OTiS Certificate Expired
As you log in to otisusc.fastime.com today, you may receive a "Certificate Expired" message. Please accept the certificate and go forward with logging in to OTiS. We are working with our partners at Talx to resolve this issue immediately and we will keep you updated.
Update: OTiS login issue resolved
The OTiS log-in issue has been resolved. Please let us know if anyone continues to have any problems.
Presidential Inauguration Activities - Friday, October 15th
On Friday, October 15, 2010, University Payroll Services (UPC and HSC) will be closed from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. so that our staff may participate in the Presidential Inauguration activities.
Please let us know if you have any questions regarding these schedule changes for this Friday.
Payroll Services Business Hours - Wednesday, December 16, 2009
University Payroll Services office hours for Wednesday, December 16, 2009 are 8:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
OTiS and the Winter Recess Policy
To Benefits-eligible non-hospital employees:
The OTiS timekeeping system has been updated to accommodate the university's new Winter Recess Policy.
OTiS will have a new leave category (Winter Recess) which will maintain each employee's winter recess balance throughout the year. The new leave category will be displayed just under the vacation and sick accruals.
OTiS will post the Winter Recess Balances to all benefits eligible employees on Thursday, December 10 (the first day of biweekly #26). Employees working less than 100% will have their winter recess hours prorated based on the percentage of their time worked.
For departments that are able to close operations, winter recess should be taken during the period between Christmas and New Year's Day (This year December 26 – December 31). For departments that are unable to release employees during the winter recess period, winter recess may be taken at any approved time throughout the year (please see Winter Recess policy).
OTiS will reduce the balance of winter recess hours as they are taken. Employees will be able to use their winter recess hours throughout the year (similar to how the vacation leave category is used). The maximum number of available winter recess hours that may be carried on the books at any time will either be 30 or 32 hours depending on the employee's percent of time worked and whether they are regularly scheduled to work a 37.5 or 40 hour workweek. Employees cannot go negative with winter recess hours and will receive an OTiS "fatal error notification" if they have exceeded their available balance.
The winter recess hours will be pre-populated on all OTiS timesheets (except for employees whose home department is 1503 or 2030) on December, 24 (the first day of biweekly #1). Employees, approvers and home department coordinators may make changes to the winter recess time type hours on a timesheet just as they can vacation or sick. Employees working the winter recess who will be taking their hours at an alternate time will need to remove the winter recess hours manually. If those hours are not removed the employee will be paid the winter recess hours plus any hours worked. To remove winter recess hours from an employee's timesheet the user can simply delete the hours on the winter recess row for any given date or click the red " X " on the far left of the timesheets to remove all hours.
If winter recess hours need to be added to a timesheet the user should click the arrow button down next to "Select a Time Type" and click "Winter Recess". This action creates a winter recess row on the OTiS timesheet that will allow the user to manually populate the winter recess hours.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call the OTiS Help Desk at X1-2033 or email otisusc@usc.edu.
Year End Information
Payroll Office Closure
University Payroll Services will be closed for business during Winter Recess from December 25 to January 3.
W-2 Forms
Log on to eTrac and go into the "Personal Information" area to make sure your home address is correct for proper W-2 delivery.
You are encouraged to enroll in electronic W-2 delivery via "www.w2express.com". The deadline to sign up to receive your W-2 via the internet is January 4. For more information, refer to the "Year End Tax Forms FAQ".
Important Phising Alert: Fake IRS 8BEN Form
University Payroll Services has been informed that an email has been making the rounds, purporting to be from the IRS, asking an individual to complete and fax a W-8BEN, and threatening dire consequences if they do not.
This is an internet "scam" or "pfish". Everyone, especially non-resident aliens, should be aware that this is not a legitimate email. This is an attempt to fool non-resident aliens into revealing bank information for illegitimate purposes.
This is the email letter. There is also a phony W-8BEN attached to the email, which you will note bears no resemblance to a real W-8BEN and which demands bank account numbers, branch information, and a copy of the passport.
Please note the following:
- The letter is not on IRS letterhead
- The IRS never communicates with taxpayers via email
- The IRS would not ask for a person's bank account number or PIN
- The IRS would never direct a form to be faxed to a private fax number
- W-8BENs are filed with a non-resident alien's employer or bank, not with the IRS
Although this letter specifically targets non-resident aliens, it has also been reported on the internet as being received by people who are not NRAs.
If anyone has already responded to this pfish, you should contact your bank or other financial institution immediately to protect your assets.
Federal Work Study Job Fair
The Annual Federal Work Study Job Fair will be held August 20, 2009 in the Von Kleinsmid Center (VKC) Courtyard from 1:30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M.
The job fair is designed to help in-coming freshmen, transfer and graduate students locate work-study positions on campus to enhance your educational experience. Students will be have the opportunity to personally meet departments and schedule interview appointments.
OTiS Update
It has come to our attention that web punch users on OTiS are experiencing a discrepancy in their time punches of about 4 to 5 minutes when they clock in or out of the system. This was caused when a new firewall was set up for OTiS a couple of days ago. TALX is aware of the situation and is working on getting it fixed immediately.
We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused. If you have any OTiS questions please email otisusc@usc.edu.
New Tax Table Announcement
The flier below will address many of your questions regarding the new tax tables released under the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. As required, the tables have been updated in our system and are in place starting in April.
The new tax tables affect wages paid until December 2009.
Additional Reference:
OTiS Updates & Firefox
It has come to our attention that some new OTiS features are not compatible with older versions of the Firefox (Mozilla) web browser. If you are experiencing irregularities or difficulties with OTiS and you are using an old version of Firefox, please update your Firefox web browser to 3.0.5 or use a different web browser to enter OTiS time, such as Internet Explorer.
We apologize for the inconvenience. If you have any questions or concerns please contact us at otisusc@usc.edu.
Important Message Regarding your W-2
The following announcement contains information on how to enroll to receive your W-2 electronically in January. This is a safe and fast alternative to receiving your W-2 via the US mail.
If you have already enrolled in this service, congratulations! You do not need to re-enroll each year, but you may wish to access www.w2express.com to verify your email address.
Please contact USC Payroll Services at payroll@usc.edu if you have any questions.
W-2 eXpress
Get online access to your 2008 W-2 Wage & Tax Statement.
For more information, see the W-2 Express Flyer and the Yearend Tax Forms FAQ.
System Access Form Changes
The "Glacier Administrator Sign Up List" has been removed from the web site. Instead, please use the combined Payroll/OTiS/Glacier Access Form (previously named "System Access Form").
The "System Access Reset Form" has also been renamed to "Payroll System Access Reset Form"
Work Study Job Fair
We are announcing this on behalf of Enrollment Services and Financial Aid. If you have any questions, please contact them directly.
