Payroll Toolbox

    Make the Switch to an Electronic W-2

    Set up an Electronic W-2

    As a Yale employee, student or faculty member, please take advantage of some of the resources and tools designed to help you understand the information presented on your paycheck.

    Explore the Payroll Toolbox (by role)

    Employee

    Paycheck Information

    Payroll Tax Forms

    Contact us

    For questions, please contact Employee Services at employee.services@yale.edu or 203-432-5552

    Best Practice/ Recommended Action Potential Impact of not following best practice Need help?
    Review and approve your timecards, if applicable Over or under time of hours worked For questions, please contact Employee Services at employee.services@yale.edu or 203-432-5552
    Review your payslip for unexpected variances/changes using “How to read my payslip guide” Over or under payment of paycheck For questions, please contact Employee Services at employee.services@yale.edu or 203-432-5552
    Enroll in Direct Deposit Direct deposit delivers your Yale University paycheck into your bank, financial institution, or credit union’s account quickly and safely without a fee. There are no checks to be lost, stolen or forged. You will get your payment on time, even if out of town, sick or unable to get to the bank. Follow the instructions on how to sign up for Direct Deposit.
    Consent to receive your W-2 electronically
    • Faster and more secure delivery than U.S. mail, protecting your sensitive information from loss, theft or delay
    • Support of the Yale Sustainability Plan, reducing the University’s costs of printing and mailing individual forms
    • Quick and easy access to your online W-2 through Workday, a tool you’re already using to manage your employee benefits
    Accurately complete and update your federal and state withholding elections using the W-4 form If the Payroll Department does not have a valid W–4 on file at the time a payroll payment is processed, taxes will be withheld at the default tax, which is Single marital status with no allowances. This will withhold the maximum taxes from your payment. Specify withholding elections by keeping your form W-4 up to date by using the Manage Payroll Options and Tax Forms (for employees) guide.
    Review all deductions (benefits, taxes and all other withholding) for unexpected variances/changes Over of under amount withheld for deductions For questions, please contact Employee Services at employee.services@yale.edu or 203-432-5552
    Maintain a VALID Social Security number to ensure your wages are correctly reported to the Social Security Administration Wages will be reported incorrectly to the Social Security Administration Bring or fax a copy of your social security card to the Employee Service Center as soon as you have received this information.
    Maintain valid personal information (address, phone number, etc.) Delay in receiving documentation that is normally mailed to you Modify your personal information by using the Getting Started: Modify Your Personal Information guide
    Immediately report lost paychecks Delay in re-issue of your paycheck, prevent fraudulent cashing of your paycheck For questions, please contact Employee Services at employee.services@yale.edu or 203-432-5552
    At the end of January, after you receive your Form W-2, use this guide (link) to check for discrepancies between your W-2 and your December paycheck Incorrect wages reported to the IRS and or/state (s) For questions, please contact Employee Services at employee.services@yale.edu or 203-432-5552

    Administrator

    Payroll Calendar

    Payroll Best Practices (Reporting)

    Using the following will ensure accurate payroll processing for your department and prevent over/under payments:

    Contact Us

    For questions, please contact Employee Services at employee.services@yale.edu or 203-432-5552.

    Best Practice Potential Impact of not following best practice Recommended Action
    Ensure that Earnings, one-time payments, and extra compensation are charged correctly to Chart of Accounts (COA) in adherence to deadlines. View the Payroll Schedule: Production and Paycheck Dates information. See Potential Impact below Enter COA charging instructions for the allocation at the time you request the payment during the HCM process. Confirm payroll costing results are accurate prior to the payroll calculation cycle completes by running Payroll Results Verification with Costing – Yale or Payroll Results Verification by Charging Cost Center – Yale.
    • Update new assignment changes (new employee, compensation change, etc.) as they occur
    • Ensure that employees who have left the unit, terminated, or are on unpaid leave are not being overpaid
    • Ensure Payroll Costing Allocations are correct
    • Employee can be over/under paid causing unneeded extra work to issue off-cycle payments, correct salary payments or recover overpayments
    • Benefit or tax-related consequences
    • Inaccurate financial statements
    • Potential loss of ability to charge a grant
    • Payroll Accounting Adjustments
    • Complete Payroll Results Verification with Costing – Yale or Payroll Results Verification by Charging Cost Center – Yale.
      For guidance on which payroll reports to review, and when, view the Monthly Payroll Reporting Cadence.
    Identify issues before payroll settles See Potential Impact above
    • Review and modify Payroll Costing and/or Position Restrictions in Workday Contact Employee Services at employee.services@yale.edu or 203-432-5552 to resolve any over/under payments
    • Ensure that extra compensation and other non-salary payments are entered into Workday along with appropriate payroll costing allocations
    • Correct missing or incorrect payroll costing allocations

    Student Employee Toolbox (Graduate and Undergraduate)

