Payroll

Frequently Asked Questions

How come when I add up my paycheck stub it's not the same figure as I see on my W-2?

You may be adding the wrong paycheck stub. The first one you should be adding is the check you received Jan. 1 and the last one you will add is the one you received Dec. 1 (unless you received additional payments on the 5th working day in December or the supplemental payment paid on approximately December 19).

Why is my additional federal and state tax not included in the total federal and state tax amounts?

Go back and add all of your pay check stubs. The additional federal and state tax, though listed separately on your check stub, is also added to the total federal and state tax amounts.

All career employees are paid on the first day of each month. What happens when the first of the month falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or public holiday?

Payday is always the first day of each month for career employees. If the first falls on Saturday, Sunday, or a public holiday, then payday will be the Friday before the first of the month or the day before the public holiday. An exception to this rule is January 1. PayDay will be the first scheduled work day after the holiday.

Why didn't I get paid?

There are several possible answers:
 

With all of the above possibilities, we would advise you to ask your department administrator to trace the problem for you. Once the problem has been identified and solved, a partial payment of the amount due can be made available by no later than 3PM the following day.

  • You did not turn in your timesheet to your department in time to meet the payroll deadline;
  • Your department did not report the time you worked to the campus Payroll Division by the deadline;
  • Your appointment ended and was not properly extended; or
  • The paperwork to establish your appointment for pay purposes has been delayed by one of the offices required to approve your appointment.
  • If you are a "Rehire", and the correct PPS bundle was not used at the time of hire, PPS would list your status as "Separated."
When will my first SurePay deposit be available in the bank?

SurePay Automatic Deposit will be effective approximately 25 days from the date the Pay Disposition Request form is received by the Payroll Division Office. This initial period is used by the banking system to verify your account number. The same 25-day waiting period is invoked should you change financial institutions or your deposit account number. Payments made to you during this initial waiting period will be made in the form of a paycheck which will be sent to your home department.  Be sure to nofify the Payroll Office immediately if you close your account and you have Direct Deposit.

How do I complete the W-4 form to arrive at the correct number of allowances to claim for federal and state tax withholding?

The Payroll Division is not qualified to answer this question. You should contact a tax accountant. However, we will be able to tell you what your taxes will be if you provide us with the number of exemptions you wish to claim and your marital status.

I am an exempt employee. Am I allowed to be compensated for overtime?

Exempt employees are not allowed to be compensated for overtime. According to Personnel Policies for Staff Members (PPSM) Policy 31, "Hours of Work":
EXEMPT EMPLOYEES
The workweek for full-time exempt employees is normally considered to be 40 hours, and for part-time employees the proportion of 40 hours equivalent to the appointment percentage; however, greater emphasis is placed on meeting the responsibilities assigned to the position than on working a specified number of hours. Exempt employees do not receive overtime compensation or compensatory time off, or additional compensation beyond the established salary for the position except as provided in Staff Policy 30.I, Administrative Stipend for Temporary Assignments.

I am an exempt employee. Am I allowed to accrue compensatory time for hours worked over 40 in a work week?

The accrual of compensatory time for exempt employees violates University Personnel Policies for Staff Members Policy 31, "Hours of Work":
EXEMPT EMPLOYEES
The workweek for full-time exempt employees is normally considered to be 40 hours, and for part-time employees the proportion of 40 hours equivalent to the appointment percentage; however, greater emphasis is placed on meeting the responsibilities assigned to the position than on working a specified number of hours. Exempt employees do not receive overtime compensation or compensatory time off, or additional compensation beyond the established salary for the position except as provided in Staff Policy 30.I, Administrative Stipend for Temporary Assignments.

Why are there additional lines on the DPE for my biweekly employees?

The vacation leave assessment for biweekly employees occurs every other pay cycle because for biweekly employees their leave accrual eligibility is based on a four-week cycle (two biweekly pay cycles). In order to perform the assessment the payroll system must reference both a B1 and B2 pay cycle this means that sometimes it must refer to a prior months pay cycle in order to know the full gross pay on which to base the assessment. This occurs anytime the B1 and B2 do not fall into the same month.

For example, in April there were 3 biweekly pay periods that ended in April. 


The pay periods ending 4/16 and 4/30 form one four-week cycle on which to base an assessment, but the 4/2 pay period is missing a B1. In this case the payroll system will pull in the prior months B1 in order to reference the hours and pay rate the employee received. 

