Your work. Your records.
Computer Programmer Workplace Records
Computer programmers translate specifications into code and revise existing programs when requirements or defects change. A workplace concern may involve responsibility for an error or an altered delivery target. Explain what you were instructed to implement and which review or release decisions belonged to other people.
Call now(800) 800-5555Free initial case evaluation. Representation depends on work state and case eligibility. This guide explains record preparation; it does not determine whether a legal claim exists.
A record map for your role
What to organize first
Specification history
List the original requirement, clarification and changed instruction that affected your programming assignment.
Review sequence
Identify correction, testing and release responsibilities separately, with the dates you received each instruction.
Personal feedback
Preserve your own evaluation and written reply while leaving technical assets in their authorized systems.
Start with the work you actually do
Create, modify, and test the code and scripts that allow computer applications to run. Work from specifications drawn up by software and web developers or other individuals. May develop and write computer programs to store, locate, and retrieve specific documents, data, and information.
O*NET classifies this occupation as Computer Programmers (15-1251.00). Its description covers a typical occupation, not every workplace or individual job. It does not establish employee status, overtime eligibility or employer misconduct.
- Write, analyze, review, and rewrite programs, using workflow chart and diagram, and applying knowledge of computer capabilities, subject matter, and symbolic logic.Source task 1273 · updated 08/2018
- Correct errors by making appropriate changes and rechecking the program to ensure that the desired results are produced.Source task 1267 · updated 08/2018
- Perform or direct revision, repair, or expansion of existing programs to increase operating efficiency or adapt to new requirements.Source task 1272 · updated 08/2018
- Write, update, and maintain computer programs or software packages to handle specific jobs such as tracking inventory, storing or retrieving data, or controlling other equipment.Source task 1270 · updated 08/2018
A reference point for your pay records
May 2025 wage estimates by state
Compare your pay records with published BLS estimates for Computer Programmers (SOC 15-1251). These describe an occupation across employers. They are not a required pay rate, an overtime calculation, or evidence of discrimination or unpaid wages.
Select your work state to see its published pay range. No personal pay information is requested or sent.
The 25th and 75th percentiles mark the middle half of the estimated wage distribution; the median is its midpoint. Actual pay can differ with experience, employer, location and duties. Hourly and annual figures are shown as published, without converting one into the other.
All published state estimates for this occupation
| State | Hourly 25th | Hourly median | Hourly 75th | Annual median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $34.99 | $45.10 | $54.81 | $93,800 |
| Alaska | $38.10 | $44.09 | $55.71 | $91,700 |
| Arizona | $35.51 | $42.78 | $61.09 | $88,990 |
| Arkansas | $38.49 | $53.77 | $65.81 | $111,840 |
| Connecticut | $46.94 | $64.34 | $68.23 | $133,820 |
| Delaware | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Florida | $32.55 | $44.80 | $57.37 | $93,180 |
| Georgia | $38.62 | $47.30 | $58.02 | $98,380 |
| Hawaii | $43.18 | $56.82 | $60.23 | $118,180 |
| Idaho | $41.80 | $42.80 | $44.36 | $89,020 |
| Indiana | $38.14 | $46.64 | $55.78 | $97,000 |
| Iowa | $34.62 | $38.07 | $49.97 | $79,180 |
| Kansas | $33.39 | $44.69 | $57.56 | $92,960 |
| Kentucky | $38.61 | $45.60 | $60.28 | $94,850 |
| Louisiana | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Maine | $46.16 | $48.93 | $68.71 | $101,780 |
| Michigan | $27.26 | $31.67 | $47.55 | $65,860 |
| Minnesota | $38.09 | $51.56 | $60.24 | $107,250 |
| Mississippi | $29.45 | $40.92 | $40.92 | $85,120 |
| Missouri | $33.21 | $43.47 | $51.43 | $90,420 |
| Montana | $34.82 | $43.23 | $48.36 | $89,920 |
| Nebraska | $31.82 | $45.75 | $59.95 | $95,150 |
| New Hampshire | $26.18 | $35.58 | $45.83 | $74,000 |
| New Mexico | $32.98 | $40.26 | $50.37 | $83,750 |
| New York | $39.44 | $49.99 | $64.90 | $103,980 |
| North Carolina | $21.17 | $38.98 | $50.66 | $81,070 |
| North Dakota | $37.10 | $44.37 | $54.78 | $92,280 |
| Ohio | $32.61 | $41.00 | $51.49 | $85,270 |
| Oklahoma | $36.67 | $47.97 | $73.30 | $99,780 |
| Pennsylvania | $36.65 | $42.87 | $52.76 | $89,180 |
| Rhode Island | $39.97 | $46.38 | $57.67 | $96,470 |
| South Dakota | $26.54 | $28.00 | $34.06 | $58,240 |
| Tennessee | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Texas | $35.71 | $47.76 | $61.37 | $99,330 |
| Utah | $39.61 | $50.43 | $61.14 | $104,890 |
| Vermont | $34.52 | $43.06 | $49.72 | $89,560 |
| Virginia | $42.08 | $58.47 | $77.18 | $121,610 |
| West Virginia | $25.79 | $31.40 | $43.08 | $65,320 |
| Wisconsin | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Wyoming | $32.45 | $39.25 | $52.15 | $81,640 |
“Not published” preserves unavailable or suppressed source cells. “Above reporting limit” preserves a top-coded source value without inventing a number. A missing state estimate does not establish service eligibility. The data describe wage and salary employment; they do not measure self-employment income.
Source: BLS May 2025 state workbook · OEWS tables · BLS technical notes. Use your own schedule, pay statement and compensation terms to identify the question you want reviewed.
Separate specification and implementation
Describe the required behavior in general terms and the specification version available when you worked. Note ambiguities you raised and the response. Distinguish your implementation from later modifications, and do not assume a final defect report establishes what caused the original issue.
Trace corrections and validation
Record the revision requested, the testing assigned and the role that approved release. If feedback relied on output counts, explain relevant investigation, maintenance or rechecking duties. Keep your own permitted evaluation and response without exporting a repository to prove your contribution.
Protect software and system access
Do not retain code, credentials, customer data, private logs or deployment configurations in personal storage. Identify relevant task and review records by date and general purpose. Never restore revoked access or query production systems solely to investigate an employment dispute.
Choose your next step
Review the workplace retaliation guide, unpaid wages guide, or discrimination guide if those concerns fit your experience. A job title alone does not establish a claim.
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