Student Pay: What Every Student Employee Should Know

Taxes | International Students | Reporting Hours Worked | Distribution Info | Student Employment Website | Academic Year End Paycheck Information | Summer Student Payroll

Taxes
Please be advised that this information is general in nature. The Payroll Office cannot give individual tax advice. If you have specific questions regarding taxation of your income, please contact a tax professional.

Federal Tax: Federal Taxes are withheld according to the IRS graduated withholding tables and how you complete your W-4 form at Student Employment. The more allowances you claim on the W-4, the less Federal tax is withheld from your pay. You should not claim more allowances than you are entitled since that could cause your earnings to be under taxed resulting in an amount due to the IRS when you file your tax return. It is important to consider whether your parents claim you as a dependent on their tax return. If so, claiming yourself as an allowance on the federal W-4 form could result in your earnings being under taxed and owing money on your return. If you earn less than $105 in a two week period, no tax will be withheld. If you have other earnings outside of UR or had earnings from a summer job, you may want to consider having an "additional" amount withheld from your pay. Your earnings at UR may not be enough to have any tax withheld but when UR earnings are added to earnings from other jobs or from summer earnings, they create a greater taxable income for the tax year and you could owe tax on your tax return.

State Tax: Generally, you are liable for state tax in the state where you perform services. You are taxed according to the VA-4 form you complete and the Virginia tax tables. If you earn less than $140.00 in a two week pay period, no tax will be withheld.

There are some exceptions. For example the state of Virginia has reciprocity agreements with the following states: Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. The reciprocity agreement means that your earnings in Virginia will be taxable in your state of residence (only those states listed above). If you reside in any of the above states, you must file "exempt" from tax on the VA-4 form.

Social Security (FICA) Taxes: During the academic year, while you are enrolled in at least half time status, you are exempt from social security tax. Social Security taxes are withheld from summer pay.

Back to top

International Students
Taxation of International Students differs from that of U.S. Residents. Please refer to the International Taxation pages.

International Students must be aware of the 20/40 hour per week work rule.  Please refer to the document Regulation of Non-Immigrant Visa Holding Student Employment Hours.  Any questions should be directed to the Office of International Taxation or Student Employment in the Financial Aid Office.

Back to top

Reporting Hours Worked
The University is transitioning all hourly paid student staff to Web Time Entry as the method for reporting hours to Payroll. This is being done on a department by department basis, as the setup is quite extensive. Your Supervisor(s) will let you know whether to complete a paper time card or to submit your hours using Banner Web Time Entry.

Payments cannot be processed until you have completed all of your employment paperwork at the Student Employment Office (refer to Student payroll Schedule for important deadlines). You should complete your employment forms at the Student Employment Office as soon as possible!

Web Time Entry: Your supervisor will discuss with you any procedures for Web Time Entry that are specific to your department. Each student employee using Web Time Entry has a designated approver for each position held. This will normally be the student supervisor for the position. The approver chooses a proxy who can approve Web Timesheets in his absence. Please ask your supervisor for the proxy's name, so that you will know whom to talk to in your Supervisor's absence. Click here for Web Time Entry Instructions.

Time Cards: Please complete all items on the time card (signatures are required). Submit your time cards in a timely manner. Holding time cards results in over taxation of your pay and causes problems in budget tracking for the department for which you work. If you miss the deadline for time card submission (10:00 a.m. Monday), your card will be processed on the next student payroll in 2 weeks. Click here for more information on how to properly complete your time card.

While discouraged, students are not prohibited from working overtime hours as long as approved by your supervisor. If you hold several jobs, you must notify all of your supervisors if your hours within one week will exceed 40 hours as it will affect their budgets. The Payroll Office in consultation with Student Employment determines which department will be charged the overtime and the departments will be notified.

Back to top

Paycheck/ Direct Deposit Advice Distribution Information
How you receive your paycheck or direct deposit advice during the school year:They are delivered to either your campus mailbox or local address. Some departments allow delivery of student checks directly to the department, check with your supervisor if you would like department delivery. If approved, email the Payroll Office requesting your check to be sent to the department.

How you receive your paycheck during the summer: Checks will be mailed to the permanent address unless you email an alternate address to the Payroll Office email address. As the distribution method changes for the summer, we contact active student employees by way of a summer flyer prior to the end of the academic year and ask student supervisors to relay the information as well.

How you receive your paycheck over winter and spring breaks: Depending upon when a break falls in the payroll cycle, the Payroll Office will determine if mailing checks to the permanent address will better suit the majority of students. Notification of any changes to the normal distribution of checks will be sent out to the student population and student supervisors via SpiderByte.

Special Check Handling: Whenever you want one particular check mailed to you, submit a self-addressed envelope to the Payroll Office. Please write your normal check address in the upper left corner, as this will help us to locate your check more quickly.

Direct Deposit: The convenience of Direct Deposit of paychecks is now available to student employees. We encourage all student employees to participate. Generally, your funds can be directly deposited to any U.S. bank of your choice. For more information regarding direct deposit click here. To participate in direct deposit, complete the Direct Deposit Authorization form. Please read the disclosure statement carefully paying special attention to your responsibility in notifying the Payroll Office of any changes to your banking information. We ask that a voided check to be returned with the form, if possible. The voided check gives us the bank and account information for your deposit. If you have no checks for your account, please contact your bank to get the bank's ACH routing number and your account number with all leading zeroes for ACH direct deposit purposes. The first payroll after the form has been submitted to the Payroll Office will be a "pre-note" which is a test run to the bank, and you will still receive an actual check. The following payroll the funds will go directly to your account.

Should you have any questions please contact the Payroll Office at extension 8171 or payroll@richmond.edu.

Back to top

Important Year End Paycheck Information for Student Employees
Final academic year payroll checks dated April 27th will be sent as normal to your campus box, local address, or other designated academic year check address.

For paychecks processed after April 27th, please read the information below regarding check distribution.

If you are not already participating in direct deposit, now is the perfect time!  In order for your check dated April 27th to be directly deposited you must submit an authorizaiton form to the Payroll office no later than April 10th.  Access the Student Direct Deposit Form online or obtain the form at the Payroll Office.

Please note, starting with the May 25th check and continuing through the August 31st check, FICA will be withheld from all student earnings.

ARE YOU WORKING THIS SUMMER ??:  All summer checks processed on or after the May 11th pay date will be mailed to the permanent address unless the Payroll Office is given an alternate address.  If you wish your check to be mailed to an alternate address, please email the Payroll Office and provide your name, UR ID #, alternate address, and effective dates of that address.  Note:  The change of address card filled out at the Post Office will not change where Payroll checks are mailed.

ARE YOU A GRADUATING SENIOR ??:  Graduating seniors please note that your W-2 form will be mailed to your permanent address.  Please be sure to notify the Registrar's Office of any change to your permanent address in the coming year so that your W-2 will reach you at the correct address.

Back to top