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Forms and Documents

Payroll Calendar Payroll Forms

Yes - if you have had a break in service for more than three pay periods then you must reactivate Direct Deposit using the Direct Deposit Reactivation Form.  If you have made changes to your bank account(s), you must use a Direct Deposit Enrollment Form.

State Fiscal Year

State employees are Paid Bi-Weekly on Wednesdays for work performed two weeks earlier; Each pay week begins on Thursday and ends on Wednesday.  Students are paid on alternate Thursday.

State paychecks are based on the State fiscal year which cannot be equally divided. Therefore, dividing your salary by 26 will NOT give you the correct salary. 

Calculation

Instead, computation of the bi-weekly wage is made by dividing the annual salary by the number of calendar days in the State fiscal year (365 or 366) and multiplying this result by the number of calendar days in a bi-weekly period (14).

To reduce this process to one-step, the fractions 14/365 and 14/366 are converted to multiplication factors:

Wage Calculation Factors

Payroll Factors

.038356  Non-Leap Year 

.038251  Leap Year

Full-time employees: Base Salary X Factor

Less Than Full Bi-Weekly Period

Since the bi-weekly period of 14 calendar days contains 10 work days for most employees, computation of services of less than a full bi-weekly period on a calendar-day basis would result in many inequities. Therefore, payment for a salary less than a full bi-weekly period for State employees is computed on the basis of a work-day rate, which is determined by dividing the bi-weekly rate by 10. An exception is made for State Officers and SUNY Faculty.

Part-time

Part-time employees must multiply the bi-weekly salary by their percentage of obligation (FTE)

Part-time employees: Base Salary X Factor X Percentage of obligation (FTE)

Salary Deferral

Salary deferral factor is .034250 times your annual salary (applies to Management Confidential employees)

Understanding State Paycheck

Change of Address: Status changes (marital status, phone number, address, social security number, etc) can be made by completing a Personal Data Update form and attaching legal documentation. This form can be obtained from the internal HR website at HRLIB.downstate.edu.
Send completed form and documents to: HRTransactions@downstate.edu and use eMail Subject Line = Employee Status Change. Some status changes may require employee to visit to DHR in person.

  • If you are changing your address TO or LEAVING the 5 boroughs of NYC (Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island), you will need to complete a new W4-Form and IT-2104 Form (e.g. From NJ to NYC, or FROM NYC to NJ).
  • If you have any questions, feel free to contact Payroll at ext. 1139 or email Payroll@downstate.edu.

We went live as a campus as of December 5, 2017 with NYS Payroll Online. Please see the NYS Payroll Online Flyer and in the Training Resources review the NYS Payroll Online Self Service presentation.

Tax for Lump Sum Payments: Supplemental wages are generally taxed using the Optional Flat Rate Method (flat 25%). The MC Merit Award has been determined to be supplemental wages and will be taxed using this method. The SUNY Discretionary Award (Earnings Code "SMR") is taxable income subject to employment and income taxes and will be taxed using the Supplemental Optional Flat Rate Method.

W2 Forms are mailed from NYS-Albany to the employee's address on file on or before January 31 of each year.

Tax Wage Estimator

FAILED TO FILE TAXES?

PENALTIES & INTEREST

    • If you owe taxes and don't file, the IRS can assess penalty and interest and seize U.S. bank assets for repayment. Fines and penalties can often amount to more than the original tax debt.

Students:

TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBERS (TIN)

  • A Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) is an identification number used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the administration of tax laws. It is issued either by the Social Security Administration (SSA) or by the IRS. A Social Security number (SSN) is issued by the SSA whereas all other TINs are issued by the IRS.

Teaching Assistant (TA) and Graduate Assistant (GA):

TA and GA salary payments are not considered scholarships or fellowships. Only those students who had bona fide scholarships or fellowships may deduct expenses paid for tuition, books and fees.

Income from TA and GA positions and tuition remission is considered earned income and is taxable.

Received a U.S. based scholarship or fellowships?

    • If you received a U.S. based scholarship or fellowship, you may also receive Form 1042-S. This form is generally mailed around March 15th. You will need to have both forms before you can file your taxes.

