Mathematics Question

[Merkava_4]

I'm filling out an unemployment form and they're asking for my (gross) wages for the last 18 months. I went over all the paycheck dates with the corresponding check amounts, and it seems like too much money. I don't see how I could've grossed $86,259.81 while averaging between $14.00 to $15.75 per hour in 18 months. But then again, the amount of taxes coming out of that might make the number more realistic. I haven't added up the checks in net; just the gross amounts because the unemployment office said they want the figures in gross.

Three questions:

1. Is there anyway to separate the check dates from the check amounts into two separate columns in the MacRumors reply box?
2. Is there some kind of software that I could've used to make adding up all the numbers easier?
3. Is my final tally of 86259.81 correct?

11/12/2022 3248.66
11/04/2022 1270.06
10/21/2022 1283.64
10/07/2022 1376.07
09/23/2022 1382.07
09/23/2022 474.79
08/26/2022 1271.82
08/12/2022 1226.25
07/29/2022 1205.63
07/15/2022 1367.16
07/01/2022 1350.06
06/17/2022 1462.22
06/03/2022 1145.63
05/20/2022 1211.25
05/06/2022 1222.55
04/22/2022 1186.84
04/08/2022 1220.67
03/25/2022 972.08
03/11/2022 1261.88
02/25/2022 1128.75
02/11/2022 1211.25
01/28/2022 1201.88
01/14/2022 1213.13
12/31/2021 1222.50
12/17/2021 1350.33
12/03/2021 1158.78
11/19/2021 1155.20
11/05/2021 1192.86
10/22/2021 1247.00
10/08/2021 1069.09
09/24/2021 1315.93
09/24/2021 988.53
09/10/2021 1185.72
08/27/2021 1164.16
08/13/2021 1151.62
07/30/2021 1190.19
07/16/2021 1299.25
07/02/2021 1100.61
06/18/2021 1291.14
06/04/2021 1393.76
05/21/2021 1002.22
05/07/2021 1222.94
04/23/2021 1177.75
04/09/2021 1294.12
03/26/2021 1172.36
03/12/2021 1179.54
02/26/2021 1155.43
02/12/2021 1177.74
01/29/2021 1172.36
01/15/2021 1288.46
12/31/2020 1175.73
12/18/2020 1179.26
12/04/2020 1555.50
11/20/2020 1381.82
11/06/2020 1265.85
10/23/2020 1247.64
10/09/2020 1285.52
09/25/2020 1470.22
09/25/2020 1007.78
09/11/2020 1299.19
08/28/2020 1293.05
08/14/2020 1320.35
07/31/2020 1316.30
07/17/2020 1386.70
07/03/2020 1295.77
06/19/2020 1315.58
06/05/2020 1264.18

Total: 86259.81

 

[Boyd01]

Seemed pretty straightforward, I copied/pasted your list into a text file and then imported it into Excel using the fixed width fields separated by spaces option. I got a total of $81,025.71 based on the 67 rows in your post.

 

[Boyd01]

BTW, I assume the discrepancy in my total has to do with the fact that you wanted 18 months of wages. I would have expected 78 weeks for that, yet you only listed 67 in your post.

 

[chown33]

Seemed pretty straightforward, I copied/pasted your list into a text file and then imported it into Excel using the fixed width fields separated by spaces option. I got a total of $81,025.71 based on the 67 rows in your post.

When I save the data to a file "cols.txt" and run this awk program:

awk 'BEGIN { SUM=0; }
( NF >= 2 ) { SUM += $2; }
END { printf( "total: %.2f \n", SUM ); }'  <cols.txt

I get 84274.37. This differs from 81025.71 by 3248.66, which is the amount in the first line/row.


The amount in the first line is also more than double any other line, which makes me think it might be an outlier or an error.


A "sanity check" might be this:

52 * 1.5 * 5 * 8 *15.75 = 49140

That's:
52 weeks per year
times 1.5 (1.5 years, or 18 months)
times 5 days per week
times 8 hour per day
times 15.75 (highest hourly pay rate)

This would be a plausible ceiling value, which would be unlikely to be exceeded, without a significant change to one of the parameters. For example, if you worked way more than 40 hrs / week (8 hours * 5 days), or were paid overtime for some of those hours, then the ceiling could well be higher.