This reference line is then included on the DPE in order to fully disclose what hours were included in leave assessment calculation. Notice that all of the other benefit fields and gross earning field show "0", this is a good way of identifying when this process has occurred. To predict when this will occur refer to the Payroll Processing Schedule. Anytime you see that the first BW in a month is a B2, expect that the payroll system will need to reference a prior months pay cycle in order to calculate the leave assessment.

How do UCSB employees stop United Way Payroll Deductions?

UCSB employees should contact Liz Molina at liz.molina@bfs.ucsb.edu

Leave Reporting

Why are we being charged for vacation accrual for a graduate student? This student should not earn vacation or sick leave.

Please go into your ILAH screen and you will notice the leave code for the employee. The leave code determines the number of hours of vacation and sick leave the employee accrues. Go into your PPS update screen (EAPP) and change to the proper leave code after consulting the Financial Leave Manual. Go into the EDLR screen and do an RX transaction for vacation accrued in error (VLA) and sick accrued in error (SLA).

Department AA received late information that an employee should have been accruing 12 hours of vacation for the last six months instead of 10. How do I fix this problem?

You need to do an LX transaction to give the employee an additional 2 hours of vacation for each pay period. Here is an example:

Seq: _______Tr: LX Per End: 083199 Pay Cy: M Dst: 33 E: __ T: __D: Ttl: 7616
LACFPS: 8 681059 ____19900___ 1 Rate: 2700.00 AH: A
DOS: ___ Time: ____H% __DOS: VLA Hr: 2.00 DOS: ___Hr: ____WSP: ____

Can you instruct me how to process LX and RX for vacation, sick, and compensatory time leave?

The first thing you need to do is check the payroll calendar to see when the window opens/closes for Financial Leave Reporting (same date as Supplemental Payroll). Then you go to the Main menu on PPS. At the Next Func field, type EDAT and press <Enter> to select Dept. Adjustment Transaction. Once you are in EDAT, type EDLR in the Next Func field to select the Late/Reduce Pay. Tab to the I.D. field and type employee identification number. Tab to the Pay Cycle field and type XX (always XX) for Supplemental Payroll. Tab to the Pay End field and type the month, date, and year. Remember it’s always the fifteenth of the month for Supplemental Payroll. The month will be the month that the window opens, not the month you are trying to correct. Example:

Next Func: EDLR ID: 123456789
Pay Cycle: XX Pay End: 101599
A. EDLR (LX/RX transaction)
B. ID (employee social security number)
C. XX always represents Supplemental Payroll (MS)
D. 101599, always the fifteen of the month.
Once you select EDLR, ID, Pay Cycle, and Pay End, hit <Enter>.

You should be in the EDLR screen. Tab to the second line for data entry. (LX or RX) Enter period ending; enter M on Pay Cycle; enter distribution number and rate of pay; use the tab to move your cursor to the 2nd DOS field or 3rd DOS field and type VLA (vacation accrual), VAC (vacation taken), SLA (sick accrual), SKL (sick taken), CTA (comp accrual), and CTO (comp taken). Last, enter hour(s) and press <F5> to update.

One of my employees took eight hours of sick leave in August 1999. I inadvertently reported eight hours of vacation taken. How do I fix this problem?

Follow above directions to get to RX/LX. Then do an RX transaction to reverse the eight hours of vacation taken and LX transaction for the eight hours of sick leave taken. Here is an example:

Seq: ______Tr: RX Per End: 083199 Pay Cy: M Dst:33 E:__ T:__ D: Ttl: 7616
LACFPS: 8 681059____19900______1 Rate: 2700.00 AH: A
DOS: ____Time: _____H% __DOS: VAC Hr: 8.00 DOS: ___ Hr: _____ WSP: ____
Seq: _______Tr: LX Per End: 083199 Pay Cy: M Dst: 33 E: __ T: __D: Ttl: 7616
LACFPS: 8 681059 ____19900_____ 1 Rate: 2700.00 AH: A
DOS: ___ Time: ____H% __DOS: SKL Hr: 8.00 DOS: ___Hr: ____WSP: ____

I am so behind in my reporting of sick and vacation leave taken; I do not know where to start. I need to adjust sick and vacation balances through1-31-99.

For leave adjustments prior to 1/31/99, a memo/email needs to be sent to Payroll/Accounting requesting adjustment for that time. For leave adjustments after February 1, 1999, the department must utilize LX/RX transactions. Refer to pages 7 and 8 in the Financial Leave Reporting Manual.

How do I pay compensatory time?