2008 Federal Work Study Job Fair
August 21, 2008
1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
VKC Courtyard
In conjunction with the Office of Financial Aid, we are once again hosting the annual Federal Work-Study Job Fair. The job fair is designed to help in-coming freshmen, transfer and graduate students locate work-study jobs on campus to enhance their educational experience. The job fair will be held on Thursday, August 21, 2008 in the Von Kleinsmid Center (VKC) Courtyard from 1:30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M.
OTiS System Update
The OTiS server is undergoing system updates and will be unavailable on Tuesday, April 15 and Wednesday, April 16 from 8:00pm to 10:00pm.
The system will be temporarily down at these times.
If you need to record hours during those times and are using the In/Out template, you can record the hours once the system becomes available.
If you need to record hours during those times and are using the Web Punch template, you should be mindful of your punches and
should remember to record a missing punch(es), if necessary, once the system becomes available.
Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the OTiS Help Desk via email at
otisusc@usc.edu or phone at (213) 821-2033.
Now Available on eTrac: Single Page Advice Slip
The memo below is an important message regarding a new service being offered by eTrac
and University Payroll Services.
We are pleased to announce that you can now print your Payroll advice slip on a single page. Please open the PDF file
for instructions and information.
If you need to download a free version of Acrobat Reader, please click the link:
(http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html).
USC Payroll Advice Slip
Have you heard the news?
Effective January 1, you will no longer receive the green "advice slip" from Payroll for your direct deposit.
- You can view and print your payroll information from eTrac at http://www.usc.edu/etrac
- No more worries about shredding the green slip or the confidentiality of your information
But what if I want to continue to receive the Advice Slip?
No Problem! You can "opt in" to receive the advice slip at any time.
- Log into eTrac at payroll@usc.edu
- Select "Work Information Update"
- Scroll to the bottom of the page.
- To "opt in" and continue to receive your advice slip, use the drop down box and select "Home Department"
- Select: "Submit for Confirmation"
- Select: "Submit for Update"
Can I change back and forth?
You can change your preference whenever, and as many times, as you need to. For example, if you are planning on applying for a loan, you can "opt in" for a payroll or two to receive the advice slip, then opt out again.
- Log into eTrac at http://www.usc.edu/etrac
- Select "Work Information Update"
- Scroll to the bottom of the page.
- To "opt in" and continue to receive your advice slip, use the drop down box and select "Electronic -- Not Printed"
- Select: "Submit for Confirmation"
- Select: "Submit for Update"
Please contact us at payroll@usc.edu if you have any questions.
OTiS Alert
It has come to our attention that the "Vacation Balance" and "Sick Balance" as displayed on
employees' "Leave Request" screens may be incorrect. We have reported this to our OTiS partners at TALX
and they are working to resolve the problem. The leave balances as displayed on the "Time Entry"
screen are correct. We will let you know as soon as the issue is resolved.
We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
[ 12-18-2007 ]
Direct Deposit Advice Slips
Effective January 1st, 2008, we will stop printing green payroll direct deposit advice slips!
You can view and print your payroll information from eTrac.
If you would like to continue to receive your green advice slip, log into eTrac and select Work Information Update any time after
December 16, 2007 to change your preference.
[ 12-10-2007 ]
Dec. 6th Payroll Office Hours
Both UPC and HSC Payroll Services offices will close early tomorrow, Dec. 6th, 2007.
UPC Payroll Services will close at 3:30 pm and HSC at 3:00 pm.
If you have any questions, please let us know.
[ 12-05-2007 ]
Year End & W-2s
Calendar year end is approaching, and W-2 season is not far behind.
All employees (faculty, staff, and students), no matter what your current status, who received compensation
in calendar year 2007, will receive a year end wage and tax statement (W-2 and/or 1042s).
In order to ensure that USC generates accurate W-2s for you, please be aware of the following:
Social Security Number
We must have a valid Social Security Number for you, regardless if your current status is active, inactive or terminated.
If you currently have an "I-social security number" in our system, please provide your valid social security number
as soon as you receive it. Bring your Social Security Number card to University Payroll Services as soon as possible.
Home Address
Please verify that your current home address is correct.
You can log onto eTrac at www.usc.edu/eTrac to check your home address
and update your Personal Information if necessary.
W2 Express
Remember that you may receive your W-2 electronically via W-2 Express
(www.w2express.com). The US Postal Service
does NOT forward W-2 forms if your home address is incorrect. Electronic delivery of the W-2 eliminates
US Postal Service delays and gets the year end tax information to you more quickly.
Please note: If you have received your W-2 electronically in the past, you do not need to sign up again--you will
"automatically" get your 2007 W-2 electronically.
[ 11-26-2007 ]
Electronic W-2
Below is a special communication from University Payroll Services regarding USC's electronic W-2 delivery option.
Please see the flyer below for everything you need to know to sign up for this easy and convenient service.
The deadline to sign up is fast approaching.
If you have any concerns about opening this attachment, you may contact us at 213-740-8855 or by email at
payroll@usc.edu, or check with your Home Department Coordinator.
[ 11-16-2007 ]
Benefits: Open Enrollment Alert
The following announcement is from Benefits Administration.
If you have any questions, please contact Benefits directly.
OPEN ENROLLMENT ALERT!!!
Do you want an FSA Account for 2008?
REMEMBER:
FSA ENROLLMENTS FOR
2008 MUST BE DONE VIA ETRAC!
THE DEADLINE IS FAST APPROACHING!
ENROLLMENT ENDS NOVEMBER 21, 2007
[ 11-15-2007 ]
Individual Taxpayer ID Numbers FAQ Update
Non-Resident Alien Scholarship recipients:
Be sure to check out the updated Payroll FAQ on Individual
Taxpayer ID Numbers.
The procedures to apply for an ITIN, and who may apply for an ITIN through USC, have changed radically.
Due to changes in IRS procedure, USC is now able to process ITIN applications for all non-resident alien scholarship
recipients, whether or not there is a tax treaty.
If you do not already have an ITIN or Social Security number refer to the Individual
Taxpayer ID Numbers FAQ for instruction on how to apply for an ITIN.
[ 08-27-2007 ]
2007 OTiS Calendars
Welcome newly hired and rehired bi-weekly employees to a new school year!
If you do not already have a copy of the 2007 OTis Calender, be sure to pick one up from
your Home Department Coordinator.
[ 08-24-2007 ]
IMPORTANT: Fiscal Year End & OTiS
Due to Fiscal Year end, there are some critical matters involving OTiS:
- Be sure you record hours worked for June 28, June 29 and June 30 BEFORE July 1.
- IMPORTANT: No changes may be made on OTiS to June 28, June 29 or June 30 after July 1.