 

[Boyd01]

I get 84274.37. This differs from 81025.71 by 3248.66, which is the amount in the first line/row.

Ha - you are absolutely right! My excel total started at line two. 🤪

 

[chown33]

I picked a couple of lines to do another sanity check on:

12/04/2020 1555.50
11/20/2020 1381.82
11/06/2020 1265.85

Assuming the date is the pay-date for the amount shown, the first two lines show 2-week intervals (14 days apart).

If we assume 15.75 as the hourly pay rate, then:

1555.50 / 15.75 = 98.76 hrs
1381.82 / 15.75 = 87.73 hrs

Both of these are above a 40-hour work week. The plausibility depends on what the job was. I could see a server or other restaurant job working lots of extra hours over the Thanksgiving holiday period.

If we assume 14.00 as the hourly pay rate, then the number of hours is even higher.

If we interpret these two lines the same way:

11/12/2022 3248.66
11/04/2022 1270.06

Then that's an 8-day time interval and a total pay of 3248.66. That's either a heck of a lot of hours, or a very nice bonus, or something very unlike all the previous time periods.

 

[Herdfan]

Trying to figure out why any data from 2020 is included. 18 months ago would be around June of 2021.

Going back to the June 4, 2021 paydate, I get a total of $50,371.01. Over 40 pay periods of 80 hours each, that equals $15.74/hour.

 

[Merkava_4]

Seemed pretty straightforward, I copied/pasted your list into a text file and then imported it into Excel using the fixed width fields separated by spaces option. I got a total of $81,025.71 based on the 67 rows in your post.

I don't know how you were able to use Excel to add all that up. Way over my head for sure.

You're correct in that I should've used 78 weeks to make 18 months. I just pulled up the calendar and counted out 18 months. I wasn't thinking straight on that one. Thanks for clearing that up. I'm going to have to add more weeks to the list.

 

[Merkava_4]

Then that's an 8-day time interval and a total pay of 3248.66. That's either a heck of a lot of hours, or a very nice bonus, or something very unlike all the previous time periods.

The last amount of $3,248.66 on the last day of 11/12/2022 was for 60 hours of work plus 130 hours of vacation time that I didn't use. The vacation amount came to $2,058.06 gross for 130.67 hours of unused vacation time. My final net pay after taxes on that last day was $2,256.11. I never saw the $3,248.66. I shouldn't have said "check amounts" for the columns in the first post because the actual net pay of the paychecks after taxes were significantly less than those gross amounts.

 

[chown33]

I don't know how you were able to use Excel to add all that up. Way over my head for sure.

You're correct in that I should've used 78 weeks to make 18 months. I just pulled up the calendar and counted out 18 months. I wasn't thinking straight on that one. Thanks for clearing that up. I'm going to have to add more weeks to the list.

Actually, you need to remove some entries from the list you have.

As @Herdfan pointed out, 18 months prior to Nov 2022 would have been "around June 2021". The data you've posted goes back into 2020, which is clearly too much.

When I give the dates a quick once-over, they appear to be regularly spaced at 2-week intervals. Since there are 52 + 26 = 78 weeks in an 18-month period, if we divide that by 2, we get 78 / 2 = 39 pay periods. So there should be about 39 lines to cover 18 months.

Using only the lines from 06/04/2021 thru 11/12/2022, I get a count of 40 lines. Since the most recent line isn't a full pay interval, it seems reasonable that the beginning of June 2021 should be your starting date.

The total I get for those 40 lines, confirming Herdfan's result, is 50371.01.

 

[Merkava_4]

Actually, you need to remove some entries from the list you have.

As @Herdfan pointed out, 18 months prior to Nov 2022 would have been "around June 2021". The data you've posted goes back into 2020, which is clearly too much.

