Salary

General information about deductions, reimbursements and contributions relating to the salary of employees are described in this section.

Payday

Academic employees are paid monthly. Academic year employees receive twelve monthly paychecks. Advances on unearned salary are not permitted. The AFD Payroll website includes a list of monthly payment dates and information for those interested in having their paychecks electronically deposited directly in their bank, savings and loan, or credit union.

Payment is made to academic year faculty as follows:

• Fall Quarter: September, October, November, December
• Winter Quarter: January, February, March, August*
• Spring Quarter: April, May, June, July

*Spring Quarter begins before all payments for Winter Quarter are received. The fourth Winter Quarter payment is deferred until the August pay period for those with appointments in both Winter and Spring quarters. Any changes between Winter and Spring Quarters or adjustments to the academic year are reflected in the August payment (i.e., changes in time base, change in sabbatical leave, leave of absence, or leave without pay).

Salary Schedule

Salaries are negotiated through collective bargaining between the CSU Board of Trustees and the California Faculty Association. The salary ranges are the same throughout the California State University for equivalent levels. Salary levels within each rank or range are defined by a minimum salary level, a service-based maximum salary level, and a performance-based maximum salary level. Newly-appointed faculty may be hired at a salary which is above the service-based maximum salary for a given rank/range, but will be ineligible to receive SSI consideration (see following section). The Faculty Salary Schedule includes monthly and annual faculty salary rates (pdf). The official CSU Salary Schedule web page provides access to CSU salary schedules by issue date.

Service Salary Increases (SSI)

After appointment or promotion, faculty may be eligible for up to a maximum of eight (8) Service Salary Increases (SSI), or the equivalent, for “demonstrated satisfactory performance commensurate with rank, work assignment, and years of service” when SSIs are specifically negotiated. SSIs may not be awarded beyond the service-based maximum on salary schedule for a rank or range, even if a faculty member has not attained the equivalent of eight SSIs before reaching the maximum. For eligible faculty having an SSI counter greater than zero, an SSI not exceeding 2.65% will be applied to their salary the first day of the quarter after they become eligible.

Salary Increases for Market

The President may grant a salary increase to a probationary or tenured faculty member to address market considerations. Applications for market adjustments are submitted by the faculty member to the department chair, with copies to the AVP Academic Personnel and Provost, on a form located on the Academic Personnel website (AP312-Application for Market-Based Salary Increase). Applications for market-based increases shall normally be accompanied by documentation supporting the market-based salary lag or a verified offer of employment from another college or university on institutional letterhead.

Applications shall be reviewed separately by a department committee of tenured faculty and the department head/chair, with the department chair forwarding both recommendations to the college dean.

After conducting a comprehensive analysis of faculty salaries within the department and college, the college dean will make an independent recommendation to the Provost, supporting or not supporting the request. The dean may issue a supporting recommendation to the Provost only when such a salary request:

1. is clearly supported by market-based evidence, and the evidence provided appropriately meets the criteria for a market-based salary lag; and
2. the request is supported by proof of availability of permanent funding within the college's budget, since funding from University sources is not available for this program. The dean's recommendation must address these requirements in detail.

The dean will forward all recommendations to the Provost via the AVP Academic Personnel. The decision of the Provost to grant or deny a market adjustment, the effective date of the increase, if granted, and the amount of the increase to be granted shall not be subject to the grievance procedure.

Lecturer Range Elevation

Lecturers who are ineligible for further Service Salary Increases (i.e. have an SSI counter of “0” and who have at least five (5) years of service) may request to be considered for elevation to the next lecturer range upon subsequent appointment. Eligibility lists will be distributed annually to the colleges by Academic Personnel. These requests will be considered in accordance with established campus policy and appropriate college and department criteria. Decisions will be issued by the dean at the time of reappointment. College range elevation criteria and procedures may be obtained from the respective college dean’s offices or from the Academic Personnel web site.

Paycheck Deductions and Calculations

Accompanying each paycheck is a Statement of Earnings and Deductions, or Direct Deposit Advice if pay is deposited directly into your financial institution (see below), listing authorized payroll deductions and the state's contributions toward benefits. Questions regarding deductions or contributions should be addressed to Payroll Services (756-2605).

The California State Controller’s Office has developed an online Paycheck Calculator which utilizes current tax rates to calculate an employee’s projected net salary under various scenarios, by changing variables such as gross pay, number of state and federal deductions, amount of TSA withholdings, etc. The Paycheck Calculator is located on the Payroll Services web site. Employees will need access to certain basic information from their current Statement of Earnings and Deductions or Direct Deposit Advice, as well as their current CalPERS Annual Statement to make use of this calculator.

The California State University Total Paycheck Calculator which calculates the value of the total compensation package for CSU employees, including applicable benefits is also available at https://afd.calpoly.edu/payroll/.

Direct Deposit

Direct Deposit is a convenient method to automatically deposit all net earnings into the financial institution of choice.All faculty employees are eligible to enroll in the Direct Deposit Plan. Employees who wish to enroll must complete a Direct Deposit Authorization Form. These forms are available in the Payroll Services Office or through Payroll’s web site at: https://afd.calpoly.edu/payroll/. For additional information, please contact the Payroll Services Office at 756-2605.

Retirement Contributions (CalPERS)

Full-time employees appointed for more than six (6) months, and part-time employees appointed at least half-time for a period of at least one (1) year are automatically enrolled in California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS). Part-time lecturers who are appointed for at least half-time and work three (3) consecutive quarters may also qualify for the CalPERS retirement plan. Membership begins with the start of the next consecutive quarter if appointed at least half-time.

