Paydays, Checks, & Timesheets

Earnings statements provide detailed information about your pay, benefits, deductions, and leave accrual. You can find PDF versions of your earnings statements in Employee Self-Service two days before pay day.

Questions? We have created a payroll earnings statement guide to answer the most common questions about earning statements.

Can't open the PDF? You may not be able to open your earnings statement PDF in Employee Self-Service if your Internet browser's pop-up blocker is turned on. Turn off the pop-up blocker or temporarily disable it by pressing and holding the "Ctrl" key on your keyboard while clicking the PDF hyperlink.

Leave Balances

• Biweekly paid: The leave balance on your paycheck earnings statement reflects the amount of leave you have as of the last day of the pay period for which you're being paid.
• Monthly paid: The leave balance on your paycheck earnings statement reflects the amount of leave you have at the end of the previous month.    

Procedures for tracking time depend on which campus the employee is on. In addition to the information below, departments may also have department-specific methods of tracking time. 

Health Sciences Center & Tulsa

Employees in Health Sciences Center programs should follow the time tracking processes required in the TAL System.

Norman

• Time sheets for hourly and salaried Norman employees are provided in the sidebar.
• Time sheets must be signed and dated by the employee and supervisor.
• Hourly employees should record the time worked and leave taken during each pay period on the Hourly Time Sheet in the sidebar. Convert fractional hours from minutes to tenths using the hourly time conversion chart in the sidebar. Time from a past pay period must be submitted using the back-dated time sheet in the sidebar.
• Salaried employees should record leave taken each pay period on the Monthly Certification Time Sheet in the sidebar. 

Payments for many university services and benefits programs can be withheld from employee paychecks as payroll deductions. Payroll deductions may include the following:

• Parking passes
• Athletic tickets
• 529 College Savings Plan
• Donations to United Way
• OU's Jimmie Austin Golf Course
• Donations to OU
• Fees for the Huston Huffman Recreational Center or the University Health Club
• Insurance & retirement programs

Child support, tax levies, garnishments, defaulted student loans, and bankruptcy payments are also withheld in order for the university to comply with federal and state laws.

The university pays a portion of the insurance premiums for benefits eligible employees as part of their total compensation package. These contributions are called "Sooner Credits" and are listed on the left side of your paycheck earnings statement. Sooner Credits are used for the core insurance programs: medical, dental, life insurance, and accidental death & dismemberment. 

Full and part-time employees classified to work between 20 and 40 hours per week are eligible for benefits. The Sooner Credit amount contributed for each employee is prorated based on their full-time equivalency (FTE) as shown below.

FTE	% of Sooner Credits
.5-.59	50%
.6-.74	75%
.75-1.0	100%

Oklahoma law (74 O.S. 292.12) requires that state employees receive their paychecks electronically through direct deposit to a checking or savings account. Employees who are unable to have an account at a financial institution will receive their pay on a PayCard. 

Updating Direct Deposit: Submit a completed authorization form and a voided check or other banking document as directed on the form. 

Alternative to Direct Deposit: Employees that do not provide direct deposit information will receive their wages deposited on the Key2Prepaid PayCard through KeyBank. The Key2Prepaid PayCard has features similar to a debit card and free withdrawals can be made at Allpoint and KeyBank ATMs. Other transactions made with the Key2Prepaid PayCard may have fees. Key2Prepaid PayCard information is available on the State of Oklahoma website.

The W-4 tax form describes the level of federal income tax withheld from your paycheck. You can review and update your tax withholding level as needed. 

Update Your From: You can update your tax withholding levels through Employee Self-Service. 

Questions? Click here to review information from the IRS about tax withholding. Other questions about tax withholding should be directed to your tax professional. 

The W-2 tax form reports your earnings during the previous year. This end-of-year tax form is mailed by January 31. Anatomy of Your W-2 Tax Form: Everything you want to know about your W-2 Tax Form is on this one-page tip sheet. Visit with your accountant or tax adviser if you have more questions about your W-2.

Update Address by December 31: To avoid having your W-2 sent to the wrong place, please update your address in Employee Self-Service by December 31, or contact Payroll and Employee Services. 

Duplicates: Duplicate W-2 tax forms are available through Employee Self-Service starting February 15. If you no longer have access to Employee Self-Service, you can request a duplicate W-2 starting February 15 by contacting Norman Payroll and Employee Services or HSC Payroll. Requests are processed one day a week and will be mailed to the individual unless otherwise specified. Can't open the PDF? You may not be able to open your W-2 tax form PDF in Employee Self-Service if your Internet browser's pop-up blocker is turned on. Turn off the pop-up blocker or temporarily disable it by pressing and holding the "Ctrl" key on your keyboard while clicking the PDF hyperlink. 

The 1042-S tax form reports earnings that are covered under a tax treaty. This end-of-year tax form is mailed by March 31 to employees with applicable earnings. Visit with your accountant or tax adviser if you have more questions about your 1042-S tax form.

Update Address by December 31: To avoid having your W-2 sent to the wrong place, please update your address in Employee Self-Service by December 31, or contact Payroll and Employee Services. 

Often student employees in Norman must pick up their first paycheck. This can be done in Payroll Distribution, which is not part of Payroll and Employee Services. Payroll Distribution is located in Room 105 of Buchanan Hall south of the Oklahoma Memorial Student Union.  

FICA taxes are federal Medicare and Social Security taxes. The IRS permits certain students to be exempt from paying FICA when they work at the college they are attending (Internal Revenue Code 3121(b)(10)).

FICA Exemption: To be exempt from paying FICA, a student must be in a student worker title and be enrolled as follows:

• Undergraduate Students: Must be enrolled in at least 6 hours in the fall and spring. Must be enrolled in at least 3 hours during the summer.
• Graduate Student: Must be enrolled in at least 5 hours in the fall and the spring. Must be enrolled in at least 2 hours in the summer.
• International Students: Subject to the same Immigration and Naturalization regulations which requires them to maintain a full time course load and work no more than 20 hours per week when school is in session. International students attending the university can work up to full time when school is not in session; i.e. summer and holidays [Title 8 Code of Federal Regulation 214.2(f)(9)(i)], if they intend to register for the subsequent academic term. However, when an international student meets substantial presence, they become a resident alien for tax purposes and could be subject to FICA taxes.
• FICA Refunds: Payroll & Employee Services will not process FICA refunds for students who were given an incorrect job title and were charged the FICA taxes because of this error or due to late enrollment.

International students that are not residents of the U.S. have unique income tax requirements. Payroll and Employee Services in Norman or Payroll Services at HSC can provide basic information about forms and documents. These students should NOT use Turbo Tax or other self-filing services meant for U.S. residents and U.S. citizens. They should contact a professional tax filing specialist to complete their tax forms.