FAQs

What is a pay warrant?

Your paycheck is referred to as a pay warrant.  Payroll warrants are not produced on campus.  They are issued from the State Controller's Office (SCO) in Sacramento and sent via courier to University Cash Services for distribution.

How often am I paid?

Refer to the University Payroll Calendar on the Calendar & Schedules page for specific dates.  Faculty and staff are paid at the end of the month. Students, hourly/intermittent, overtime, shift, stipend, and additional pay are paid by the 15th following the close of the pay period.

Where do I pick up my live pay warrants?

Live pay warrants are distributed by University Cash Services to departments.  Employees should contact their department representative to obtain information on paycheck distribution procedures for their department.

How do I sign up for, change, or cancel my direct deposit enrollment?

To submit a new or change direct deposit request, please register for Cal Employee Connect. Once registered, enable the multi-factor authentication to access the Direct Deposit request form by selecting the Employee Services tab, then select Direct Deposit and follow the prompts. Please note, you must be on campus or connected to a CSUN VPN to submit a direct deposit request. Direct Deposit enrollment takes up to two pay cycles to be in effect.

For changes, please do NOT close your old account until you confirm a successful payroll deposit to your new account.  During the change process, please note a payment may issue as a live check.

To cancel direct deposit, please immediately notify your designated payroll technician.  See Roster Contact Listing. Learn more by visiting the Direct Deposit page.

When will my direct deposit be posted to my account?

Monthly salary employees need to refer to the Direct Deposit Schedule on the Calendar & Schedules page.

Positive pay and special payment employees will see funds posted to their account by the 15th of the following month.

Why do some employees on Direct Deposit have their money earlier than others?

Some institutions post funds to accounts at the beginning of the bank business day, this is not a universal practice. Other institutions post funds in the afternoon instead of the morning.  It is strongly recommended that you check with your financial institution to determine when your funds will be available.

How long is my live pay warrant valid?

Pay warrants are valid for one year from the date of issue. When you receive a check, you should cash or deposit it as soon as possible.

I’ve lost or damaged my live pay warrant. What should I do?

Contact your designated payroll technician immediately. Please note that it takes three to four weeks for the State Controller's Office to re-issue a lost or destroyed warrant.

How can I obtain a duplicate W-2?

You can view and download a free copy of your W-2 through Cal Employee Connect. Once signed in, enable the paperless option, then select the W-2 tab to view and download your W-2!

Why do I have retirement contributions deducted from my paycheck?

Unless excluded (student employees), employees are required to contribute to retirement:

• CalPERS (if they meet membership eligibility criteria)
• Part-Time Seasonal Temporary (PST) Employees Retirement Program (if they are not covered by CalPERS)

How do I request a refund of the retirement contributions I made to the Part-Time, Seasonal, Temporary (PST) Retirement Plan?

You are eligible for a distribution after you separate from all State employment after 90 days. For more information on withdrawing your contributions, please see PST FAQ or contact the Savings Plus Program at (855) 616-4776.

How do I update my tax withholding?

You can make changes to your tax withholding through Cal Employee Connect.  Please note changes apply on the next applicable pay period, subject to payroll deadlines.

What are the deductions I see on my paycheck and how can I change them?

Mandatory payroll deductions:

• Federal & State Taxes – Automatically withheld according to your tax withholding status.
• FICA Payroll Taxes (unless excluded) – See What is FICA?
          Medicare Tax – 1.45% (if applicable).
          Social Security Tax – 6.2% (if applicable) up to an annual maximum of $176,100 (2025).
• Retirement Contributions – Based on your contract (if applicable).
• Flex-Admin Fee – Applies when an employee contributes to their health premium. The State Controller’s Office (SCO) charges a $0.17 administrative fee for forwarding payments to insurance carriers.

Voluntary payroll deductions:

• Insurance Premiums
• Membership Dues - Union Membership Dues, Student Recreation Center Membership, etc
• University-Affiliated Charitable Contributions
• Parking Fees – Contact Parking Services to obtain a permit and manage deductions.

For any change or cancellation to voluntary deductions, reach out to your third-party provider.

How can I estimate my net pay?

You can utilize Paycheck Calculator (Beta) tool on Cal Employee Connect.  View your most recent pay stub by selecting the Earnings tab and select any earnings statement; the Paycheck Calculator Beta link should be located toward the top of the page.

­­­How will I be paid?

Academic-year faculty employees are paid based on the academic calendar.  Academic days are noted in color in the University Payroll Calendar.  This group includes tenured professors, lecturers, and teaching associates.  Payments are issued based on the academic pay plan, which is distributed over six payments each semester, or twelve payments for the academic year.  Please refer to the Academic Year (AY) Faculty and AY Teaching Associate Pay Warrant Distribution Schedule.

NOTE: For the Fall semester, August academic days are included in your September warrant issue date (10/01). For the Spring semester, January academic days are included in your February warrant issue date (03/01).