- In/Out Template Users: DO NOT pre-populate any hours for July 1 - July 11.
The only hours which may be pre-populated are the holiday hours on July 4.
- Web Punch Template Users: Inform your supervisor/approver of any missing punches.
All missing punches must be resolved with actual times by midnight, June 30,
for midnight-to-midnight employees, or by noon on July 1 for noon-to-noon employees.
- All vacation and sick leave, or other paid and unpaid leave, taken on June 28, June 29 or June 30 must be updated
on OTiS by midnight Friday, June 30, for midnight-to-midnight employees, or by noon on July 1 for noon-to-noon employees.
- Accruals earned for the month of June will be posted on OTiS on Sunday, July 8 instead of July 1.
[ 06-28-2007 ]
Payroll's Moving!
The Payroll Services Counter at the University Park Campus will be moving to our new offices in the University Gardens Building
(UBG) Room 212 on May 29 and May 30.
The move will severely limit our availability during those two days. We will remain open for walk-in business until
Tuesday, May 29, but we will not have phones nor computers running.
We will be open for business on Thursday, May 31 at 8:30am.
Our new Main Campus address:
3500 S. Figueroa Street, Suite 212
University Gardens Building
Los Angeles, CA 90089-8016
UGB 212 MC 8016
Main Campus Phones (unchanged):
Phone #: 213-740-8855
Fax #: 213-740-3051
[ 05-18-2007 ]
Summer CWSP Applications Available
The Financial Aid Office has asked us to let you know that the Summer Work
Study applications will be available starting Monday, March 5. The deadline
to submit these applications will be March 30, 2007.
The applications can be picked up at the window in JHH, or downloaded from
the web at www.usc.edu/financialaid.
If you have any questions, please do not contact payroll services. Rather,
please call 213-740-1111 if you have any questions.
[ 03-02-2007 ]
eTrac Availability
eTrac is scheduled to be down during the holiday weekend from 5:00pm on Friday, February 16 through 7:00am on
Tuesday, February 20 due to the AIS Data Center move. All systems will be available again on Tuesday morning.
[ 02-05-2007 ]
Non-Exempt Conversions and Old Salary Lines
For employees who recently transitioned from Exempt status to Non-Exempt status, you may notice that both your "old" salary funding line(s) and your "new" hourly funding line(s) are displayed on your OTiS timesheet. Last night, we added an enhancement that adds "(07H)" for hourly or "(07S)" for salary at the beginning of each Account Description. Please be sure that you are clocking in/clocking out and that your January 1, 2007 holiday hours are on the account description line that includes "(07H)".
To ensure that you are clocking in and out of the hourly funding line, go to "Employee's Time Entry" and select the hourly funding line that begins with "(07H)" and submit/update the timesheet. The end results should reflect "(07H)" at the beginning of the account description for all activity in the pay period.
Important: When reviewing timesheets on OTiS (using "Employee's Time Entry" on your menu), it is important that you view the results of the timesheet after hitting the "Review" button. The "Review" button will apply all the programmed rules including the calculation of overtime and double time and display the account name to which the hours will be charged. In order to save your changes, hit the "Save for Later" button.
Please feel free to contact us at the OTiS help desk or email otisusc@usc.edu should you have any questions or concerns.
[ 01-05-2007 ]
eTrac & OTiS Down
We are experiencing problems today with both ais-c2000 and OTiS.
eTrac
We have just been advised that due to required hardware repairs, eTrac will be down today.
We do expect the system to be back in operation tonight at which time we will resume regular scheduling.
We apologize for this inconvenience.
System Update (05/18/2006): eTrac may be up and running at about 2:00 today.
Also, eTrac will be up until 10:00pm tonight.
OTiS
Some of you may be experiencing a problem when you log into OTiS. If you enter your password and the login page comes up,
(with no "failed log in" message), press the "refresh" button.
You will then see a dialog box which says "This page cannot be refreshed without resending the information again".
Click the "retry" button, and you should find yourself into OTiS.
We have notified tech support of this problem, and we apologize for this inconvenience as well.
[ 5-18-2006 ]
Leave Balances
Although we previously stated that vacation and sick leave balances would be printed on
payroll check stubs and advice slips for non-exempt staff beginning with Biweekly #7,
you will notice that they did not print for this biweekly. We have not yet certified
100% accuracy on leave balances from OTiS and will print balances on check stubs and
advice slips as soon as our quality control is complete. We thank you for your
patience and on-going support.
[ 3-29-2006 ]
Summer Work-Study Application Deadline
The following flyer from Financial Aid is a reminder regarding the summer Work Study Application deadline on March 31.
For questions, please contact Jeff Teng, Aid Coordinator at jhteng@usc.edu.
Summer Work-Study Application Deadline
[ 3-17-2006 ]
Updated EDD Unemployment & Disability Poster
The Employment Develpment Department (EDD) of the State of California has issued a new poster on Unemployment
Insurance, Disability Insurance, and Paid Family Leave.
• Unemployment & Disability Poster
[ 3-8-2006 ]
OTiS Reminders for Group 1
As we approach the end of biweekly pay period ending 2/22 (BW05), please review the following important
OTiS reminders for Group 1.
- Holiday Hours on OTiS:
Monday, 2/20 was a University Holiday. OTiS has been programmed to populate the holiday hours for all
non-exempt employees ahead of time. If you are scheduled to work on a holiday, you will be paid holiday pay hours plus
the hours worked. For example, if you are regularly scheduled to work 7.5 hours per day and you worked 7.5 hours
on the holiday, you will be paid 7.5 hours of holiday pay and 7.5 hours of regular pay.
- Timesheet Deadlines:
Please remember to submit your timesheets according to the following deadlines:
- If you work on a Midnight-to-Midnight work day schedule, submit your timesheets by Wednesday, 2/22 at Midnight.
- If you work on the Noon-to-Noon work day schedule, submit your timesheets by Thursday, 2/23 at Noon.
- Please note that if you use the In/Out template, you must click on the "submit" button to submit
your timesheet to your approvers. Web Punch template users do not need to submit their punches, as web punches
are automatically submitted. Web Punch Users will only be required to click on the "submit" button if you have
non-work hours such vacation and sick time for the current pay period.
- If you were not able to access OTiS, please continue to fill out a paper timesheet until Payroll Services resolves the problem.
Thank you for all your assistance and support to make our very first biweekly pay period on OTiS a successful one.
[ 2-20-2006 ]
Very Important OTiS Reminder
Departments in "Group 1" of the OTiS Roll-Out is going live on Thursday, February 9, the start of BW05.
Only those departments in Group 1 who are going "live" may use the live OtiS web site:
http://otisusc.fastime.com/
IMPORTANT: No one else should be using this live site.