When I give the dates a quick once-over, they appear to be regularly spaced at 2-week intervals. Since there are 52 + 26 = 78 weeks in an 18-month period, if we divide that by 2, we get 78 / 2 = 39 pay periods. So there should be about 39 lines to cover 18 months.

Using only the lines from 06/04/2021 thru 11/12/2022, I get a count of 40 lines. Since the most recent line isn't a full pay interval, it seems reasonable that the beginning of June 2021 should be your starting date.

The total I get for those 40 lines, confirming Herdfan's result, is 50371.01.

$50,371.01 sounds a lot more realistic for 18 months considering the hourly wage. That's what I'm going to put down for the unemployment office. chown33, you have saved me an enormous amount of time.

Boyd01
chown33
Herdfan

Thank you all SO much. I am blown away by how smart you guys are. Way beyond my capabilities.

 

[Merkava_4]

Updated columns to include net wages at far right:

11/12/2022 3248.66 2256.11

11/04/2022 1270.06 997.02

10/21/2022 1283.64 1007.20

10/07/2022 1376.18 1076.45

09/23/2022 1382.07 1080.87

09/23/2022 474.79 297.47

09/09/2022 1283.63 1007.18

08/26/2022 1271.82 998.35

08/12/2022 1226.25 964.23

07/29/2022 1205.63 948.81

07/15/2022 1367.16 1069.71

07/01/2022 1350.06 1049.59

06/17/2022 1462.22 1140.59

06/03/2022 1145.63 903.90

05/20/2022 1211.25 953.00

05/06/2022 1222.55 961.47

04/22/2022 1186.84 934.74

04/08/2022 1220.67 960.07

03/25/2022 972.08. 609.00

03/11/2022 1261.88 991.92

02/25/2022 1128.75 892.25

02/11/2022 1211.25 954.01

01/28/2022 1201.88 946.99

01/14/2022 1213.13 955.71

12/31/2021 1222.50 958.60

12/17/2021 1350.33 1054.17

12/03/2021 1158.78 911.00

11/19/2021 1155.20 908.30

11/05/2021 1192.86 936.46

10/22/2021 1247.00 976.93

10/08/2021 1069.09 843.93

09/24/2021 1315.92 1028.45

09/24/2021 988.53 618.32

09/10/2021 1185.72 934.11

08/27/2021 1164.16 914.01

08/13/2021 1151.62 904.63

07/30/2021 1190.19 925.99

07/16/2021 1299.25 1015.99

07/02/2021 1100.61 867.50

06/18/2021 1291.14 1009.93

06/04/2021 1393.76 1086.64

05/21/2021 1002.22 793.94

05/07/2021 1222.94 884.19

04/23/2021 1177.75 925.16

04/09/2021 1294.12 1012.15

03/26/2021 1172.36 921.13

03/26/2021 701.71 438.93

03/12/2021 1179.54 926.50

02/26/2021 1155.43 908.47

02/12/2021 1177.74 925.16

01/29/2021 1172.36 921.13

01/15/2021 1288.46 1008.01

12/31/2020 1175.73 925.11

12/18/2020 1179.26 927.27

12/04/2020 1555.50 909.94

11/20/2020 1381.82 1025.55

11/06/2020 1265.85 974.35

10/23/2020 1247.64 954.63

10/09/2020 1285.52 983.00

09/25/2020 1470.22 1121.44

09/25/2020 1007.78 632.39

09/11/2020 1299.19 993.25

08/28/2020 1293.05 994.75

08/14/2020 1320.35 1009.12

07/31/2020 1316.30 1006.07

07/17/2020 1386.70 1057.86

07/03/2020 1295.77 989.68

06/19/2020 1315.58 1004.53

06/05/2020 1264.18 972.11

05/22/2020 1249.26 960.94

05/08/2020 1331.43 1016.40

04/24/2020 1363.13 1040.18

04/10/2020 1317.52 1005.99

03/27/2020 1049.75 829.69

03/13/2020 1054.63 843.65

02/28/2020 1067.63 853.41

02/14/2020 822.25 666.06

01/31/2020 614.25 505.58

01/17/2020 591.50 488.04

01/03/2020 715.50 583.70