Compensation Policies and Procedures

A. Payroll Distribution

Payroll is issued semi-monthly on the 15th and the last day of each month. If either of these days falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, checks will be available on the Friday or the last working day before the weekend or holiday. Checks are distributed by the cashier’s office to the department, or through direct deposit.

B. Direct Deposit

The payroll process is entirely paperless for all employees. to include graduate assistants, full time, and adjunct employees. The paperless process includes pay checks and earnings statements. Upon hire all employees must complete a payroll election form and return it to the Payroll Office.

Workday allows employees to access and print information about their check, direct deposit, earnings statements, and W-2 from the employee profile after each payroll cycle is completed. Employees can login and examine the information online and print copies of pay information processed within a twelve-month period and W-2 information for a two-year period. For more information, contact the Payroll office.

C. Career Service Recognition

Purpose

Arkansas law allows the state to recognize the longevity of state employees and non-faculty employees of institutions of higher education for years of service to the state.

Specific Provisions

Employees and non-faculty employees of institutions of higher education who meet the eligibility requirements shall be eligible for annual career service recognition payments on the anniversary date of the completion of such service according to the following schedule:

Career Service                                                       Annual Payment

10 through 14 years of state service                                      $800

15 through 19 years of state service                                      $1000

20 through 24 years of state service                                      $1200

25 or more years of state service                                          $1500

To receive the full amount of the recognition payment, the service must have been in either elected positions or regular full-time positions, classified or non-classified.

Employees who work part-time in regular salary positions may receive annual career service recognition payments on a pro rata basis.

Periods of authorized leave without pay and leave of absence for military service when veteran’s reemployment rights are exercised shall not negate eligibility for the payment.

The Chief Fiscal Officer of the State shall make the determination that there are sufficient funds available for career service recognition payments to be made.

Career service recognition payments shall be subject to withholding of all applicable state and federal taxes. Career service payments shall be included by retirement systems in determining benefits.

D. Fair Labor Standards Act

A regular work week is forty hours, and overtime work for classified employees is generally not allowed unless it is necessary. If the workload in a department necessitates working beyond regular hours, overtime payment may be made with the prior approval of the supervisor and appropriate vice chancellor for non-exempt employees defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act, or for the performance of non- exempt work by an exempt employee, or compensatory time may be granted to the employee.

Overtime pay is calculated at a rate of one and one-half times an employee’s regular hourly pay for each hour worked over forty hours in a work week. Paid holidays, vacation, sick leave, or other leave shall not be counted as hours worked. Equivalent time-off should be granted to employees working on a holiday or other regularly scheduled day off. An employee’s entitlement to earn overtime pay depends upon whether he or she is classified as an exempt or a non-exempt employee, and the type of work performed by the employee exceeding the forty-hour work week.

It is the employee’s responsibility to notify Human Resources and the department head immediately of any salary payment errors, including overpayments. Pay advices are issued in advance of payday to help you identify such errors before the erroneous salary payments are made. Department heads are expected to assist and cooperate fully with Human Resources and the Payroll Office in efforts to recover salary overpayments.

It is the policy of the state of Arkansas and of the university that an individual may not profit from an error in paying an employee or vendor. The university will vigorously pursue collection of all salary overpayments from former employees in the same manner as it pursues other debts to the university. Salary overpayments that are not repaid immediately will be referred to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration overpaid wages to be collected from the employee’s state income tax refunds.

To reduce the likelihood of salary overpayments to terminating employees, payments for accumulated annual leave will not be made until the 15th of the month following your last work day. During this time, you and your department are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of your leave record.

If a salary overpayment is made while the employee is still employed by the university, the overpayment will be deducted from the employee’s next pay deposit or check.

Any funds owed the university may be deducted from the employee’s paycheck or from other payments due, such as payment for accrued, or unused leave at the time of termination. A repayment plan may be set up with the department owed to prevent an involuntary payroll deduction. If you are no longer employed, your final settlement with the university will be for the entire amount owed.

E. Offset of Amounts due to the University by an Employee (Employee Debts)

Pursuant to Board Policy 405.2, UAPB has the right to set off amounts due to UAPB by an employee against amounts due and payable to the employee.

Offset Right and Limitations

The University shall have the right to set off against any amounts due and payable to an employee, including a student employee, those liquidated amounts due and payable by the employee to the University for any reason.  Amounts owed by the employee, and categories which may be appropriate for voluntary payroll deductions, may include, but are not limited to, parking charges and fines, rent, tuition, fees, travel advance overages, and other charges or category of payroll deductions approved by the President. In the case of involuntary set off the University may apply the offset, and then pay the net amount remaining to the employee in full satisfaction of his or her wages or other amount due as follows:

1. If the amounts owed by the employee to UAPB were the result of money advanced to the employee or misappropriation by the employee of money or personal property belonging to the university, the university may set off amounts owed to the University against all wages or other money owed to the employee.
2. In all other cases of offsets against an employee’s wages, the University may only set off amounts owed the University against those wages which are above the statutory minimum hourly wage.
3. If the amounts owed to student employees constitute payments for work-study or are student loans under a program guaranteed or established by the U.S. Government, any set off shall be subject to laws and regulations governing those programs.
4. The University may also set off amounts owed to the University against any other sums owed to an employee.

F. Garnishments and Salary Liens (UASP 440.9)

Any employee is subject to having wages and/or other amounts due seized by a court order of garnishment or by a governmental lien. UAPB is required to comply with an order of garnishment where it is issued after a legal judgment has been entered against the employee-debtor. Governmental liens such as those arising from claims for unpaid taxes and from bankruptcy claims must also be honored.

For garnishments against compensation due an employee, federal law restricts the amount which may be seized for any work week to twenty-five percent of disposable earnings, or the amount by which disposable earnings exceed thirty (30) times the federal minimum hourly wage, whichever is less, and subject to certain restrictions.

Upon receipt of two orders of garnishment, two salary liens, or a combination of one of each type of seizure against the salary of an employee during any period of twelve months starting from receipt of the first order, grounds shall be deemed to exist for termination of an employee. Multiple garnishment orders arising from the same debtor and same judgment shall be treated as a single garnishment, and multiple salary liens arising out of the same bankruptcy order or same debt for taxes due the same governmental unit shall be treated as a single salary lien. The Human Resources Office shall notify the immediate supervisor and chancellor when two orders are received concerning the same employee within a twelve-month period.