Payroll FAQs

For employment verifications and questions, please email your request to [email protected]. 

What deductions can I expect to come out of my paycheck?

Mandatory deductions include:

• Federal and State taxes as applicable
• FICA Tax
  • Social Security
  • Medicare
  • (Note: Students enrolled in and taking classes, along with certain non-resident aliens, are exempt)
• Retirement contributions (full time employees)
• Union dues or agency shop fee- if position is represented by an applicable bargaining unit

Optional deductions include:

• Health Insurance
• Optional 403b/457 Plan
• Flex Spending Account
• NYS College Savings Plan
• Personal Insurance Through your Union

How do I sign up for direct deposit?

You will send your completed form with your bank's routing #, account # and amount or percentage to be deposited if using more than one bank. Please remember to sign the form and use a phone number that you can easily be reached at if we have any questions. Completed forms can be mailed to 409 Culkin Hall or emailed to [email protected]. Note that if you email the form, you will be contacted for verification prior to processing.

Guide to Completing the Direct Deposit Form

Do I bring the direct deposit paperwork to the bank and have them fill it out?

No:

• If you are depositing to a checking account and can attach a blank, VOID check to the form, the bank does not need to complete any information on the form.
• If you are changing an amount or distribution percentage to an existing account, the bank does not have to fill it out, but if it is a joint account we do require both signatures.

Yes:

• If you are depositing to a savings account, or to a checking (without attaching a blank, VOID check), then you must have your bank complete Section C of the direct deposit form.

When does direct deposit go into effect?

The general rule of thumb is to submit your direct deposit form two Fridays prior to payday, to allow us to meet the entry deadline and ensure activation of the direct deposit. It's important to complete the contact information in section A, so there will be no delays in processing your form if we have questions.

Do I need to re-activate direct deposit every (academic) year?

If you have had a break in service for more than three pay periods, then you must reactivate Direct Deposit using the Direct Deposit Reactivation Form. If you have made changes to your bank account(s), you must use a Direct Deposit enrollment form.

When will I receive my first paycheck?

New York State employees are paid on a biweekly lag basis, meaning payment is made two or three weeks after the pay period ends.

Faculty/staff and graduate/teaching assistants

Your first check or direct deposit advice will be issued at the end of the second pay period after you begin working (about four weeks after your start date). You may not receive a full paycheck for the first period, depending on your first day within the cycle and whether your bargaining unit includes salary withholding.

Student assistants and Federal Work Study

Your first check or direct deposit advice will be issued one week after the end of your second pay period worked (about five weeks after your start date). Because these payrolls are hourly, your first payment should reflect all hours worked in the first pay period.

Note: All payment dates depend on payroll deadlines. If appointment paperwork is received after the deadline, payment may be significantly delayed.

Where do I pick up my paycheck?

All paychecks and pay stubs are currently mailed directly from the Treasury. Please ensure your address is correct in HR Self-Serve to avoid delays.

Why don't 26 paychecks equal my annual salary?

For full-time employees paid on an annual basis, SUNY Oswego utilizes specific payroll modes that do not follow a simple 26-period calculation. When your annual salary is distributed over a full year, such as the ANN mode for Calendar Year obligations, or CAL and CYF modes for Faculty and Professional Employees. The calculation is based on the actual number of days in the year (365 days in a normal year and 366 in a leap year).

Because each biweekly pay period covers exactly 14 days, multiplying your gross pay by 26 only accounts for 364 days ($26 \times 14 = 364$).

Normal Year: You are "missing" 1 day of pay after 26 checks.

Leap Year: You are "missing" 2 days of pay after 26 checks.

How is the biweekly salary factor at SUNY Oswego calculated?

To determine your biweekly salary, a specific multiplication factor is used. This factor is calculated by dividing the number of days in a single pay period by the total number of days in the calendar year.

The Calculation

The factor shifts slightly depending on whether it is a standard year or a leap year:

• Non-Leap Year (365 Days): The factor is calculated as $14 / 365$, resulting in .038356.
• Leap Year (366 Days): To account for the extra day in February, the factor changes to $14 / 366$, resulting in .038251.