If you wish to practice on OTiS, please use the training site at http://staging.otisusc.fastime.com.
[ 2-6-2006 ]
OTiS Live Web Site
As we get closer to the implementation of OTiS, it is important that you use the correct URL (website).
When your department goes "live", please be sure that you are using the following URL for OTiS:
http://otisusc.fastime.com.
If you participated in any of the OTiS trainings/demonstrations, you were informed that OTiS has been available to all departments to "practice."
Currently, departments are using one of two sites for their practice or testing:
• http://otisusc.fastime.com (live site)
• http://staging.otisusc.fastime.com (staging/testing site)
All departments may practice on http://otisusc.fastime.com, the OTiS live site,
through Friday, February 3, 2006.
At that point, passwords will be reset, the time entries keyed in during practice or testing will be cleared, and accrual balances will be
zeroed out so it may be replaced by the new balance from PA.LEAVE.BAL.U according to your department's implementation date.
After February 3, 2006, you may NOT log into the OTiS live site.
On your assigned OTiS implementation date, users must use their default password to login.
The default password is the last digits of your SSN + four digit year of birth.
If you would like to continue to "practice," you may continue to use
http://staging.otisusc.fastime.com,
the staging/testing site, even after February 3, 2006.
[ 1-31-2006 ]
OTiS Roll Out Schedule
This schedule details when each department is going "live" on OTiS.
Be sure to consult with your supervisor or Home Department Coordinator for confirmation on when your department will go live as this schedule may change.
• Roll-out Schedule
** Important **: any departments or subunits using the Time Clock Template will be part of Group 3.
[ 1-30-2006 ]
OTiS Demonstration Sessions in February
All employees are invited to any of the following OTiS Demonstrations taking place through February. Check with your supervisor or Home Department Coordinator as to which method you will be using.
| HSC -- all meetings in Hastings Auditorium: |
| | In/Out Template: |
• February 14 @ 9:00am
• February 23 @ 1:30pm |
| Web Punch: |
• February 15 @ 1:30pm
• February 22 @ 9:00am |
| Approvers: |
• February 14 @ 10am
• February 15 @ 2:30pm
• February 22 @ 10 am |
| UPC: |
| In/Out: |
• February 2 @ 2pm in THH 202 |
| Web Punch: |
• January 25 @ 2pm in SGM 101
• January 31 @ 9am in SGM 101
• February 1 @ 2pm in SGM 101 |
| Approvers: |
• January 25 @ 3pm in SGM 101
• February 1 @ 3pm in SGM 101
• February 2 @ 3pm in THH 202 |
[ 1-26-2006 ]
W-2s and Other Year End Tax Forms
Good News! If you have signed up for electronic W-2, you can logon to www.w2express.com to download your copy now.
This year there are over 2,000 employees signed up. Thank you for using this service.
Both the paper W-2s and 1042S forms will be mailed to the the mailing address on your pay check or advice slip next week
(the week of January 23rd). Year-end form information will also be available on eTrac starting January 25th. Duplicate W-2s can
be ordered on or after February 1, 2006. If you have never used www.w2express.com
before, please refer to the Year-end Tax Forms FAQ for detailed information. Employee can also call 213-740-2742 for voice-recorded instructions.
Think ahead for your 2006 W-2. Sign up now for electronic delivery!
Along with W-2s and 1042-S forms, USC also issues 1099s and 1098-T forms.
If you have questions on either of those forms:
1098-Ts (issued to certain US citizen/resident alien scholarship recipients) - please refer to the web site
www.1098-T.com
or by phone at 1-877-467-3821.
This is a 3rd party agency handling USC's 1098-Ts. Payroll Services cannot provide any assistance on 1098-T Forms.
All questions on 1099s should be directed to Disbursement Control at 213-740-2281. Payroll Services also cannot provide any assistance on 1099 Forms.
[ 1-18-2006 ]
OTiS Demonstration Sessions at UPC and HSC
Get a preview of OTiS!
Non-exempt employees (Student Workers & Non-exempt Staff) and Approvers are invited to attend an OTiS demonstration session
available at the UPC and HSC campuses. Below are flyers indicating the schedules for both campuses.
You are welcome to attend any of the sessions to get a preview on OTiS. The non-exempt employee OTiS demonstration sessions
will be offered by template type: Web Punch or the In/Out template. Ask your supervisor or home department coordinator which
template type you will be using. The non-exempt employee sessions will cover only time entry and
will not include leave request. Each demonstration session will be 30 minutes with questions following each session.
If you have any questions regarding OTiS, contact otisusc@usc.edu.
[ 1-13-2006 ]
When do I get my W-2?
Would you like to get your W-2 form earlier than usual?
It's easy and convenient! ONLINE W-2 delivery means:
- you will receive your W-2 earlier than you would receive a paper W-2 in the mail
(paper W-2 will be mailed to the address on your check or advice slip, on or before January 31, 2006)
- It's secure and convenient. You will receive an email when your W-2 is accessible on-line.
- It is available for download to several different tax form software packages or convenient printing
Easy to sign up, simply logon to
http://www.w2express.com
USC employer code: 11496
Password: last four digits of your social security number plus four digits year of birth
Sign up now!!
The deadline to sign up for online W-2 delivery is December 31, 2005. Why wait for the W-2 in the mail?
To learn more about this fantastic employee benefit, please go to
www.usc.edu/payroll,
Year-end tax form FAQ.
If you have already signed up for on-line W2, no action is necessary at this time.
We will be glad to answer any of your questions, please contact us by email at
payroll@usc.edu, or by phone at 213-740-8855.
[ 12-9-2005 ]
2006 Social Security Wage Base: $94,200
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced on Friday, October 14, 2005 that the 2006 social security
wage base will be $94,200, an increase of $4,200 from the 2005 wage base of $90,000. As in prior years,
there is no limit to the wages subject to the Medicare tax; therefore, all covered wages are still subject to the 1.45% tax.
The FICA tax rate, which is the combined social security tax rate of 6.2% and the Medicare tax rate of 1.45%, remains at
7.65% for 2006. The maximum social security tax employees and employers will each pay in 2006 is $5,840.40.
This is an increase of $260.40 from the 2005 maximum of $5,580.00.
Social Security Announces 4.1 Percent Benefit Increase for 2006
[ 10-17-2005 ]
Benefits News
The following is being sent on behalf of the Benefits Office. If you have
any questions, please contact them directly at benefits@usc.edu
Open Enrollment begins October 17 and ends November 23. All
benefits-eligible faculty and staff will receive a copy of Benefits
News 2006 at their work address next week. In this edition, we are
announcing online enrollment for medical benefits and the Supplemental
Retirement Plan.
