working 11-12 hour shifts, we offer higher accrual rates. Service credit at 50% is given to those who have previously worked for other local county governments or the state of Virginia. Below is a chart showing our current accrual rates for annual leave.

Sick leave:  Employees earn 4 (or 4.5 if working an 11 or 12 hour shift) hours of sick leave per pay period.  Below is a chart showing our current accrual rates for sick leave.

Comp Leave: Compensatory time is earned and credited to employees based on actual hours worked more than the employee’s scheduled hours. Employees are credited at a rate of one and one-half times the regular rate.

Holidays: Stafford County employees are given 13 paid holidays a year. This includes New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Election Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Tuition Assistance: Employees are eligible for tuition assistance after one year of employment. Reimbursement is up to $1,500 per fiscal year (up to 75% of the cost of a course, capped at $750 per course). 

Take Home Car for Sworn Personnel:  Deputies working in Field Operations that live within 30 miles of the Stafford County line are eligible to take their cars home at the end of every shift.