There are 2 ways to pay compensatory time. One way is to go to the Main Menu and select EDAT, then EDAP (Additional Pay Screen). You have to enter CMP on the 2nd or 3rd DOS (description of service) field.
The other way is if the window is still open, you can do it through the Time Input Roster. Report the compensatory time in an open DOS field. Use CMP as the description of service. By using CMP to pay compensatory time accrued, the payroll system will pay the employee and at the same time reduce the compensatory time balance.

How do I adjust my compensatory time balance since I have been using the wrong DOS code all this time?

You need to do an RX transaction to back out the OTS description of service, and LX transaction to put in the correct description of service which is CMP. Here is an example.
Seq: ______Tr: RX Per End: 083199 Pay Cy: M Dst:33 E:__ T:__ D: Ttl: 7616
LACFPS: 8 681059____19900______1 Rate: 2700.00 AH: A
DOS: ____Time: _____H% __DOS: OTS Hr: 8.00 DOS: ___ Hr: _____ WSP: ____
Seq: _______Tr: LX Per End: 083199 Pay Cy: M Dst: 33 E: __ T: __D: Ttl: 7616
LACFPS: 8 681059 ____19900______1 Rate: 2700.00 AH: A
DOS: ___ Time: ____H% __DOS: CMP Hr: 8.00 DOS: ___Hr: ____WSP: ____

Do I need to pay sick leave accrued when are employee leaves the University?

Sick leave accrued is never paid to an employee when he/she leaves the University.

Do I need to do anything with the sick leave balance showing on the IHRS screen once I have separated an employee?

No.

How long will the sick leave balance be carried after an employee separates from the University due to Retirement?

Regardless of the sick leave balance, after three months of separation, the PPS will adjust the balance to zero. This applies to separation reason codes RA, RB, RC, and RD.

How long will the sick leave balance be carried if an employee separated with reason code AA, AB, AC, AD, AE, AF, AG, AH, AI, AJ, AK, and AL?

If the sick leave balance is greater then 80 hours, the PPS will reduce the sick leave balance to 80 hours 16 days from the separation date. The PPS will maintain 80 hours of sick leave balance for 6 months. Six months from the separation date, the PPS will initilize sick leave hours to zero. If the sick leave balance is less than 80 hours, the PPS will zero out the balance 6 months after the separation date.

Last month I went into "PYLV01" in "COM-PLETE" and entered on my Leave Reporting Worksheet the hours taken for the month. When I received this month’s Leave Reporting Worksheet, the adjustments did not take place.

When entering information on to the Leave Reporting Worksheet, you may not have changed the action code to “1”.

If one of my employees works for two departments (i.e. 25% in one dept. and 75% in another dept.), which department should report time used?

Both departments should collaborate and prorate the vacation/sick time usage based on the employee’s time in the respective departments.

One of my employees keeps losing vacation hours every month, but my record shows this employee isn’t supposed to lose vacation.

If an employee reaches the maximum allowed vacation for their leave code inthe system, the system will not let them accrue any additional hours. Please encourage your employee to take time off so he or she will not lose the time. Once the employee has used vacation time you need to do an LX transaction to increase lost vacation (VLA) as well as report vacation usage.

How is maximum accrual determined? Is there an easy formula that I can follow?

The maximum accrual is determined by the leave code and the hours or percent time an employee works in a month. Leave code A and G accrue 10 hours in a month if the employee works at 100%. If you take10 hours and multiply by 12 months that will equal 120 hours. Next take 120 hours and multiply by 2 years, and that will give you vacation maximumof 240 hours. (Maximum = 2 years of monthly accrual.) Refer to the Personnel Policies for Staff Members, Policy #41.

I did some LX/RX adjustments for employees in our department on the MO payroll because I missed the supplemental payroll deadline. When will the adjustment amounts show on the time benefits roster?

Any LX/RX transactions processed after the window closes for the supplemental payroll will not show on the time benefits roster until the following month. The best time to process LX/RX for Financial Leave Reporting is on the Supplemental Payroll. Any adjustments made on MO or MA payroll cycle will show on the following month.

What is the EDLR screen?

EDLR screen lets you process late time (LX) and reduction of time (RX). Remember that processing (LX) and (RX) for Financial Leave is treated differently. For example, to process Financial Leave, let’s say an employee takes 8 hours of vacation last month, which was not reported. You will need to do a LX VAC 8.00. This will reduce the employee’s balance by 8 hours. Refer to pages 7 and 8 in the Financial Leave Reporting Manual.

My time card never matches the balance on the IHRS screen in the Payroll Personnel System.

