Payroll FAQ’s

The Payroll Services team monitors a shared inbox at payrollservices@georgetown.edu.

We are also part of the HR/Benefits/Payroll service center at 202-687-2500.

Due to the ongoing virtual learning and work environments, email is the most efficient way to connect with the team. If you have question or concerns that you would like to discuss over the phone, please let us know and include a phone number where you can be reached.

Please refer to the payroll calendar, which is available here

It depends on the timing as new payment elections run through the prenote process, which tests the accuracy of the entered routing and bank account numbers and account type. Prenotes are processed two times per week.

Payslips for current employees are available within the Pay section of GMS.

If you are a former employee in need of a payslip, please contact us.

In order to meet ACH and tax processing deadlines, payroll is processed or completed three to four days ahead of the scheduled pay date.

Following the deadlines on the payroll calendar can help to ensure your transactions and changes are included in the payroll run, especially if they require an approval in GMS.

In response to the sustained virtual learning and work environment, paper checks are no longer distributed from a central location.

Checks are now mailed directly to employees from the University’s tax and print vendor, Ceridian. Please be sure your address information is accurate in GMS.

By default, payroll checks are sent to the primary home address on file in GMS. Should you prefer to have your check mailed to a different address, please submit a contact change and add the Payroll Form usage tag to the address.

Payroll checks are valid for 90 days. If you have check that is more than 90 days old, please complete a stale dated check form and return to Payroll Services (payrollservices@georgetown.edu) and the check will be reissued.

Please complete and return a Stop Check request form to Payroll Services (payrollservices@georgetown.edu). The check will be stopped at the bank and reissued to you. In the event you find the missing or lost check, please write VOID  and destroy the check or return to Payroll Services.

Sometimes routing or account numbers/types are miskeyed in GMS. Sometimes, banks change details that need to be updated in GMS. In all cases, the Payroll Services team monitors for returned ACHs and will reissue pay to you, typically in the form of a paper check.

The federal W-4 form was significantly modified for 2020 to better align with the Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017. As such, exemptions/allowances were removed from the form.

The IRS has helpful information about the redesigned form, both as an FAQ  and a withholding estimator .

State taxes are calculated based on a combination of your primary home address and work address. Depending on reciprocal agreements between states, withholdings may be taken for one or both states.

The University cannot provide tax advice to employees to include guidance on what forms to complete, however DC has a non-resident tax form called the D-4A. Additional information about the D-4A is available here.

This could be due to one of two reasons 1) you live in a state that does not have an income tax withholding or 2) you live in a state where the University is not registered to withhold. Please review policy FA 623 and its corresponding procedure FA 623.

FICA exemptions under the student rule are based on enrollment status (half time or more) and scheduled hours of 20 or less/FTE 50% or less. Exemptions are reviewed and updated at the start of and throughout each semester. 

FICA exemptions under the non-resident alien (NRA) are managed by the Tax Department. Please contact taxdepartment@georgetown.edu.

Yes, the University is obligated to pay employees for their time worked. In addition to the regular bi-weekly and monthly payrolls, a weekly payroll is processed to pay retro transactions, included retro submitted/approved time entries. Depending on the timing, you will likely receive an off cycle payment before the next scheduled pay period.

The system is designed to pull retro transactions through to the current pay period. The details within the earnings section of the payslip will reference the retro periods that are being paid to you.

Payroll Services is always happy to answer questions about your pay. Please contact us at payrollservices@georgetown.edu and we will review your payroll details.

If an overpayment occurred, we will provide you with a calculation of the net pay due and the various methods for repayment.

If the overpayment can be corrected by reduction of future pay within 30 days of the payroll department becoming aware of the overpayment, the Payroll department will correct the overpayment by reducing future pay. Otherwise, the employee must make payment through the online repayment site, paying the correct amount via electronic check (ACH) and providing their name, NetID and email address, and pay period(s) when submitting payment.

• This payment will automatically credit Ledger Account 20130, Cost Center CC5000, Fund 1701, and Program PG999999.

• The Payroll department will create a correction to the prior pay periods without impacting future pay. 
• Monthly, the Receivables & Payment Systems team will run a report of payments received and deliver it to the Payroll department and Financial Accounting department.
• The Financial Accounting department will reconcile the employee-submitted payment to the Payroll department’s corrections.

Short payments happen for a variety of reasons such as an actual end date on your compensation, late time entry or time off submissions/approvals.

A member of the Payroll Services team can review your pay and record in GMS to determine what happened and next steps to correct.

We run a weekly off cycle payroll so you are never more than a Friday away from receiving missing pay.