Because the divisor is larger in a leap year, the biweekly factor is slightly smaller, which ensures your total salary is distributed accurately across the 366-day period.

What is the leap year impact on paychecks?

The biweekly gross pay for employees paid on an “annual salary basis” (full-time employees), in payroll, is calculated on either a 365 day or a 366 day calendar year if the year is a leap year. During the State’s fiscal year (April 1 - March 31) in which a leap year falls (an extra day in February), employees will notice a reduction in their gross biweekly pay even though their salary does not change. For example, the biweekly gross pay of an academic employee paid in this mode will be calculated as 14/366th of his/her annual salary during a leap year and as 14/365 of the base annual salary during a regular year.

How do I change my tax withholding?

• To change your federal withholding, please complete a new W-4 form.
• To change your New York State withholding, please complete a new IT-2104 form.

When do I submit my tax withholding changes?

The general rule of thumb is to submit your tax withholding form two Fridays prior to the payday to allow us to meet the entry deadline and ensure activation of the tax withholding change.

Can I get a replacement copy of my W-2 (or request a replacement of W-2s from prior years)?

We are able to issue replacement W-2 forms from current and prior years. However, due to new requirements from the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC), duplicate W-2 forms must be reviewed and approved by OSC before they can be reissued to employees. Employees requesting a duplicate W-2 should fill in the W-2-Reissue-Request (Letter of Request, PDF).

Please allow up to five business days before we can re-issue the W-2 to you. We will be happy to mail your reissued W-2 to your current address, but please allow additional time for mailing. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].

SUNY Oswego employees can also obtain a copy of their own W-2 for the current tax year or previous years. 

• Visit the SUNY HR Portal at SUNY.edu
• Identify your campus as Oswego
• Select Human Resource Systems
• In the "Self Service" box, select "NYS Payroll Online"

I handed in my timesheet so why haven't I been paid yet?

Although the HR office can confirm a pending payment, this usually requires contacting your department, because the paperwork for your appointment may not have been completed. If the paperwork was completed, then your time sheets may have arrived after the deadline.

Can I get a replacement for a lost paycheck?

We can, in most cases, get your paycheck replaced. It can take up to three or four weeks. Please contact Payroll at 315-312-2227 for assistance.

Are classified employees paid extra money for working a holiday?

Employees who are required to work on a holiday will receive holiday pay (straight time) in addition to their regular pay unless they have elected to receive time instead. Employees who are required to work on Thanksgiving and Christmas will receive holiday pay at time and a half, in addition to their regular pay, unless they have elected to receive time instead.

What does “lag" payroll mean?

All salaried, regular State employees are paid on a biweekly lag basis. This means that each employee is paid for a two-week pay period (beginning on a Thursday and ending on the second Wednesday) two weeks after the conclusion of that pay period. Therefore, it may take up to four weeks from a person's date of hire until they receive their first paycheck. An employee will continue to receive a paycheck two weeks after the date in which they separate State service and the lag is paid out.

How is pay split for teaching and grad-assistant positions?

Full-time professors have two sets of employment dates: their teaching obligation dates and their payroll dates. Their teaching obligation dates are the dates during which they are contractually obligated to teach, have office hours, advise or perform any other duties associated with their teaching contract. Their payroll dates are the dates through which their salary is split. A full-time faculty member is paid from Sept. 1 of one year through Aug. 31st of the following year. This is separate and independent of their teaching obligation dates. Each is paid bi-weekly throughout the year, even over the summer and during breaks when classes are not in session.

Adjunct pay is split through 10 payments for each semester or 20 payments for the whole academic year. This schedule is independent of their teaching obligation dates.

Graduate assistants on the graduate assistant payroll receiving a stipend are paid through 10 payments per semester or 20 payments for the whole academic year. This schedule is independent of their obligations within their departments on which their stipend is based.