Benefits Fairs will be held October 19 on the University Park campus;
and October 20 on the Health Sciences campus.
An electronic version of Benefits News is now available on the Benefits
Web site. http://www.usc.edu/benefits
USC Benefits Administration
benefits@usc.edu
University Payroll Services
University of Southern California
Phone: 213-740-8855
Fax: 213-740-3051
[ 10-6-2005 ]
Health Insurance Enrollment on eTrac
Starting October 17, 2005 for Benefits Open Enrollment, you can make health insurance plan changes and enrollment through eTrac. First check your Personal Associates list to make sure any dependents you want covered are entered into the system. Then go into the Benefits Enrollment feature to set up your Health Plan. For more information, refer to the online help.
For more information on logging into eTrac, see the eTrac Information Page.
[ 9-27-2005 ]
Life Insurance deductions-BW17
Some employees may notice that the amount deducted for Supplemental Life Insurance is overstated on their BW17 checks.
The problem has been identified, and is being worked on. Refund checks will be issued in the very near future.
We apologize to all employees affected.
[ 8-18-2005 ]
eTrac Payment Stub Inquiry Problem
There is a problem with the eTrac "Payment Stub Inquiry" feature for both the July Monthly
payroll and BW16. For certain employees paid from multiple accounts, eTrac is showing an incorrect gross amount.
The net amount and all deductions are correct.
This problem is being worked on and we'll keep you posted.
[ 8-4-2005 ]
Update:
We are pleased to announce that the problems with eTrac reported to you yesterday have been fixed.
[ 8-5-2005 ]
Credit Union deductions in BW#16
Credit union deductions were erroneously taken out of the Biweekly #16 payroll checks.
For our non-exempt employees who just converted from monthly pay
frequency to biweekly pay frequency, the Credit Union has deposited the
Biweekly #16 deduction amount into each employee's credit union savings
account. This amount is accessible at the Credit Union or at any ATM
effective August 3, 2005.
We apologize for this error and any inconveniences it may cause.
[ 8-2-2005 ]
College Work Study Faire
The following announcement comes from Human Resources, Employment Services:
CWSP Faire
Are you a student with College Work Study Program funding and looking for a job?
Consider attending the annual Federal Work Study Job Fair sponsored by Enrollment Services. University departments will be on hand
with available CWSP opportunities.
| EVENT: | Federal Work Study Job Fair |
| DATE: | August 18, 2005 |
| TIME: | 1:30 p.m. |
| LOCATION: | VKC Courtyard |
[ 8-2-2005 ]
Tax Modeling for Non-exempt Staff
Non-exempt employees moving to biweekly pay frequency will be receiving a biweekly tax model.
This tax model will help you prepare for conversion to bi-weekly pay.
Note however, that there are a few cases where employee funding has not been set up yet and
thus a tax model could not be generated.
Tax modeling is also avaiable to all employees via eTrac.
You can obtain details and instructions for tax modeling from the OTiS site.
[ 8-2-2005 ]
New Laser Check Announcement
Beginning with BW16, the University will be using a new laser printing check stock for system-generated paychecks.
The new check stock contains the latest security protection features designed and created solely for USC use. The secure
check stock incorporates copy-protection, anti-counterfeit measures, and fraud deterrents. Any attempts to alter the new
check stock will be visually apparent. You can be assured that a check printed on the new check stock is authentic, unaltered,
and protected against attempts to counterfeit or tamper with it.
Please see announcment flyer for more information.
[ 8-2-2005 ]
Bi-weekly Conversion Activities
As we get closer to the conversion to the biweekly pay schedule for all non-exempt employees,
it is important that you are aware of the upcoming activities related to the biweekly conversion.
- The conversion of the non-exempt staff pay frequency from monthly pay cycle to the biweekly pay cycle will begin on
August 1, 2005. On that date, all non-exempt staff must report time and attendance on their existing department system.
Non-exempt staff will submit their time report on a biweekly basis to their supervisor who must review, approve,
and submit them to their home department coordinator for data entry on ais-c2000.
Each department may have its own internal procedures regarding biweekly deadlines, so be sure to inquire about them.
Starting on August 1, 2005, system-generated payroll checks for the non-exempt staff will be issued only when hours
are submitted on a timely basis.
- As a reminder, the use of OTiS, the online timekeeping system will come at a later date to allow additional time for system
testing and training.
- With the initial transition to the biweekly pay schedule, it is important that employees understand the schedule in which
you will be paid and that you plan for this change. Here are some
suggestions on planning for the transition from monthly to
the biweekly pay schedule.
[ 7-14-2005 ]
Paper timesheet Reminders
This is a reminder to all non-exempt staff and students that you must fill out paper timesheets or record time via your
internal automated system by now. It is recommended that non-exempt employees who are moving to bi-weekly pay frequency
for the first time review time sheet procedures with your Home Department Coordinator to ensure a smooth transition.
[ 7-11-2005 ]
Information Changes on the Check Stub and Advice Slip
The following changes will be made to the information which prints on the check stub and advice slip. Some of these changes
will be apparent immediately, and others will become active once OTiS is implemented.
- Earnings will break down between regular time, overtime and double time, with separate lines for each.
Once OTiS is launched, the break down will be by time type such as: regular time, straight time, overtime, and double time, etc.
Only those time types with hours recorded will be printed.
- The number of hours in each time type will be displayed.
- The rate for each time type will be displayed.
- There will be fields for vacation and sick leave accruals; until the launch of OTiS, these fields will remain blank.
[ 7-1-2005 ]
New eTrac Feature: Update Personal Associates
A "Personal Associate" is someone who has some personal relationship to you outside of work, such as your spouse, children, friend, or other dependents. If you want to include anyone in your USC benefits plans and/or specify someone as an emergency contact, that person must be listed in the system as being associated with you. eTrac now allows you to maintain your own list of Personal Associates. You can check out the details and step-by-step instructions with the online help.
[ 3-21-2005 ]
Your Rights Under USERRA
The following poster outlines your rights under The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, or USERRA.
USERRA protects the job rights of individuals who voluntarily or involuntarily leave employment positions to undertake
military service. It also prohibits employers from discriminating against past and present members of the uniformed
services, and applicants to the uniformed services.
Your Rights Under USERRA
[ 3-21-2005 ]
Summer 2005 Work Study Application Announcement
Student Work-Study Employees:
Summer 2005 Federal Work-Study Applications will be available beginning Monday, February 28, 2005.
Pick one up at the Financial Aid window in the lobby of the JHH building.
Applications must be returned to Financial Aid by 5 p.m. Friday, April 1st, 2005.
NO appeals or late applications will be accepted due to limited funding.
