Payroll FAQs

Who do I contact about leave donations?
Answer:    Human Resources Customer Service Center 243-3344

Who do I contact concerning my pay increase?
Answer:     Your Manager

If I do not work due to an illness of my spouse, child or parent can I use my own catastrophic leave?
Answer:      Employees may use catastrophic leave for approved absences due to the illness or death of an immediate family member, up to a maximum of 48 hours in a calendar year. The 16 hour PTO requirement will be waived to allow immediate access to catastrophic leave for an approved absence due to family illness or death.

I have just resigned from the Medical Center. How and when will I get my PTO/CAT leave paid out?
Answer:      The employee's manager is required to process the appropriate paperwork and submit to Human Resources. If all of the paperwork is in order, the leave pay out will be processed the pay period following the employee's final pay check.

How will I know that my direct deposit is in effect?
Answer:      If an employee's bank account number is indicated on his or her earning statement, the direct deposit went through. If not, contact the payroll office for verification before writing checks against the account.

Can someone else pick up my check?
Answer:      As a means of protection, the employee is the only one authorized to pick up his or her check.

Why is my PTO accrual less than I expected?
Answer:      PTO leave is accrued by hours paid. If a non-exempt employee does not have enough leave accrual to cover unearned hours, the system will automatically prorate the PTO leave accrual for the pay period.

How many hours of PTO must I use per illness before using catastrophic leave (if available)?
Answer:      16 consecutive hours

I want to change my tax exemptions. What is the procedure?
Answer:      Federal tax exemptions may be updated online in Employee Self Service; the employee may also fill out a new federal and/or state tax form for this change to take place.  These forms are located in the Medical Center Payroll Office at 1222 Jefferson Park Avenue or from the Forms Repository.

Why didn't my direct deposit and/or one of my deductions go through?
Answer:      The only way that a direct deposit or any kind of bank type deduction can be initiated and/or terminated is by the employee. The payroll department does not have the authority to make these decisions. It is likely that the employee did not request the action. It is also a possibility that the payroll department did not receive the paperwork and will be investigated.

How do I establish and/or change my credit union deductions?
Answer:      A new employee is given the paper work at orientation and will submit it to the Credit Union. The payroll department is not authorized to make any kind of bank deduction for the employee; therefore, the employee is responsible for setting up their deductions as well as terminating them through the Credit Union.

What is the difference between OT1 and OT2?
Answer:      OT1 represents straight time - e.g., if an employee has total hours over their 40 hour threshold and uses PTO time within that pay period. OT2 represents time and a half - e.g., if an employee actually works the entire time.

How does my supervisor enter leave for jury duty or subpoena to court as a witness?
Answer:      Administrative leave can be used. JUR is entered for jury duty and WIT is entered for witness.

Do I have to submit the money received for jury duty to the Medical Center? Do I need to submit the paperwork?
Answer:     The County pays a fee for expenses (usually $30.00) which the employee can retain, however, Federal court pays both a service and expense amount. If the employee uses administrative leave it is required that they submit the service reimbursement or retain the money and use their PTO time.

What type of leave can I use for a maternity absence?
Answer:      You may apply for Short Term Diability benefits.  You would first use 16 consecutive hours of PTO and then  Catastrophic Leave- CAT (if available) for the time the employee is under a physician's care. When the CAT balance is exhausted use PTO - when PTO is exhausted, the employee will be on a LWOP status.

Can I use LWOP instead of my current PTO balance?
Answer:      No. LWOP may only be used with Manager approval.  Refer to Policy 315 Paid Time Off for further details.

Do I clock out when I have to leave for a doctor's appointment relating to a worker's compensation claim?
Answer:      Yes. The employee clocks out when they leave the department and clocks back in upon their return. The supervisor enters WCP for the time they were gone.

How is my shift differential and/or on-call hours calculated?
Answer:      See shift differential in Policy #401 (Pay Administration)

I know I worked overtime but I do not see the overtime earnings on my statement.
Answer:      The employee may not have clocked in and out appropriately, or the Time and Labor supervisor did not correct the error.

Who is responsible for entering my leave?
Answer:      The employee is responsible for entering all of their time transactions, including leave transactions. If the employee is unable to enter their own leave, the Time and Labor supervisor is permitted to enter leave for them. PTO can be clocked before and during a pay period, therefore, the employee would be able to clock most of their PTO leave. Two examples of this type of situation:

• If an employee is taking vacation next month, PTO can be entered now.
• If an employee is not at work for a few days they can enter their own time when they return provided it is in the same pay period.
• If PTO is not registered within the pay period, the OLTA supervisor will submit an adjustment form to the payroll office.

How do I enter leave?
Answer:      Although the system is designed to automatically pull PTO leave to meet the employee's threshold, it is not an accurate account of time. It is policy to enter specific leave (PTO,CAT, PRF, ORI, JUR, etc.) for the specific day that the employee is not physically at their job.

Incorrect entry:

Correct entry:

If I don't enter my leave will the system automatically pull it?
Answer:      All leave must be documented. The system may be designed to pull leave but it doesn't mean it is an accurate accountability of time. If you are on leave for the entire pay period, no leave is pulled.

What code do I use when PTO has run out?
Answer:      If PTO has been exhausted and the employee is not ill, the timekeeper should enter code DIL.

How do I, as a Time & Labor timekeeper, know how much PTO an employee has?
Answer:      On the Timesheet screen, scroll to "Balances-click to view".  Click on this link and a box containing the employee's balances will open.

What is my hourly rate or base salary?
Answer:      Your paycheck and compensation history is available in Employee Self Service.

What is OASDI/HI?
Answer:      One of the universal entries on just about everyone's earnings statement is the deduction labeled "OASDI". That's the abbreviation used to identify the Social Security Tax deduction. The OASDI is an abbreviation for Old Age Survivor Disability Insurance. Another universal code is "HI", the abbreviation for the Medicare deduction portion of Social Security. It actually stands for Hospital Insurance.