    • Students with bona fide scholarships or fellowships (no work was required as a condition of receiving the award) may deduct expenses paid for tuition, books and fees up to the amount of the scholarship/fellowship.

Visa Residency status is NOT the same as Tax Residency status. If you were in the U.S. for even 1 day in the tax year and had no U.S. earned income or scholarships, you still must file.

DO I NEED TO FILE?

Determining Alien Status

Forms

MISSED THE DEADLINE?

    • A U.S. citizen or resident can file  Form 4868 to request an automatic extension of time to file a U.S. individual income tax return. 

REQUEST AN EXTENSTION WITH PAYMENT

    • If you owe any taxes, you must still mail your tax payment by the deadline or you will be assessed a penalty and interest as of the deadline. Therefore, along with your check made payable to the United States Treasury, sign and date Form 4868 and mail it to: 

Internal Revenue Service
P.O. Box 931300,
Louisville, KY 40293-1300

For additional payment & mailing questions, see Page 3 & 4 of  Form 4868

REQUEST AN EXTENSTION WITHOUT PAYMENT

    • If you don't owe any taxes, sign and date Form 4868 and mail it to: 

Dept. of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service Center
Kansas City, MO 64999-0045

For additional mailing questions, see Page 4 of  Form 4868

WHICH FORM TO FILE?

File & Make a Payment

Along with your check made payable to the United States Treasury,  sign and date Form 1040NR and Form 8833 OR Forms 1040NR and Forms 8843 and mail them both to:

Internal Revenue Service
P.O. Box 1303
Charlotte, NC 28201-1303

File & No Payment

If you are NOT sending a payment or if you are receiving a refund, sign and date both Form 1040NR and Form 8833 OR Form 1040NR and Form 8843 and mail them to:

Department of the Treasury
Internal Revenue Service Center
Austin, TX 73301-0215

File From Abroad

If you are leaving the country before you can file taxes, make sure to update your address via Self-Service Portal in SUNY HR or contact Human Resources at humanresources@downstate.edu or call (718) 270-1191 so that your Form W-2 and/or Form 1042-S can be mailed to you so you can file from abroad.

 

 

References For Foreign Students and Scholars

 

Tax Treaties

The United States has income tax treaties with a number of foreign countries. Under these treaties, residents (not necessarily citizens) of foreign countries may be eligible to be taxed at a reduced rate or exempt from U.S. income taxes on certain items of income they receive from sources within the United States. These reduced rates and exemptions vary among countries and specific items of income.

 

Form 1042-S

If you are from a country which has a tax treaty with the U.S., or you received a U.S. based scholarship or fellowship, you may also receive Form 1042-S in addition to a W-2. This form is generally mailed around March 15th. You will need to have both forms before you can file your taxes. 

Reimbursement of relocation is a reportable expense and is subject to Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax guidelines.

State

State employees may be reimbursed for the actual moving costs of household goods, personal effects and transportation costs. No reimbursement shall be provided for household goods and personal effects in excess of 12,000 pounds. The appointee should select a carrier that is registered with the Department of Transportation. If a private mover is used, three written estimates must be obtained; the lowest of which will be used for reimbursement.

Claim for reimbursement must be submitted within one year of the effective date of the appointment.

Payroll Bulletin 1698 - January 2019 OSC website »

Payroll Bulletin 1698 - January 2019 - Downloadable PDF »

Relocation Expenses Eligible for Reimbursement

  • Basic cost of moving household goods.
  • Basic cost of rental of trailers or trucks.
  • Cost of packing and/or unpacking of household goods or personal effects if such services are provided by the carrier.
  • Cost of transportation of the appointee and his/her family to the new location at the current IRS rate for the use of personally owned vehicles. The mileage to be measured by the shortest highway route between two places of residence. Payment will be made for one vehicle only, or actual method of transportation used (e.g. airfare).
  • Cost of additional insurance above the lowest valuation rate charged.

Relocation Expenses Ineligible for Reimbursement

  • Transportation of automobiles, boats and other motor vehicles.
  • Household goods and personal effects in excess of 12,000 pounds.
  • Temporary housing and pre-move expenses.

Required Documents

As of July 1, 2020, the deduction for all new overpayments will be at 15% of gross salary.

Review the complete Overpayment Policy here (PDF)