Frequently Asked Questions.......

Q: When are students paid?

A: Student's are paid on the 10^th and 25^th of each month except when those dates fall on a weekend. When they do, students are paid on the Friday preceding the 10^th or 25^th. We most often pay students before spring/fall breaks and prior to final exams. We are not always successful because sometimes there just isn't enough time to get all of the time sheets processed before students leave for breaks. The payday schedule is available at the Payroll Calendars webpage.

Q: I'm a student at Winthrop. I work in the XXXXX department and I didn't get paid. Why?

A: There is one of two reasons why a student isn't paid when they expect to be. The first is that the Student Wage Agreement (the hiring form) was not completed and sent to Human Resources in time to be processed into the database. For the payroll of the 10^th, the Wage Agreement must be into HRAA by the 16^th of the previous month. For the payroll of the 25^th, HRAA must have received the Agreement by the 1^st. The second reason for a student not being paid is that the supervisor, for whatever reason, failed to turn in a time sheet for the student. In both cases, the first place to go is your supervisor.

Q: I need my paycheck before the next pay day. Can I and how do I get it?

A: Well, it depends. If you are a full-time faculty or staff member, you are paid to date. That means that you are paid for the 1^st - 15^th on the 16^th and for the 16^th - 31^st, you are paid on the 1^st. To give you a paycheck prior to the 1^st or 16^th would be paying you in advance of time worked. State laws prevent us from doing this. The only exceptions are if you will be in paid leave status (vacation) or away on Winthrop business (conference, meeting, etc.) on the scheduled pay day. Students and hourly staff members are not paid to date. Since they have already worked the time for which they are being paid, their checks can be issued early.

But under no circumstances can checks be released more than 2 days in advance because the checks are not printed or signed before then.

If you meet the criteria to get the check early, you must obtain an "Early Check Release" form from your supervisor stating the reason for the early release. The supervisor must sign to authorize the release.

Q: I've lost my check. What do I need to do?

A: Payroll will need a signed document from you that includes a statement as to why the check is missing (lost, stolen, left in my jeans pocket and it went through the wash, etc.) before we can issue a stop payment on the check. A handwritten note will suffice. We will then issue a replacement check within two days of receiving the statement.

Q: I want to change the number of exemptions I claim for federal and state tax purposes. How will this affect my net pay?

A: Contact Ms. Niki Behr at  x6050 or at behrn@winthrop.edu . She will gladly do what we call a model of your pay with the new exemptions. Once you have made the decision to change, go to Human Resources to complete a new W-4 form to formally make the change. The change cannot be made until the new W-4 form is submitted.

Q: I'm tired of standing in long lines at the bank every pay day to deposit or cash my paycheck. Can you help me?

A: Most definitely, YES! It's called Direct Deposit and it's simple and easy to enroll! We will electronically deposit your net pay into your bank account so you might conceivably never go inside a bank again. The process is safe and reliable - even more so than your handling the check deposit yourself. You might lose the check or, worse yet, have it stolen. Or you might make an error on your deposit slip. With direct deposit, the right amount is in your account before you even wake up on pay day. No worrying about rushing to the bank on your lunch hour or having an anxiety attack about standing in lines.

To enroll, simply call Ms. Ann Rayfield at x6343 or at  rayfielda@winthrop.edu and ask for a direct deposit form or print the form from the internet. Complete the form and return it to Ms. Rayfield along with a voided check or a deposit slip. This is required for us to get the right bank routing and account numbers. You will receive one more paycheck after submitting the form but from the second pay day on, your pay will be automatically deposited for you. We will provide you with an Earnings Statement each payroll that will detail your gross pay, deductions and net pay.

Q: I want to stop one of my deductions. How do I do it?

A: Depends on the type of deduction. If it is an insurance-type or annuity deduction, you must contact HRAA. If it is a credit union deduction, contact the credit union. For all others, such as SC Employees Assoc., United Way, Savings Bonds, Eagle Club/Tickets, etc., send a signed request to Ms. Niki Behr of our office. If the request is received within four working days prior to pay day, it will take effect on that pay day.