University of Arkansas at Little Rock

Effective Dec. 31, 2012, the Tax Relief Act of 2010 and its extensions expired causing all employees’ Social Security tax rate to rise from 4.2% to the previous 6.2% rate. This expiration means that an additional $2 will be withheld from employees’ paychecks for every $100 earned, beginning with the Jan. 15 payroll, and continuing for all future payrolls. The Social Security tax rate had been temporarily reduced by Congress for the years 2011 and 2012, in what was referred to as a payroll tax holiday.

A new Medicare Tax goes into effect starting in 2013. The 0.9 percent additional Medicare Tax applies to an individual’s wages that exceed a threshold amount based on the individual’s filing status. The threshold amounts are $250,000 for married taxpayers who file jointly, $125,000 for married taxpayers who file separately, and $200,000 for all other taxpayers. For further information, click on this link for Q&A from the IRS.

Deans, Department Heads, and Supervisors:

Please note the following regarding excess leave balances and notify your employees accordingly:

1. Vacation Hours: Accrued vacation hours exceeding 240 will be forfeited if not used by December 31. Employees who have in excess of 240 hours should make plans to use their vacation leave or risk forfeiting it.
2. Comp Time: Employees who have earned comp time in excess of 240 hours will be paid for any hours in excess of 240 on the January 31 pay check. Departments will be charged this expense, therefore, should encourage employees to use excess comp time by December 31.
3. Sick Leave: The maximum hours of sick leave that can be carried over each calendar year are 960. Employees will forfeit all excess sick leave hours if not taken by December 31.
4. Catastrophic Bank Donation: Employees may donate up to a maximum of 40 cumulative hours to the catastrophic leave bank from their vacation, comp time earned, and/or sick leave balances. To do so, please contact Human Resources to complete a Catastrophic Bank Donation form.

Feel free to contact Payroll at 569-3136 or email Sharon Linz at sllinz@ualr.edu with questions or for assistance regarding employee leave records. As always, we appreciate your support and cooperation in working with us on any matters concerning payroll.

EPAFs AND PAFs PROCESSING

All EPAFs, PAFs, Extra Compensations, Stipends, etc., must be submitted to Human Resources correctly by noon on December 11, 2012, in order to be paid and processed in the calendar year 2012. EPAFs and PAFs not submitted to Human Resources by the deadline will be processed in the calendar year 2013 and paid on the January 15, 2013 payroll.

WEB TIME ENTRY, LEAVE REPORTS, AND TIMESHEETS

Web Time Entry timesheets and leave reports ending November 30, 2012, must be approved by the supervisor in BOSS by 5 p.m. on December 6.

Web Time Entry timesheets and leave reports ending December 15, 2012, must be approved by the supervisor in BOSS by 5 p.m. on December 17. This date is necessary in order to process the December 31 payroll before we close for the holidays.

CHRISTMAS BREAK AND LEAVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The Christmas holidays officially begin for most employees at 5 p.m. on December 21, 2012, and end January 2, 2013. In order to be paid for all of the Christmas holidays, the employee must be in a “pay” status before and after the holidays (officially at work or on approved leave). The campus will reopen on January 3, 2013.

This year employees will be required to use 24 hours of cumulative vacation leave and compensatory time to cover days off that are not holidays, as follows: 16 hours for December 28 and December 31, and 8 hours for January 2. Should these hours not be earned, your pay will be docked accordingly.

NOTE: YOU CANNOT USE SICK LEAVE FOR THESE DAYS UNLESS YOU ARE IN THE HOSPITAL OR HAVE A DOCTOR’S STATEMENT DOCUMENTING THAT YOU WERE SICK.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call Payroll at 569-3136.

In a continuing commitment to environmental sustainability, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) is pleased to offer the opportunity for employees to sign up for electronic W-2s. Beginning with tax year 2012, you can elect to receive your W-2s online via BOSS.

Why sign up?

FASTER. No need to wait for your W-2 to arrive in the mail or worry about mail delivery delays. As soon as the W-2s are processed, they will be available to you online.

SAFER. The safety of this confidential document is protected on UALR’s secure website, BOSS, with privacy assured by your User ID and password. This is much more secure than a paper W-2 that is mailed to you.

ACCESSIBLE. You will have access to your W-2s on BOSS anytime and anywhere you have access to the Internet. Many companies are using the electronic method to deliver their W-2s to their employees. The electronic W-2 is acceptable and meets all IRS guidelines.

GREEN. This is one easy step you can take to help support the health of our environment and sustainability of UALR.

How do I sign up?

Employees must provide consent in order to receive their W-2 statements electronically. To do so, please log on to BOSS and following the steps below.

1. Click Employee Services Tab
2. Click Tax Forms
3. Select Electronic W-2 Consent
4. Read the Consent, then click on the “My Choice” box and submit.
5. Click Exit (upper right corner). No confirmation will be displayed.

If you have any questions, please contact Linda Johnson at (501) 569-8644 or Katrina Christopher at (501) 569-8452 in the Payroll Office.