    BEST PRACTICE/ RECOMMENDED ACTION POTENTIAL IMPACT OF NOT FOLLOWING BEST PRACTICE NEED HELP?
    Review and approve your timecards, if applicable.
    Students need to enter their hours and approve their timesheet on the Student Employment website. Supervisors then need to approve.    		 Over or under time of hours worked
    Note, if the supervisor has not approved by the approval deadline (5:00 p.m. Monday) the hours will be paid on the next regularly scheduled pay period. Students can view this by checking the “notes” section in their historical timecards.    		 For questions, please contact your department or Yale Student Employment.
    Review your payslip for unexpected variances/changes using “How to read my payslip guide” Over or under payment of paycheck
    • Hours logged through student employment appear on the payslip as “time entry wage”.
    • For questions, please contact your department or Yale Student Employment.
    Enroll in Direct Deposit Direct deposit delivers your Yale University paycheck into your bank, financial institution, or credit union’s account quickly and safely without a fee. There are no checks to be lost, stolen or forged. You will get your payment on time, even if out of town, sick or unable to get to the bank.
    Understand which payroll tax forms apply to you
    • Accurately complete and update your federal and state withholding elections using the W-4 form
    		 If the Payroll Department does not have the proper documentation on file at the time a payroll payment is processed, taxes will be withheld at the default tax, which is Single marital status with no allowances. This will withhold the maximum taxes from your payment.
    1. Students are exempt from OASDI and Medicare if they are enrolled as a full-time student during the academic year. These taxes are then withheld during the summer.
    2. For State withholding, all students are presumed to be working in CT while living at/near school. The state that should be present is the physical location at the time of pay.
    3. Payment Information: Payments for “Weekly” students are sent to the Student Employment Office.
    4. Graduate student stipend is not reported on Form W-2 for U.S. citizens. For non-resident aliens, it is reported on Form 1042-S.
    5. In February, the IRS and state withholding elections reset if you claim exempt and require you to fill out a new W-4.
    6. Specify withholding elections by keeping your form W-4 up to date by using the Manage Payroll Options and Tax Forms (for employees) guide.
    7. Please note that Yale University cannot provide tax advice.

    For questions, please contact Employee Services at employee.services@yale.edu or 203-432-5552
    Understand when you will be paid Over or under time of hours worked
    • Refer to the Payroll schedule calendar Or
    • Log into Workday, Click on your profile, click on the “Pay” worklet to view your pay group to see which payroll cycle you are on.
    • Weekly – if your timesheet is approved by 5pm on Monday, you will be paid for the hours on Thursday
    • Semi-monthly -due to the deadline dates for data input for this payroll cycle, the weekly hours that have been approved for payment maybe be paid in the following paycheck
    • For questions, please contact Employee Services at employee.services@yale.edu or 203-432-5552

    Note, if the supervisor has not approved by the approval deadline (5:00 p.m. Monday) the hours will be paid on the next regularly scheduled pay period. Students can view this by checking the “notes” section in their historical timecards.
    Maintain valid personal information (address, phone number, etc.) when you leave school or graduate Delay in receiving documentation that is normally mailed to you
    Consent to receive your W-2 electronically Faster and more secure delivery than U.S. mail, protecting your sensitive information from loss, theft or delay Support of the Yale Sustainability Plan, reducing the University’s costs of printing and mailing individual forms Quick and easy access to your online W-2 through Workday, a tool you’re already using to manage your employee benefits
    Understand where to find information on Student Employment information  
    1. Links to Student Employment Information (?):

    a. I would update all of the links on the Student Employment Site to reference the Toolbox
    b. Tax Information
    c. Employment Verifications: i. Fax requests to 203-436-9766
    Maintain a VALID Social Security number to ensure your wages are correctly reported to the Social Security Administration Wages will be reported incorrectly to the Social Security Administration To update your social security number, you must bring your social security card to either their Registrar’s Office, Student Employment, or OISS.
    International students: please visit the OISS website
    Immediately report lost paychecks Delay in re-issue of your paycheck, prevent fraudulent cashing of your paycheck For questions, please contact Employee Services at employee.services@yale.edu or 203-432-5552
    At the end of January, after you receive your Form W-2, use the compare year-end payslip to W-2 guide to check for discrepancies between your W-2 and your year-end payslip Incorrect wages reported to the IRS and or/state (s)
    • You may access your Yale W-2 Earnings Statement online through Workday (an active NetID is required). If you have graduated, contact employee.services@yale.edu to update your mailing address and request a duplicate form.
    • For questions, please contact Employee Services at employee.services@yale.edu or 203-432-5552
    If you’re an International Student, please consult with the Office of International Students and Scholars to understand about taxes and legal matters.
    • Over or under payment of paycheck
    • Wages will be reported incorrectly to the Social Security Administration

    Employee Tax Checklist

    Action to take Take Action by
    Confirm Your Mailing Address is Correct
    In addition to Payroll, Yale sends important information via U.S. mail so make sure your current address appears in Workday    		 Ongoing

    Consent to Receive your W-2 Electronically

    • Access your tax information earlier, and from anywhere
    • Increase information security and safety
    • Easily print duplicate forms, if needed
    		 November 12 – January 15
    Compare your Year-End Payslip and W-2 for Accuracy
    Payslip and W-2 (if you consented to receive it electronically) are available in Workday    		 February 1 – April 1

    For assistance, please contact the Employee Service Center.