Payroll Deadlines

Upcoming Pay Cycle Change Effective January 16, 2024:
In an effort to further business efficiencies and align with best practices, some Texas Woman’s University employees will transition from a monthly pay cycle to a semi-monthly pay cycle beginning January 16, 2024. Employees affected include non-exempt employees, including student assistants, graduate assistants, and hourly employees. Exempt salaried employees will remain paid monthly. All employees will receive a monthly paycheck on January 2, 2024 and then a second payment on January 16th will start the semi-monthly pay cycle for those employees changing pay cycles. If the pay date falls on a weekend or holiday, payment will be disbursed on the business day immediately following the pay date.

What is a semi-monthly Payroll?
A semi-monthly payroll means employees will receive checks twice per month instead of once per month. Once on the 1st of the month and once on the 16th of the month or first business day thereafter with 24 paychecks per year.

Who is being paid on the semi-monthly pay cycle?
Non-exempt employees, graduate assistants and hourly employees.

Am I Exempt or Non-Exempt?
The easiest way to determine if you are non-exempt or exempt is your timecard. If you record your hours worked and lunch hours, you are non-exempt. If you only record your leave hours, you are an exempt employee. Graduate Assistants will be paid semi-monthly. Faculty, including adjunct faculty, are exempt employees. If you are unsure if your position is exempt or non-exempt, please contact HR Compensation at hstubblefied1@twu.edu or afielder@twu.edu.

I have multiple assignments that are paid from both cycles.
If you have multiple positions, your pay will follow the cycle based on the position. For example – an exempt staff employee that also has an hourly position will receive payments
on both payroll cycles: monthly for the exempt position and semi-monthly for the hourly position.

Can I opt out of the semi-monthly pay cycle?
No, non-exempt employees, student assistants, graduate assistants and hourly employees will transition to a semi-monthly payroll cycle effective 1/16/24.

I am an hourly employee. How will this affect me?
Your pay will be semi-monthly on the 1st and 16th or first business day thereafter for the prior pay period approved. For example: The payment on 1/16/24 will be for hours approved for pay period 12/16/23 – 12/31/23; the payment for 2/1/24 will be for hours approve for pay period 1/1/24 – 1/15/24. This allows supervisors time to approve your timecard prior to payroll processing.

I am an exempt employee. Will my pay cycle change?
No, your pay will remain on a monthly payroll cycle. (This includes faculty paid over 9 and 12 months as well as adjunct faculty)

What are the pay periods and pay dates for the semi-monthly cycle?
Please refer to the FY 24 Payroll Calendar.

Will my time reporting change?
Yes, all Texas Woman’s University employees will begin reporting time on a two-week pay period starting November 1st (Example: November 1 – 15th and November 16 – 30th). Exempt employees will only report absences through “Add Absence”. A timecard may be required for an exempt employee if for holiday worked or to record leave without pay. Graduate assistants will only create and submit a timecard to report any leave without pay.

Will the TWU workweek days change?
No, the TWU workweek is still Sunday through Saturday to determine overtime and compensatory accruals.

How will my Benefit premiums be processed?
State Insurance Benefits: Your state insurance benefits, such as medical, dental, disability, life insurance, flexible spending, vision, and accidental death and dismemberment, will be divided into two equal monthly deductions totaling the state monthly premium. For example, if you are enrolled in Member Only Dental, the monthly premium of $28.73 will be divided into two monthly payments of $14.36 and $14.37. To view your full monthly benefits summary, log onto your ERS account at www.ers.state.tx.us.

TWU Extra Benefits: TWU Extra Benefits are also called TWU Voluntary Benefits. These benefits include supplemental medical, pet insurance, legal, identity, MASA, and additional benefits on the portal. You will see the deduction as TWU Extra Benefits on your stub. These monthly deductions will also be divided over two equal payments per pay period. You can log on to the Corestream TWU Extra Benefits Portal to view your Extra Benefit elections and full monthly premium.

Retirement Benefits: If you are enrolled in TRS (Teacher Retirement System), you will continue to see the deduction of 8.25% for the semi-monthly pay periods. For voluntary 403b and Texasaver 457, the monthly election will be divided into two equal deductions. For Voluntary 403b, you can review these benefits by logging on to the Retirement Manager for 457 by going to the TexaSaver website. Texasaver provides the option to elect a percentage instead of a flat amount. If you choose the option, that percentage will be taken from each semi-monthly check.

Longevity, Hazard Pay, Benefit Replacement Pay
If you receive longevity pay, hazardous duty pay, and/or Benefit Replacement Pay (BRP), these entitlements will be paid on the 1st payment of the month instead of semi-monthly.

What is an ICP? How will these be paid?
ICP stands for Individual Compensation Plan. Types of ICPs include task payments, recurring stipends, moving expenses, cell stipends, award pay, and shift pay. If the ICP is recurring, it will be paid to you based on your pay frequency. For example, if the department submits $100 monthly for you, it will pay $50/$50 each pay date. If your ICP is non-recurring, it will be paid on the next payroll run after the ICP is approved based on the effective date of the ICP.

I have a separate amount direct deposited to another Bank Account.
If you have a separate amount directed deposited to another bank account, please review the amount to align with your payroll frequency. To review and update your payment method, log in to Oracle Cloud and choose Me > Pay > Payment Method..

I have an additional amount withheld on my W-4 form.
If you currently have an additional amount to be withheld on your W-4 form, please review the amount in order to align with your payroll frequency. The additional amount to be withheld on the W-4 form is per pay period. To review and update your tax withholding, log in to Oracle Cloud and choose Me > Pay > Tax Withholding.

Next Steps:
What should you do to prepare for the transition to a semi-monthly payroll run?

1. Review your direct deposit and W-4 information on your payslip. Log into Oracle Cloud and choose Me > Pay > My Payslips to review your current direct deposit disbursement and Me > Pay > Tax Withholding to review your W-4 information for additional withholding.
2. Estimate your Pay. If you would like to estimate how much your gross earnings and net pay will be, please go to paycheckcity.com and choose their salary calculator. It allows you to input gross pay, deductions, and W-4 information and, in return, will calculate the estimated net pay. (Example: A 12-month employee being paid $45,000 per year divided by 24 payments = $1,875 gross pay per semi-monthly paycheck)
3. Automatic Payments: If you have recurring or automatic payments (for example, rent, mortgage, car loan, utilities, etc.), you should review your monthly finances to prepare for semi-monthly payroll.

Resources:
Paycheckcity.com
FY 24 Payroll Calendar