In order to match the time card against IHRS screen, you need to subtract current month accruals. Remember the IHRS screen takes the ending balance of the previous month and adds the current month accruals.

Is all vacation leave taken shown in sub 6 in the payroll expense distribution?

Yes.

Will all terminal vacation paid out show in the Payroll Expense Distribution in the sub that it was paid on?

Yes.

Separations

Does the law apply to all separating employees?

The Code addresses three categories of "separating" employees and the prescribed payment rules:
Discharged employee - The University must pay a discharged employee immediately for all wages, including accrued vacation leave and compensatory time.
Voluntary resignation with 72 hour notice – If an employee quits/resigns and gives at least 72 hours notice, the University must pay the employee his or her wages, including accrued vacation leave and compensatory time, at the time of separation.
Voluntary resignation with no notice – If an employee quits/resigns without notice, the University must pay the employee all wages, including accrued vacation leave and compensatory time, no later than 72 hours from the date of separation.

Does the law apply to employees who terminate with the intention of being rehired within a few days?

Yes. The Code applies to employees who voluntarily quit their career positions to accept per diem positions.

Does the law apply to employees who have appointment end dates?

Yes. We believe that the Code applies to employees with appointment end dates. We will be exploring other options about this issue, including requesting a ruling from the Labor Commissioner on this question.

Does the law apply to employees who have appointment end dates but who resign earlier?

Yes. The Code applies to employees who resign before achieving their appointment end dates. The definition of a voluntary quit includes such early resignations.

If an employee has two appointments and only one appointment ends, does the law apply to the terminating appointment?

No. If an employee holds two appointments at the same location and only one appointment ends, then the employee has not separated from the University.

Can a department extend a student employee’s appointment in order to obtain additional time to submit the student’s final hours worked?

No. A department should not manipulate an employee’s appointment end date in order to obtain additional time to pay the employee.

If an employee retires from the University, does that represent a voluntary separation that is covered under the law?

Yes. Retirements are voluntary separations and all wages due are subject to the provisions of the Code.

Does the law apply to terminal vacation pay?

Yes. The Code applies to all wages for labor performed.

Does the law apply to distributions of retirement funds?

No. The Code applies only to wages, not retirement funds.

Does the law apply to Senior Manager severance pay and other payments of severance pay?

Yes. Senior Management, Health Sciences, and other forms of severance pay are considered wages and must be included in an employee’s final pay.

Should contributions for this coverage be made manually or not at all? Is the University obligated to process any additional deductions since the employee will not be paid on his or her primary pay cycle? Should deductions be taken for the 403(b), DepCare

An employee is entitled to benefits coverage (medical, dental, and vision) for the month following separation. The Payroll/Personnel System automatically establishes Plan Coverage End Dates as of the last day of the month following the month of separation. Consequently, the payroll office should withhold any related employee medical, dental, and vision premiums and any voluntary deductions, such as 403(b) deductions.

When a separating employee does not provide his or her timesheet or does not respond to requests for information needed to produce and deliver his or her final paycheck, is the University still obligated to comply with the payment provisions contained in

Yes. Departments must make every effort to pay an employee all unpaid wages within the 72-hour period for an employee who quits without notice. When the wages owed are in dispute or unknown, departments should pay all wages that are known to be due the employee. If the dispute can be resolved or when the hours can be determined, the department should pay the amount settled upon. If the dispute can not be resolved or the employee does not provide the necessary documentation, the department will have a reasonable defense if the employee seeks remedies over the disputed amount through the Labor Commissioner.

Where should the posting of pay dates be made? That is, should the posting be made centrally, such as in the payroll or HR office, or in every department, or unit?

Posting is required to be made "conspicuously at the place of work, if practicable, or otherwise where it can be seen as employees come or go to their places of work or at the place of payment." The location of posting may vary but it must be in a place where employees can readily see it. Attachment 2 contains an example of the information that must be posted. This information can be found in Accounting Manual chapter P-196-16.5, Payroll: Official Pay Dates.

Is the 72-hour rule measured in actual hours or working hours?

The 72 hours is measured in continuous actual hours, including holidays and weekends, from the date and time of separation. If the pay date falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or weekday holiday, actual payment may be made on the next business day. This is also true for the hospitals or any other 24/7 operations where the
administrative offices are only open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For example, if an employee resigns without notice on a Friday at 5:00 p.m., the University has until 5:00 p.m. the following Monday to pay the wages due. However, if Monday is a holiday, the University must deliver the final check to the employee by 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

How should a department handle delivery of the employee’s final check? Can the check be attached to the dismissal letter and mailed to the employee?

