Payroll

Payroll Forms (SAP Form Decision Guide)

The Form Decision Guide can be used to determine what forms need to be completed based on personnel actions. For more information, please go to the HR Systems page. If you run into an issue with any of these forms, please submit a ticket to HR Systems.

Overbase Process/Approval

Payment in addition to base salary, sometimes referred to as overbases, additional payments, or recurring payments, are sometimes provided in specific instances. Most often these are processed when an employee is taking on the duties of another staff member, either due to leave or because the position has turned over and hours beyond the normal workload are required to manage the additional responsibilities.

There are two Personnel Action forms that are used for this purpose. The Additional Payment form is for a single payment, this will pay out one-time. If an employee should be paid monthly for their additional work, the Recurring Payment form is filled out, and it reflects the monthly dollar amount as well as the timespan it is active for. Prior to processing either form, a memo requesting approval and addressing the funding source should be sent to the Office of Research. Recurring payments can be processed for up to six months and should not exceed 10 percent of the annualized base salary.

For instructions on how to process overbase payments and for information on required approvals, please refer to the Office of Research Personnel Action Matrix.

Direct Deposit

As a new Boston University employee, you are required to set up a direct deposit account for your paycheck. Please visit BUworks Central and access Employee Self-Service (ESS) (you will need your BU username and Kerberos password). Click on the Pay section, and within that section, click on Direct Deposit.

Once you set up your direct deposit account, you will be able to view your salary statement online – go to BUworks Central and select ESS. On your designated payday, you will receive an email notifying you that you have been paid.

Time Entry (Non-Exempt Employees)

Weekly paid (non-exempt) employees need to enter hours worked every week to get paid for that week. To find instructions on how to enter your hours, please use this HR Reference Guide.

Managers who need to approve hours for your weekly paid employees, please follow instructions in this guide.

We recommend that weekly paid employees enter their hours in the system by the end of each week worked. The deadline for supervisors to approve their staff hours is usually the following week on Tuesday at 12 pm (please note that the deadline can be different around holidays).

Additional resources for timekeepers can be found here. 

Student Payroll

If your department would like to hire a student for the first time, we recommend you review the resources provided by the Student Employment Office (SEO) prior to initiating the hire. There is a separate section on the SEO website called Payroll Coordinators, and it has information regarding student employment policies and procedures.

• Key things to know about hiring students and student payroll:
• Doctoral, master’s, and undergraduate students may be hired for positions based on specific criteria and regulations.
• All student-employee hires are processed through the Student Employment section of the Business Link.
• There can be limitations for student employment such as the number of hours a student can work, the registration status of a student, and restrictions based on the student’s funding or institutional support.
• As of August 16, 2021, I-9 compliance must be done in person.
• SEO recommends departments inform their hourly-paid student employees that they must submit time entries by the beginning of their last shift for the week.

Helpful links:

• Hiring Departmentally-Paid Students (Non-Work-Study)
• Hiring Work-Study Students
• BU Policy on Student Work Hours
• BU Student Employee Form I-9 Portal
• Form I-9 Instructions
• Student Time Entry Process
• Supervisor Approval of Student Time Entry – Business Link
• Student Employment – How to Set Up Direct Deposit
• Student Employment BU TechWeb

Faculty Secondary Administrative Appointment

There are two types of secondary appointments for current faculty members. Secondary administrative appointments include appointments such as chair, director, or program coordinator. Secondary faculty appointments are given to full-time faculty as a means of formalizing an association with a department other than that of the primary appointment. These appointments may come with voting rights or teaching responsibilities. Lecturers typically should not hold secondary faculty appointments unless they are specifically teaching in multiple departments/units.

Guidance for the Appointment and Re-Appointment process/paperwork:

1. Centers/institutes review and update the spreadsheet of current secondary appointments sent to them by the Office of Research.
2. The spreadsheet includes a list of faculty members that center requested secondary appointments for last year or who are currently listed on the center/institute’s website page. Centers/institutes also need to include a copy of the document (it can be an email) that confirms the dhair’s agreement with the recommended appointment of the faculty member(s) and the effort dedicated to this responsibility. 
3. The Office of Research will forward the chair’s confirmation documentation to the school/college along with the secondary appointment forms to secure the appropriate signatures (chair and dean).
4. The Office of Research will return the signed paperwork to the centers/institutes.
5. Centers/institutes will forward the executed secondary appointment forms to the appropriate payroll person in the school/college, so the payment is set up correctly and is not delayed.

The appointment period typically aligns with the fiscal year.  

Approval Authority:

• Faculty direct supervisor (usually department chair) 
• School/college dean
• Gloria Waters, Vice President, and Associate Provost for Research

The Office of Research will obtain all the signatures of authority listed above. Centers should secure the Chair’s approval prior to submitting this paperwork. 

Additional resources and guidance on the review process are available on the Office of the Provost website. 

If you have any questions about the process, please contact Lena Tamutiene, the Director of Finance Administration in the Office of Research.