2005 Summer Federal Work-Study Application Cover Sheet
For more information, see the Office of USC Financial Aid Office.
[ 2-22-2005 ]
Non-resident aliens Taxation Change
Notice to Non-Resident Aliens (NRAs):
Per IRS Regulations, as stated in IRS Publication 515 on page 23, a non-resident alien must:
- Claim Single on the W-4, regardless of actual marital status.
- Claim 1 allowance on line 5 of the W-4.
- Claim on line #6 an additional withholding amount for Federal Tax of $15.30 (if paid biweekly), or $33.10 (if paid monthly).
Beginning immediately the extra withholding amount will be withheld from your paycheck.
Exceptions:
- If you are covered by a tax treaty, the additional withholding will not occur until the tax treaty expires.
Once the tax treaty runs out (either due to maximum number of days, or maximum dollars earned), then both
Federal Withholding and the Additional Withholding will begin.
- If you are a student and a resident of India, this additional withholding does not apply.
- Residents of Canada, Mexico, and Korea may claim more than 01 allowance but must still pay the extra withholding amount.
Residents of Japan: You may be able to claim more than 01 allowance depending on your arrival date in the US.
Please refer to IRS Publication 901 for details.
To view IRS Publication 515 or 901, go to www.irs.gov and click on
"Forms and Publications".
Note: If you are currently claiming 00 (zero) allowances, you must file a new NRA W-4 immediately.
You can check your tax set up by logging on to eTrac,
or by reviewing your paycheck stub or advice slip.
If you have any questions, please write us at payroll@usc.edu or see your Home Department Coordinator.
[ 1-13-2005 ]
New Certificate of Academic Activity Form
Notice to Short-term International Visitors:
The Certificate of Academic Activity form has been revised and is available on the
special forms page for Short-term International Visitors.
If you need to complete this form, please use this updated form.
[ 1-5-2005 ]
Electronic W-2s
Why wait at the mail box for your W-2 to be delivered?
We want to encourage you to sign up for Electronic W-2 at www.w2express.com.
It's easy and safe. Sign up on-line now to be able to access and download your W-2 information on-line in January 2005.
You will be notified via email at the earliest possible opportunity in January to access and download the information,
and you can access your electronic W-2 anytime you need one throughout 2005.
- Simply go to www.w2express.com. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- Log in by entering:
- USC employer code: 11496
- Your Social Security Number
- Your PIN (last four digits of your social security number plus the 4 digits of your birth year
- Select "sign-up for online delivery of your original W-2"
- Select to receive your original W-2 via the web
- Read the disclosure and complete the consent form
More detailed information can be found in our Year End Tax Form FAQ.
[ 11-18-2004 ]
2005 Social Security Wage Base
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced on Tuesday, October 19, 2004 that the 2005 social security wage base will be $90,000, an increase of $2,100 from the 2004 wage base of $87,900. As in prior years, there is no limit to the wages subject to the Medicare tax; therefore, all covered wages are still subject to the 1.45% tax.
The FICA tax rate, which is the combined social security tax rate of 6.2% and the Medicare tax rate of 1.45%, remains at 7.65% for 2005. The maximum social security tax employees and employers will each pay in 2005 is $5,580.00. This is an increase of $130.20 from the 2004 maximum of $5,449.80.
[ 10-20-2004 ]
New Employment Verification Service
w2express is now handling all verifications for employment.
Please see the new "Verifications of Employment FAQ" for
further detail.
[ 10-20-2004 ]
W4/DE4 on eTrac
We are pleased to announce the Employee Tax Status Update (W4/DE4) is now available on eTrac.
This new feature allows you to change your Federal and/or State tax status information, i.e., marital status, number of allowance,
and extra withholding amount.
However, there are certain restrictions which you cannot do online. For the following actions, you must submit the paper form
(W4, NRA W-4, or student W-4) instead:
- claim more than 9 withholding allowances
- claim exempt
- change foreign tax status
- change out-of-state tax status
- restrict by a tax authority (IRS letter on file)
Refer to the
online help page for further instructions.
[ 07-28-2004 ]
New procedures on obtaining Duplicate W-2s/1042S
We are pleased to announce that employees can now order 2003 Duplicate W-2s through W-2 eXpress, an outside service provider, which is also our employment verification provider.
All current and former employees can request duplicate 2003 W-2s through W-2 eXpress. However, requests for 1042S forms and prior years' tax forms must still go through Payroll Services or etrac.
Requesting a duplicate W-2 via W-2 eXpress gives you the following advantages:
- The service is fast and secure.
- It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via the Web or by phone.
- You can receive the duplicate W-2 by fax, mail to home or an alternate address, or download directly to a personal computer from W-2 eXpress. The downloaded form is compatible with TurboTax and H&R Block Online Tax Program for easy tax preparation.
For more information, refer to the
Year End Tax Form FAQ.
Next year, you will have the option to sign up to receive your W-2 and/or 1042S statements electronically in place of a printed statement through
W-2 eXpress. We are looking forward to the opportunity of offering additional benefit to USC employees.
[ 03-04-2004 ]
2003 Yearend Tax Forms
2003 W-2 and 1042-S yearend tax forms are in the mail and you should
be receiving yours soon. If you do not receive your yearend tax forms
within the next few weeks or if you need additional copies, you can
request duplicate copies
of your W-2 and/or 1042-S form(s).
[ 01-23-2004 ]
2004 Social Security Wage Base
The Social Security Administration announced on October 16, 2003 that the maximum amount of earnings subject
to the Social Security tax will increase to $87,900 from $87,000 in 2003. As in prior years, there is
no limit to the wages subject to the Medicare tax; therefore, all covered wages are still subject to the
1.45% tax.
The FICA tax rate, which is the combined social security tax rate of 6.2% and the Medicare tax rate of 1.45%,
remains at 7.65% for 2004. The maximum social security tax employees and employers will each pay in 2004 is
$5,449.80. This is an increase of $55.80 from the 2003 maximum of $5,394.00.
See the full chart for FICA & Disability Rates, Wage Bases, and Maximums.
[ Updated: 11-25-2003 ]
[ 08-21-2003 ]
Maintain Your Own Personal Information on eTrac
Have you recently moved and are not receiving your USC mail? Does your personnel record still show an old phone number
you no longer use? Do you want to change your demographics information?
You now have direct control in making sure your personal information is correct and up-to-date in the Employee Online
Services System! Announcing the latest feature to eTrac: Personal Information Update. Log onto eTrac and maintain your
home contact and personal demographics information.
[ 08-21-2003 ]
New on eTrac: Update Your Work Information
Introducing the newest feature to the eTrac Employee Online System: Work Information Update.