The letter of dismissal should explain that the employee may call to make an appointment to pick up his or her final check on the dismissal date or the employee may request the check to be mailed. A second approach would be for the department to mail the check with the dismissal letter if the department does not want the employee to return to the work site. If the check is mailed, the department should use certified mail or another mail delivery method that provides proof of the date and time of mailing.

Is Surepay an acceptable method of payment under the Code or does a check have to be issued and handed to the employee? Can an employee waive the check process if he or she prefers to receive final payment through direct deposit?

It does not appear that the use of Surepay will satisfy the Code. Section 213(d) provides: “If an employer discharges an employee or the employee quits [a] voluntary authorization for deposit shall be deemed terminated” and the employee must be paid according to “this article relating to the payment of wages.” A discharged employee must be paid immediately, which contemplates in person. A "quit" [voluntary resignation] employee who does not give 72-hour notice may
receive payment by mail if the employee so requests. The language regarding Surepay is mandatory. Furthermore, Section 219 states: "[N]o provision of this article can in any way be contravened or set aside by a private agreement, whether written, oral or implied." Thus, even if an employee wanted to receive his or her pay via Surepay, the University can not use this method of payment. Separating employees should be provided with notice that they will receive their final pay by check.

Can an employee with such an end date be paid through Surepay?

When the pay date is scheduled before the appointment end date because of a conflict with a holiday or weekend, it is permissible to use Surepay for employees with such appointment end dates. For example, a monthly-paid employee enrolled in Surepay has an appointment end date of June 30, 2001. The employee will receive pay for the month of June on June 29 because the normal pay date (i.e., July 1) falls on Sunday, a non-working day. In this situation, Surepay may be used to pay separating employees with June 30 appointment end dates.

Should an employee be asked to sign a release after he has received his final check?

A department should not ask an employee to sign a release. It would be a good practice, however, to have the employee sign for his or her final paycheck as part of the check pick-up procedures.

How does the law relate to employees covered under collective bargaining agreements, such as the CX (clerical) agreement, that provide for retroactive wage payments?

If an employee is discharged or quits at a time when he or she is entitled to such increases, and the formula for the increases is known, then the employee should receive all monies due at the time of discharge or quit, as appropriate.

Do the daily penalties include weekends and holidays?

Yes. The daily penalties include weekends and holidays for up to a maximum of 30 days pay.

Online Earnings Statement

Where will the note go if I don't have an address in the UCSB Directory?

Notes will only be sent to those with an address in the directory. If you do not currently have one and would like to receive the note then you should establish your UCSB NetID at https://directory.ucsb.edu/ldap/index.html. If you need assistance, your department directory editor (DDE) should be able to help you. They are identified on the http://directoryproject.isc.ucsb.edu/dde-dde.html page.

How do I change my address in the UCSB Directory?

If you are a UCSB student employee, use the feature in GOLD to maintain your email address. For non student employees, log on to the directory service with your UCSB NetID at https://directory.ucsb.edu/ldap/index.html. If you need assistance, your department directory editor (DDE) should be able to help you. They are identified on the http://directoryproject.isc.ucsb.edu/dde-dde.html page.

As a department PPS preparer, how do I know whether an employee in my department receives a payment when I don't see their check or paper direct deposit statement?

The department listing you receive with the checks and paper statements will have a section for on line statements. Also, you can use the PPS XCHK screen to verify the Online Earnings Statement selection and the IDCS screen to review the detail information. In addition, reconciling the Distribution of Payroll Expense report will also confirm what your employee was paid.

I am able to get to the AYSO site with my web browser but have never logged on to the service. What do I enter for my "SSN or Username:" and "Password:"?

Enter your Social Security Number (SSN) and birth date (mmddyyyy format) as your initial/temporary password. You will be prompted to create your own Username and password (6 to 12 alpha-numeric character). This is the same procedure all University employees use to select their benefits during their Period of Initial Eligibility (PIE).

I haven't logged on to the AYSO site for quite a while and don't remember my password. How do I log on?

Use the "Forgot your Username or Password?" links. Click on the Password. Enter your Username or Social Security number in the available box. A temporary password will be sent to your email address(es) on file.

NOTE - Your UC email address comes from our local directory service. Contact your Department Directory Editor (DDE) if it needs to be established or corrected. They are identified on the http://directoryproject.isc.ucsb.edu/dde-dde.html page. You are also able to establish a personal email address in your AYSO profile.