September
2009
FICA Exemption Changes for Student
Employees
Are
you a student employee, or do you have student employees
in your department? Previously, student employees could
qualify for an exemption from FICA taxes if they worked
up to 40 hours per week. Effective September 4, 2009,
the exemption will end at 32 hours per week, to ensure
compliance with IRS regulations.
Any
student employee with one or more appointments totaling
more than 0.80 FTE or who works over 32 hours per week
will be subject to FICA taxes. At USF, Temporary
employees subject to FICA taxes participate in the
Temporary Employee Retirement Plan (TERP). Participants
in TERP have Medicare taxes withheld, but not Social
Security taxes, and instead contribute 7.5% of their
wages into a retirement investment account in their
name. Student employees working over 32 hours per week
fall into this category and will be automatically
enrolled in TERP. Departments will be charged only for
the corresponding Medicare tax matching expense.
Student FICA Tax Exemption
To
be eligible for exemption from FICA taxes, a student
must be a US citizen or permanent resident employed by
USF, enrolled at least half time as a USF student (or
enrolled for thesis credits or have received graduation
verification), whose employment is incidental to his/her
pursuit of a degree and who works no more than 32 hours
per week. Full time employees are not eligible for the
FICA exemption. Student employees who are non-resident
aliens holding J-1 or F-1 visas are exempt from FICA
taxes. Medical Residents are subject to FICA taxes.
Student employees may work more than 32 hours per week
during regular school breaks of 5 weeks or less and
still remain eligible for the FICA tax exemption, as
long as the student is otherwise eligible on the last
day of classes before the break and eligible to enroll
in classes in the semester following the break.
Multiple Appointments
For
students holding multiple appointments in different
departments, each department is responsible for
determining if the student’s combined appointments will
exceed 0.80 FTE or 32 hours per week, in which case the
student will no longer be eligible for the FICA tax
exemption and will be enrolled automatically in TERP.
The departments will be charged for the corresponding
Medicare tax matching expense.
University Payroll will audit all records on a bi-weekly
basis to determine actual hours worked. If a student
exceeds 32 hours worked per week for two or more
consecutive pay periods (unless during an eligible
break), the student will no longer be eligible to
receive the FICA exemption for the remainder of the
semester and will be enrolled in TERP.
For additional information, visit the
Student FICA page on the HR website, or contact
Shelly Ford in University Payroll at (813) 974-8401.
Outstanding Staff Awards Ceremony
September 29
All
employees are invited to attend the Outstanding Staff
Awards ceremony, hosted by President Genshaft, on
Tuesday September 29 at 2 PM in Theatre I on the Tampa
campus.
The
Outstanding Staff Award is the highest award given by
the university to Administration and Staff employees who
exemplify USF’s vision, values and standards of
service. Outstanding Staff Award recipients are
recognized and honored at the annual ceremony. Two OSA
recipients also will receive the Gabor Award as
“Employees of the Year.” For more information contact
Susan Boully, HR Communications, (813) 974-5711.
Fall 2009 Benefits Open Enrollment
Period
Open
Enrollment is that time each year when employees can
make changes to their benefits selections. The 2009
Open Enrollment for State Group Insurance Program Plan
Year 2010 will take place from 8:30 AM, September 14,
2009 through 5:30 PM, Eastern Time, October 9, 2009.
Employee Benefit Statements will be mailed to employee
home addresses during the first two weeks of September.
During Open Enrollment, the People First Service Center
staff will be able to provide information and assistance
for the new plan year.
Employees will have three ways to enroll in, change, or
cancel their benefit elections through People First.
The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system will not be
used to process elections this year. The IVR will be
available only for inquiry.
-
Online enrollment – You can access the online system
at
https://peoplefirst.myflorida.com any time.
-
People First Service Center – You can speak with a
People First Service Center Specialist by calling
1-866-ONEHRFL (1-866-663-4735), Monday through
Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM, Eastern Time.
-
Paper enrollment forms – You can request forms from
a People First Service Center Specialist by calling
1-866-ONEHRFL (1-866-663-4735) or access enrollment
forms online.
As
in years past, Benefit Confirmation Statements will be
mailed to all who made election changes. Individuals
will have until 5:30 PM, Eastern Time, October 30, 2009,
to make corrections to those Confirmation Statements.
For questions, contact your Benefits Representative in
your
HR Service Center. .
Meeting with Your HR Benefits
Representative
Over
the next few months, the HR Benefits department is
anticipating a large influx of employee traffic. For
your convenience and to ensure that you do not
experience a long wait time, we encourage you to
schedule an appointment if you need to meet with a
Benefits Representative HR is open from 8 AM – 5 PM.