Log into eTrac and update your work location and contact information. You also now have direct control over your Employee listing for
the USC Web Directory and the annual printed Campus Directory. Make any necessary changes to your Directory listing, and it
will appear in the next system update.
[ 06-18-2003 ]
New I-9 requirements for F-1 Practical Training
Employees on F-1 Practical Training must possess an Employment Authorization Card (I-766 or I-688B)
in order to accept employment under practical training. Therefore, the I-20 plus passport is no longer acceptable
for I-9 purposes in these cases.
Effective Immediately: If you are an employee on F-1 Practical Training, you must present either an
Employment Authorization Card (I-766 or I-688B), or other valid documents
as listed under "B" and "C", for the I-9.
The I-20 is no longer acceptable as evidence of employment eligibility under F-1 Practical Training.
Please note this
does not affect students on regular F-1 status - we can still accept the I-20 & Foreign Passport in those cases.
For Non-resident Alien Questionnaires, a copy of the Employment Authorization Card must be attached.
See the Office of International Services for further information.
If you have any questions, please call your Home Department Coordinator.
[ 06-18-2003 ]
Fidelity One-on-One Appointments Available
Take a few minutes to discuss your Fidelity retirement account and
investment options with a Fidelity retirement counselor. Thirty minute
time slots are still available on the following dates:
University Park Campus:
Stonier Hall 201
May 21, June 3 and June 25
Health Sciences Campus:
Keith Administration 514
May 14 and June 11
Please call 1-800-642-7131 (M-F 5:00 am - 9:00 pm PT) to schedule your
personal consultation.
[ 05-06-2003 ]
Bi-Weekly Paycheck #26
To ensure timely receipt of your bi-weekly 26 paycheck, you should check with your Home Department Coordinator (or supervisor):
- When you must turn in your bi-weekly 26 time report.
If you already have direct deposit, your pay will be deposited automatically to the bank(s) of your choice on Tuesday,
December 24th.
If you do not have direct deposit, you are encouraged to
sign up for your
future pay, but it will not be in effect for Bi-weekly 26. Check with your Home Department Coordinator for when and
where you may pick up your check on December 24th.
- Please verify your mailing address and the social security number on your paycheck/advice slip. Inform your
Home Department Coordinator immediately if any corrections need to be made.
The University will be mailing your tax forms (W-2 and/or 1042S) to the address shown on your current paycheck/advice
slip by January 31, 2003. Please notify your Home Department Coordinator any time you have an address change.
[ 12-6-2002 ]
2003 Disability Wage Base
The contribution rate for CY 2003 California state disability plan and the USC basic plan will be 0.9% of a taxable wage
base of $56,916. The maximum contribution of each plan will be $512.24.
USC supplemental disability rate remain at 0.2% on all earnings that are subject to the supplemental disability.
[ 12-5-2002 ]
Notice: Change in Status
You may want to file an amended W-4 and/or DE-4 if your filing status, exemption allowances, or exempt status has
changed since the last filing of your W-4 or DE-4. No action is needed if everything remains the same.
You can check your current W-4/DE-4 by logging on to eTrac, USC
Employee On-line Services.
Blank Forms: Print out a W-4 or DE-4 from the Forms section of this
web page, or obtain each from your Home Department Coordinator or Payroll Services.
|
If you claimed exempt from Federal or State withholding tax in 2002, and you wish to continue to claim exempt"
in 2003, you must file new tax form(s) after December 1, 2002 to be effective for 2003. Otherwise, your
exempt"status will expire on 2/15/03, and your withholding status will be converted to Single with Zero
allowances. |
[ 11-15-2002 ]
Deadline for Filing for Tax Treaty Exemption for 2003
If you are a non-resident alien on a tax treaty in 2002, and you wish to continue to claim the tax treaty in 2003,
you must file a new 8233/RPL, or W-9 and Attachment, by no later than December 17, 2002. If you are unsure whether
you should file an 8233, or a W-9, please see your Home Department Coordinator for direction. If you do not file,
your treaty exemption will expire on 12/31/02.
Forms are available from your Home Department Coordinator. For general information, please refer to
Non-resident Alien in the Payroll FAQ section of this web page.
[ 11-15-2002 ]
2003 Social Security Wage Base Rises to $87,000
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced on Friday, October 18, 2002 that the 2003 social security wage base
will be $87,000, an increase of $2,100 from the 2002 wage base of $84,900. As in prior years, there is no limit to the
wages subject to the Medicare tax; therefore, all covered wages are still subject to the 1.45% tax.
The FICA tax rate, which is the combined social security tax rate of 6.2% and the Medicare tax rate of 1.45%,
remains at 7.65% for 2003. The maximum social security tax employees and employers will each pay in 2003 is $5,394.00.
This is an increase of $130.20 from the 2002 maximum of $5,263.80.
The social security wage base for self-employed individuals for 2003 will also be $87,000. There is no limit on
covered self-employment income that will be subject to the Medicare tax. The self-employment tax rate remains 15.3%
(combined social security tax rate of 12.4% and Medicare tax rate of 2.9%). In 2003, the maximum social security tax
for a self-employed individual will be $10,788.00. This is an increase of $260.40 from the 2002 maximum of $10,527.60.
[ 10-28-2002 ]
The new eTrac Employee Online Services System
The University of Southern California is proud to present a new Web online service for all USC employees: eTrac, the new USC
Employee Online Services System. From the comfort and security of your own computer, you can access much of your employment
information including current and past salary, tax, and deduction information. You can submit form requests directly to University
Payroll Services or even experiment with different tax models to see how they would affect your take home pay. Early next year
you will also have the ability to update information including your address information and many other things to come!
For more information on how to access this system, see
the eTrac Online help, or go directly
to www.usc.edu/etrac/.
[ 10-12-2002 ]
New Office Hours
Effective Monday, July 1, 2002, the following locations have new walk-in office hours:
University Payroll Services Office
8:30am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday
Office of Benefits Administration
9:00am - 4:30pm, Monday - Friday
[ 07-11-2002 ]
Important Notice to Bi-weekly Employees
To ensure timely receipt of your bi-weekly 26 paycheck, you should check with your Home Department Coordinator (or
supervisor):
- When you must turn in your bi-weekly 26 time report:
If you already have direct deposit, your pay will be deposited automatically to the
bank(s) of your choice on December 21st.
If you do not have direct deposit, you are encouraged to sign up immediately.
The completed Form with required document must be turned in to University Payroll Services at STO 100, MC 1140 by
December 3rd to be effective for bi-weekly 26 pay.
- When and where you may pick up your check/advice slip on December 21:
Reminder, please verify your mailing address and social security number on your paycheck/advice slip.
Inform your Home Department Coordinator immediately if any corrections need to be made.