Payments and final settlement are subject to change if any of the following cases occur:

• Late start
• Docks
• Early separation
• Mid-month/semester time-based change
• Leave of absence

Twelve-month faculty employees are paid based on the state pay calendar as opposed to the academic calendar.  This group may include certain tenured professors, department chairs, and graduate assistants.

What is the academic dock formula?

Academic-year faculty pay may be subject to the 210 academic dock formula as prescribed in Title 5, where pay is adjusted/docked in units of 1/210 of annual salary. Adjustments occur in cases of:

• Late start
• Docks
• Early separation
• Mid-month/semester time-based change
• Leave of absence

Why is my August pay more/less than expected?

The August pay is the 6th payment of the previous Fall semester and the last payment of the academic year.  When an employee’s time base is different between the previous Fall and Spring semester, the August pay is based on the previous Fall time base.  Please refer to the Academic Year (AY) Faculty and AY Teaching Associate Pay Warrant Distribution Schedule.

How will I be paid?

Non-exempt and exempt monthly salary staff employees are paid after the pay period ends.  See University Payroll Calendar for specific dates.

Non-exempt hourly/intermittent staff employees are paid by the 15th of the following month, provided their time reporting is submitted and approved on time.

What’s the difference between non-exempt and exempt?

Non-exempt employees are paid an hourly wage or earn a salary and are entitled to overtime pay when they work more than 40 hours per week. 

Exempt employees must be paid a salary above a certain level and work in a classification that meets exemption criteria.  Exempt employees are not paid overtime. 

For time reporting purposes, non-exempt employees should report time and absences to the tenth of an hour and exempt employees should report absences in full day increments.

Please check with your department if you are uncertain how you are classified.

How do I report my time & absences?

Please check with your department as to whether you are a designated self-reporter or a non-self-reporter.  Your department will provide procedures as applicable.

• Time(sheet) Data

Only Hourly/intermittent staff employees must report Regular Hours Worked in the Timesheet.

• Absence

All staff employees are required to submit absence reporting for each pay period.  When no absences occur during the pay period, a “No Leave Taken” report is required.

• Sick and Vacation

Monthly salary staff employees receive an accrual on the first day of the pay period following the completion of a qualifying pay period.  A qualifying pay period is a pay period with at least 11 days on pay status.  Part-time monthly salary staff employees receive a prorated accrual.

Hourly/intermittent staff employees receive an accrual on the first day of the pay period following completion of each 160 hours of qualifying service.

• Holiday Pay

Monthly salary staff employees are entitled to holiday pay equal to the number of hours the employee is normally scheduled to work.  No absence reporting is required for University-observed holidays.

Hourly/intermittent staff employees are entitled to holiday pay for each University-observed holiday in accordance with the Hourly Holiday Pay Chart (link).  An Hourly Paid Holiday absence entry must be reported in order to be paid.

• Personal Holiday

Staff employees are entitled to one (1) Personal Holiday which must be taken on one (1) day during the calendar year.  If the employee fails to take the Personal Holiday before the end of the year, the holiday shall be forfeited.

Hourly/intermittent staff employees receive time off with pay for a Personal Holiday based on the number of hours worked in the pay period in which the Personal Holiday is taken and the Hourly Holiday Pay Chart (link).

What if my work schedule assignment is not the standard Monday-Friday (8 hours per day) schedule?

If your work schedule assignment is not properly reflected in the system, please have your department submit a Work Schedule Change Request form.

An accurate work schedule assignment is necessary to ensure correct accounting of excess and deficit hours (see Excess Plus/Minus Processing Notes) for non-exempt employees and correct absence reporting for all employees.

The default work schedule in the system for new employees is the standard, full-time Monday-Friday, 8 hours per day, regardless of time base.  Employees working any other schedule must have a work schedule assignment change request submitted by their department in a timely manner.

How will I be paid?

Pay is issued by the 15th of the following month, provided your time reporting is submitted and approved on time.

How do I report my time & attendance?

Check with your department as to whether you are a designated self-reporter or a non-self-reporter.  Your department will provide procedures as applicable.

Those who self-report must only report time worked after the work has been performed.  Advance time entry is not allowed.    

What if I missed reporting time?

Please contact your department to submit a Prior Period Adjustment (PPA) form.

Why do I have extra deductions taken from my paycheck during the summer?

During the academic year, most students are enrolled at least half-time, making them exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes.  During the summer, students not enrolled or enrolled below half-time are subject to Part-Time, Seasonal, Temporary (PST) retirement plan (in lieu of Social Security) and Medicare.  In these cases, a PST retirement deduction of 7.5% from gross wages as well as a Medicare deduction of 1.45% from gross wages are taken.

A refund request of PST retirement deductions cannot be made until an employee is fully separated from all State of California employment for 90 days.  After two years of inactivity and if your account balance does not exceed $1,000, Savings Plus will distribute the balance of your account to you in a lump sum, even if you do not request a distribution.

For more information about what is PST, visit the Savings Plus Website.

Related Links:
Student Assistant Compensation Plan