TIMESHEETS
What do I do with a timesheet that has not been signed?
For salaried employees not present to sign their time sheet or leave report, please forward the document to our office for data entry and have the employee come sign it when they return to campus.
For hourly employees not present to sign their time sheet, please hold the document until they return to campus. It cannot be entered without both the employee and supervisor signature on the document.
What if I don't have a pre-printed time sheet or leave report for an employee?
First, verify that they have been activated on payroll. If so, we have blank forms available in our office for you to complete and return. If not, follow up on the paperwork necessary to activate the employee. It may be necessary to manually prepare the initial time sheet on an employee due to print dates.
Where do I get the information necessary to complete the top of a time sheet or leave report?
This information comes straight from the Payroll Action Form (PAF) that was prepared to activate the employee. Their name, social security number, account number, item number (if necessary) and title should all be entered exactly as they appear on the PAF.
Are faculty members required to complete a leave report every pay period?
Effective June 1, 2002, employees of Sam Houston State University that have a faculty title will need to complete a leave report on an exception basis only, i.e. only when leave from the workplace has been taken for sick leave, bereavement, emergency, military, jury duty, and leave without pay. When the employee has not taken any leave, no leave report is necessary.
When a faculty employee is absent from the workplace, a blank leave report will need to be completed and returned to the Payroll Office for processing.
PAYROLL ACTION FORMS
May I send a Payroll Action Form straight to the Payroll Office?
No. A Payroll Action Form (PAF) must first be sent for all signatures required by your division, whether it is a department head/chair, dean, Vice President, etc. If it involves an international student, it must be authorized in the International Student Office. If it involves a contract or grant account, it must be authorized in the Office of Grants and Contracts. The last office that must provide an authorizing signature is Human Resources where the document is checked for accuracy and then forwarded to Payroll.
Why does a student set-up extend two weeks after the termination date that I indicated on the Payroll Action Form?
Hourly employees work and then send in their time to be paid. As a result, an employee terminating 4/15 will turn their time sheet in on 4/16 to be paid 4/30. Although your Payroll Action Form indicated 4/15 as the termination date, we have to keep them active one final pay period to process their final time sheet.
Must I use the online PAF program (PAFF01M)?
While you do not have to use the program, it is to your advantage to do so. The program is designed to check information that you are entering, ensuring accuracy and completing some details for you.
Whom do I call for help with questions about the program?
Please direct all questions to the Payroll Office.
Do I still have to print the PAF if I am using the online program?
Yes, the PAF must still be printed and sent for signatures. The program simply assists you in preparing the form and keeps a record of the document in the event that you need to change any information before you submit it for signatures.
PAYCHECKS
Where do I pick up my payroll check?
Payroll checks are distributed through the Cashier's Office (first floor, Estill Building) between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm on payday. A picture identification is required.
When is payday?
Pay dates are set by the State of Texas Comptroller's Office. Please see the link "Important Dates" for the current fiscal year information.
What if the Cashier's office does not have a check for me?
The first step is to contact the department that you performed the work for to see that all paperwork (PAF, timesheet, etc.) has been submitted. If so, please check with our office to determine if the paperwork has been received in a timely manner. We must run payroll several days in advance of the actual pay date and slow paperwork often means a delay in payment. Please see the link "Important Dates" for the deadlines that must be met for payment to be made in a certain pay period.
W-2's
When/where do I get my W-2?
W-2's are prepared and mailed in January in accordance with Internal Revenue Service guidelines. The most recent vendor/W-2 address on file is used. Any W-2's that are returned after mailing are retained in the Payroll Office for corrected address information from the employee.
I need another copy of my W-2? What do I do?
Call or come by our office and we will be glad to make a duplicate. Please bring a picture ID when coming by to pick it up.
STUDENT FICA EXEMPTION
What are the guidelines for a student to be exempt from FICA (social security and medicare tax)?
Per Internal Revenue Code, Revenue Procedure 98-16, the following eligibility requirements apply for students working in University employ:
- Undergraduate students, defined by Department of Education regulation 34 C.F.R. 674.2 (1997), enrolled in a minimum of half-time, in accordance with the Department of Education regulations are eligible for exemption for FICA taxes. Department of Education regulations state that half-time is as defined by each campus in the undergraduate course catalog.
- "Graduate" or "professional" student means a student enrolled at an institution of higher education for the purpose of obtaining a degree, certificate, or other recognized educational credit above the baccalaureate level, or enrolled in a program leading to a professional degree; has completed the equivalent of at least three years of full-time study at an institution of higher education, either prior to entrance into the program or as part of the program itself, and is not a postdoctoral fellow, medical resident, or medical intern. Department of Education regulations state that half-time is as defined by each campus in the graduate course catalogue.
- Students in their final semester of a course of study and enrolled in the number of hours needed to complete the requirement for obtaining a degree, certificate, or other recognized credential will be eligible for the FICA tax exemption. The student must file a request for the exemption with the Payroll Office.
- The amount of remuneration for services performed by the student, the type of services performed by the student, and the place where the services are performed are immaterial for purposes of the student FICA exemption.
- The student FICA exemption does not apply to services performed by and individual who is not enrolled in classes during school breaks of more than five weeks. A student who works during summer break but is not enrolled at the institution of higher education is not eligible for the exemption for the time not enrolled.
- A student is eligible for the FICA exemption for employment which continues during normal school breaks of five weeks or less as long as the student is otherwise eligible for the exemption on the last day of classes in the academic period preceding the break and is eligible to enroll. The last day of the classes will be the last day of finals for the calculation of the five-week period.
- A student who works immediately before and/or after an academic term in which the pay periods fall partially or wholly in the academic term is eligible for the tax exemption for those services performed.
The following dates have been set by the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts as paydates for the current fiscal year.
Payroll Action Forms (PAF's) authorize payroll transactions.
Time sheets and/or leave reports received by the indicated due date will be processed for the next applicable payroll period.