A monthly CalPERS contribution is automatically taken through a payroll deduction based on 5% of an eligible employee’s monthly gross salary beyond the first $513. These contributions are exempt from federal and state taxes. After five (5) years of qualified service, eligible employees become fully vested in the plan and become eligible for retirement as early as age 50. Benefits based on years of service, age, and final compensation at retirement will be received upon retirement.

For additional information regarding CalPERS retirement benefits contact a benefits analyst in the Human Resources Department (756-5436).

Part-Time, Seasonal, and Temporary Employees Retirement Contributions

Federal law requires that public employees who are not members of a retirement system be covered by either a qualified retirement program or by Social Security. This requirement applies to California State University (CSU) employees who are presently excluded from membership in the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS). To meet this requirement, the CSU has adopted the Part-Time, Seasonal and Temporary Employee's (PST) Retirement Plan. Employees enrolled in this program contribute 7.5% of gross wages on a pre-tax basis to a retirement account that is available upon separation from employment.

Contact a benefits analyst in the Human Resources Department (756-5436).

Social Security Contributions

Contributions to Social Security are mandatory and provide retirement, disability and survivor benefits as well as Medicare coverage. The Social Security tax (FICA) is currently deducted at the rate of 7.65%, of which 6.20% represents FICA and 1.45% represents the Medicare tax. For 2012, the maximum amount of taxable earnings for Social Security is $110,100. There is no maximum taxable earnings limitation for the Medicare tax. Employees who are required to contribute to the PST plan automatically contribute only the Medicare portion or 1.45% of gross earnings.

Tax Sheltered Annuity / Deferred Compensation / Thrift Plan

CSU employees have three voluntary retirement savings plans available which allow investment of pre-tax dollars to supplement your CalPERS Retirement Plan benefit. They are:

• The CSU 403(b) Tax Sheltered Annuity (TSA) Plan
• The Savings Plus 401(k) Thrift Plan
• The Savings Plus 457 Deferred Compensation Plan

Participation may be in any or all of the plans. Each is governed by a different section of the IRS Code resulting in different rules and provisions.

Dependent Care Reimbursement (DCRA)

The CSU Dependent Care Reimbursement Account (DCRA) is a voluntary benefit for eligible employees. This plan allows for the reimbursement of out-of-pocket dependent care expenses from money deducted from an employee’s paycheck before federal, state and FICA taxes are deducted. Taxable income on an employee’s annual W-2 statement will be reduced by the amount placed in the account. Eligible dependents for whom the DCA reimbursements can be claimed include:

• A child under age thirteen (13), for whom an employee or spouse can claim dependent status on their income tax return,
• A spouse who is physically or mentally unable to care for him/herself, or
• A financially dependent member* of an employee's household, who regularly spends at least eight hours each day in the employee’s home.

Voluntary Child/Spousal/Family Support Deductions

Employees may authorize a voluntary payroll deduction for the payment of support, maintenance, or care of children, family, or former spouse for whom the employee has a duty of support. Unrelated to the Dependent Care Reimbursement Program, support payments are deducted from the employee's paycheck on an after tax basis. Payment is then forwarded to the designated payee/custodial parent. There is a monthly charge for each program. Contact Payroll Services for deduction authorization forms (756-2605).

Changes in Personal Information of Record

Employee Self Service allows any Cal Poly faculty or staff member to view and change certain personal information via the My Cal Poly Portal. The information that can be changed through Employee Self-Service includes:

• Home and Mailing Addresses
• Phone Numbers
• Emergency Contacts
• Preferred Name

Once logged into the portal, click the Personal Info tab under the My Employee Info section. To access information to be viewed or changed, click the appropriate link. Human Resources will send an e-mail to you confirming any information updates/changes.

Information that can be viewed but CANNOT be changed through Employee Self-Service includes:

• Primary Name (the legal name that appears on your social security card)
• Leaves and Compensation Plan balances (Comp time, Excess, etc.)

Changes to an employee’s primary legal name must be made in person with Human Resources (Building 01-110 or 756-2236), by showing an updated social security card reflecting the new legal name.

Other changes that must be made directly with Human Resources or Payroll Services include:

• Tax withholding changes (complete the Withholding Change Form at https://afd.calpoly.edu/Payroll/withholdingchange.asp to change your withholding allowances -if you wish to specify a dollar amount to be withheld, you must go to Payroll Services in person)

For additional information, please visit the Employee Self Service web page of the Human Resources web site.

Health Care Reimbursement Account (HCRA)

The CSU Health Care Reimbursement Account (HCRA) is a voluntary benefit for eligible employees. This plan allows for the reimbursement of out-of-pocket health expenses from money deducted from an employee’s paycheck before federal, state, and FICA taxes are deducted. Taxable income on an employee’s annual W-2 statement will be reduced by the amount placed in the account.

Expenses eligible to be reimbursed from the CSU Health Care Reimbursement Account are expenses incurred by an employee, employee's spouse, and dependents (including domestic partner) for medically necessary expenses. For general information, refer to IRS Publication 502 (regarding Medical and Dental Expenses).

HCRA plan details indicate that employees may contribute any amount from a minimum of $20 per month to a maximum of $416.66 a month ($5,000 annual maximum). For additional plan details please call the Human Resources benefits line at 756-5436.