Appointments can be scheduled during those hours or
outside of normal business hours, if necessary. To
schedule an appointment with a Benefits Representative
on the Tampa campus, call (813) 974-2970. Employees on
other campuses should contact their local
HR office.
Employee Benefits Fair Tuesday
September 22
The
annual USF Employee Benefits Fair & Wellness Expo will
be held Tuesday, September 22 from 9 AM to 4 PM in the
Marshall Student Center Ballroom. State and other
benefits providers will be available to talk
individually with employees about their benefits, and
USF Benefits Representatives will be there to answer
questions and provide information about Open
Enrollment. Benefits Open Enrollment runs September 14
– October 9.
There will be free health screenings provided by Tampa
General Hospital, complimentary chair massages, the
Bloodmobile, and lots of wellness information to help
you get well and stay healthy, plus representatives
from USF departments and local vendors who provide
services to USF employees.
For more information on the Fair, visit the
Benefits Fair webpage or contact HR Benefits at
(813) 974-2970.
Other USF Benefits Fairs: USF Polytechnic, Thursday
September 17 from 10 AM – 2 PM; USF Sarasota-Manatee,
Wednesday September 23 from 9 AM – 4 PM (held at New
College); USF St. Petersburg, Thursday September 24 from
9 AM – 3 PM. Contact the
local HR office for details.
Adoption Benefits Program
The
2009 open enrollment period for Florida’s Adoption
Benefit is August 1, 2009 through September 30, 2009.
If you adopted a child on or after October 1, 2000, and
you are a full-time or part-time USF employee, you are
eligible to apply for adoption benefits during the open
enrollment period. Temporary (formerly OPS) employees
are not eligible for this benefit. Employees who
applied in previous years and were not awarded a benefit
must reapply in order to be considered for the adoption
benefit.
An
eligible adoption is the adoption of a child whose
permanent custody has been awarded to the Florida
Department of Children and Family Services or to a
Florida-licensed child-placing agency, provided that a
final order of adoption is awarded on or after October
1, 2000.
Adoption of a Special Needs Child: A monetary benefit
in the amount of $10,000 per child may be available.
Adoption of a Non-Special Needs Child: A monetary
benefit in the amount of $5,000 per child may be
available. The benefit for part-time employees will be
pro-rated. The amount of benefits available to fund
this program is contingent upon Legislative
Appropriation.
For more information and to access the adoption benefit
application, visit the
Department of Children and Families website. You’ll
find additional resources at
http://www.adoptflorida.org or call 1-800-96-ADOPT.
Milestone Anniversaries
We’re delighted to recognize the length of service of
our employees and their ongoing commitment to USF. To
help us congratulate the following "Faces of USF" who
are celebrating anniversaries this month, click
here.
Heart Walk November 14, 2009
Sign
up now to join “Team USF” to walk and fight the #1
killer in the U.S. – heart disease. Last year USF had
504 walkers and raised over $36,000. This year’s
American Heart Association Heart Walk will be Saturday
November 14th at Raymond James Stadium. Expected
attendance is 20,000 walkers. Join your department’s
team or organize a team of your own. To learn more and
register, click
here. The A&P Council is USF’s Company Leader. For
questions contact Christopher Akin, President of the A&P
Council, at
cakin@admin.usf.edu.
IRS Advises Employees to Check
Withholding
The
Internal Revenue Service is reminding individual
taxpayers to check their 2009 federal income tax
withholding levels to ensure there are no surprises when
returns are due next April.
Because the Making Work Pay credit lowered tax
withholding rates this year for many American
households, taxpayers should ensure that enough tax is
withheld if they are among these groups: individuals
with multiple employers; families with both spouses
working; workers who can be claimed as dependents by
other taxpayers; and pensioners. Not adjusting
withholding could result in taxes owed or smaller
refunds.
The
IRS withholding calculator on
IRS.gov can help a taxpayer compute the proper tax
withholding. The worksheets in Publication 919, How Do I
Adjust My Withholding?, can also be used for the
calculation. If the result suggests an adjustment is
necessary, the taxpayer should submit a new
Form W-4, Withholding Allowance Certificate, to his
or her employer or adjust the amount of quarterly tax
paid. USF employees who would like to make an
adjustment to their withholding may make their changes
through GEMS Self-Service (click
here for instructions). Log into GEMS Self Service
via the
eUSF Portal.
Visit
IRS.gov for more information on how to adjust
federal income tax withholding.