The University will be mailing your tax forms (W-2 and/or 1042S) to the address shown on your current paycheck/advice slip
by January 31, 2002. Please notify your Home Department Coordinator anytime you have an address change.
[ 11-27-2001 ]
2001 Winter Recess & December Payroll Schedule
President Sample has announced a new winter recess holiday. This year, the special paid holidays will be December 26, 27, and 28. With paid holidays already scheduled for December 24, 25, 31 and January 1, University Payroll Services therefore will not be open
for operation during this period. The last business day for calendar year 2001 will be Friday, December 21, 2001. Normal business hours will resume on Wednesday, January 2, 2002.
To facilitate this change, we have moved year 2001 Bi-weekly 26 Payday from December 26 to Friday, December 21.
December 21 will be both December Monthly and Bi-weekly 26 paydays.
[ 11-15-2001 ]
2002 Disability Rates
Both California Disability and USC Voluntary Disability now have the same rates. The taxable wage base for both is $46,327,
with a tax rate of 0.90%. The maximum payment amount is $416.94 for both.
The tax rate for USC Supplemental Disability is 0.20% with no limits on the taxable wage and payment.
[ 11-21-2001 ]
2002 Social Security Wage Base at $84,900
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced that the 2002 social security wage base will be $84,900,
an increase of $4,500 from the 2001 wage base of $80,400. As in prior years, there is no limit to the wages subject to
the Medicare tax; therefore, all covered wages are still subject to the 1.45% tax.
The FICA tax rate, which is the combined social security tax rate of 6.2% and the Medicare tax rate of 1.45%, remains
at 7.65% for 2002. The maximum social security tax employees and employers will each pay in 2002 is $5,263.80.
This is an increase of $279 from the 2001 maximum of $4,984.80.
The social security wage base for self-employed individuals for 2002 will also be $84,900. There is no limit on covered
self-employment income that will be subject to the Medicare tax. The self-employment tax rate remains 15.3%
(combined social security tax rate of 12.4% and Medicare tax rate of 2.9%). In 2002, the maximum social security tax
for a self-employed individual will be $10,527.60. This is an increase of $558 from the 2001 maximum of $9,969.60.
[ 10-25-2001 ]
Payments to Short-Term International Visitors Memo
This memorandum describes the steps a University department must take to pay
honoraria or reimburse incidental expenses to international visitors who enter
the United States holding B-1 (visitor for business), B-2 (visitor for pleasure),
WB (visa waiver-business) or WT (visa waiver-tourism) visa status. In order to
allow the University to more quickly process honorarium payments to
international visitors who do not already have the required Social Security
number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), the University
has recently been granted the authority to accept applications for ITINs on
behalf of the Internal Revenue Service. To expedite payments, it is important
that departments follow the processes described in this memorandum as well as
those described on the Financial Services Web.
Federal Requirements
Under the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of
1998, honoraria and associated incidental expenses may be paid when the
visitor is engaging in customary academic activities. This would include
teaching, lecturing, and/or participating in, or consulting on, research. These
activities must be for the benefit of the academic institution and are limited to
no more than nine (9) days at a single institution. In addition, the visitor must
not have accepted such payments from more than five (5) institutions within the
previous six (6) month period.
To receive an honorarium payment, the visitor must have either a Social
Security Number (SSN) or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
(ITIN). International visitors who do not already have either a SSN or an ITIN
and are not qualified for a SSN, may now apply in person for an ITIN by
making an appointment with University Payroll Services on the University Park Campus at
(213)-740- 8855; or with University Payroll Services on the Health Sciences Campus at
(323)-442-2775. In many cases, international visitors also may be able to apply
for an ITIN prior to their arrival in the United States, and therefore are strongly
encouraged to do so as far in advance of their visit as possible. (For additional
information about ITIN, refer to IRS Publication 1915.)
Neither number is required if the payment is for an incidental expense reimbursement only.
USC Requirements
If the federal requirements noted above are met, the visitor must complete
and submit to his or her department the Certification of Academic
Activity for Short-Term International Visitors form. This form must be
accompanied by additional documents. The required documents are specified
on the Financial Services Web page (under the Payroll heading at
www.usc.edu/dept/finserv/execdir/).
Once the form and documents are received
and reviewed by the visitor's school or department, the activity certification and
documents, accompanied by the check request, must be submitted to University
Payroll Services for processing.
Home Department Coordinators have received an electronic version of this
memo, as well as the Certification of Academic Activity for Short-Term
International Visitors form. If you have any questions regarding these
payment procedures, please contact your Home Department Coordinator. For
questions regarding Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITIN),
contact University Payroll Services at (213) 740-8855.
Dennis F. Dougherty
Senior Vice President of Administration
[ 6-1-2001 ]
University Payroll Services Web Site Welcome
Welcome to the new University Payroll Services--Employee Information website
where all USC Faculty, Staff and Student workers can find general payroll information.
Look up the Payroll Schedule to find out
when your next paycheck is due out. Are there changes to your payroll processing?
They will be listed under the News section.
Download tax and other payroll processing forms from the
Forms section. Read up on the
Payroll FAQ to find out all those nagging payroll
questions you need answering, such as figuring out what are those deductions taken
from your paycheck. Need further assistance?
If you have other payroll questions, find out who is your Home Department Coordinator
to contact and to ask questions.
[ 04-02-01 ]
University Payroll Services Hours of Operation
Effective immediately, Payroll Services will be open from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.
We will be open during lunch hour as well. Advance notice will be given in the event of a change in these office hours.
[ 7-09-2001 ]
2001 Social Security Wage Base and Rate
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced that the 2001 social security wage base will be $80,400,
an increase of $4,200 from the 2000 wage base of $76,200. As in prior years, there is no limit to the wages subject
to the Medicare tax; therefore, all covered wages are still subject to the 1.45% tax.
The FICA tax rate, which is the combined social security tax rate of 6.2% and the Medicare tax rate of 1.45%,
remains at 7.65% for 2001. The maximum social security tax employees and employers will each pay in 2001 is $4,984.80.
This is an increase of $260.40 from the 2000 maximum of $4,724.40.
[ 11-20-2000 ]
2000 Social Security Wage Base Rises to $76,200
The Social Security Administration has announced that the
2000 social security wage base will be $76,200, an
increase of $3,600 from the 1999 wage base of $72,600.
There is no limit to the wages subject to the Medicare
tax, therefore, all covered wages are subject to the 1.45%
tax. The FICA tax rate, which is the combined social
security tax rate of 6.2% and the Medicare tax rate of 1.45%
remains 7.65% for 2000. The maximum social security tax
employees and employers will each pay in 2000 is $4,724.40.
This is an increase of $223.20 from the 1999 maximum of $4,501.20.
[ 10-21-99 ]
