The Resource

Volume 13 Issue 12
December 22, 2010

ELECTRONIC W-2 FORMS for 2010

The 2010 Wage and Tax Statements (W-2 form) for RCUH employees with taxable earnings in 2010 are scheduled to be distributed at the end of January 2011.  This year, an electronic version of the form will be available online on the RCUH Employee Self-Service (ESS) system.

 

We believe that this will be a great convenience to all of our employees.  There will be no waiting to receive your W-2 form through the mail, no lost W-2 forms and no panic on April 15^th when you can’t remember where you filed your W-2 form!

 

Please be on the lookout for e-mails which will provide you with pertinent information and instructions.

 

YEAR-END REMINDERS:  UPDATE PERSONAL INFORMATION AND TAX STATUS

Please verify your name, mailing address and e-mail information on the RCUH Employee Self Service (ESS) system to ensure that our records are accurate.  Your name and mailing address, as it appears on ESS, is what will appear on your 2010 Wage and Tax Statement (W-2 form).

 

The last date to submit changes is Tuesday, January 11, 2011.  Employees who wish to change their marital status and withholding allowances on Federal form W-4 or Hawaii State form HW-4 for the upcoming 2011 tax year may also do so on the RCUH Employee Self Service system. 

 

Please refer to the 2011 RCUH HR Personnel Action & Payroll Schedule for ESS blackout dates.

 

REMINDER: HEALTH INSURANCE (STUDENT DEPENDENTS)
RCUH requires all employees with dependent(s) between the ages of 19-24, to submit proof of full-time student status each Spring and Fall semester after their dependent(s) reaches the age of 19 in order to continue coverage under the RCUH’s group health plans. The certification required is a copy of the dependent’s college registration slip or class schedule. The registration slip (or class schedule) should clearly indicate the student’s name, name of the accredited college/university, and full-time status (defined as taking 12 or more credit hours per semester).

Mail to: RCUH Human Resources Office, 2530 Dole St., Sakamaki Hall D-100, Honolulu, HI  96822

Please attention the registration slip or class schedule to the “RCUH BENEFITS DEPARTMENT” for prompt review and to ensure that coverage is not cancelled. Failure to submit this certification by the deadline will result in IMMEDIATE CANCELLATION of your dependent’s coverage under RCUH’s group medical/dental plans (No Exceptions). Your dependent will then be given the option to continue his/her health insurance under COBRA, but will be required to pay 102% of the monthly premium (detailed information will be provided at that time). If you have any questions, please contact Kristen Stevens (808) 956-6979.

2011 MAXIMUM EMPLOYEE CONTRIBUTION LIMITS FOR 403(b) PLANS:

The maximum contribution limits (listed below) for those enrolled in a 403(b) Tax-Deferred Annuity (TDA) / Supplemental Retirement Annuity (SRA) plan will remain the same for the upcoming 2011 tax year. 

 

• $16,500 for employees under Age 50. 

 

• $22,000 for employees Age 50 or older. 

To Cancel/Change contributions, please complete a RCUH Agreement For Salary Reduction (ASR) form and submit it by Wednesday, December 22, 2010 to be effective December 16, 2010 (1^st pay period in the RCUH 2011 tax year).   As a reminder, changes to the TDA/SRA contributions may be changed at any time during the year with the submittal of a new ASR form.  

 

If you have any questions, please contact Kristen Stevens at (808) 956-6979.

 

Flexible Spending/Pre-Tax Transportation Plan Administration Change:

Effective January 1, 2011, the RCUH Flexible Spending Accounts will no longer be administered by Benefit Services of Hawaii, Inc. (BSHI).  Our new third-party administrator will be Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC).  A notice was sent via email to all employees who are currently enrolled in the Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Medical Reimbursement, Dependent Care and/or the Pre-Tax Transportation (Parking) Account to provide additional information regarding claims processing procedures and administration details.

 

Participants should have now received their personalized reimbursement claim forms, a “TASC” debit card, and a PIN number to access the TASC website.  As a reminder, participants should start using the new “TASC” debit card beginning January 1, 2011 since the current “BENNY” debit cards will be inactivated on December 20, 2010 (black-out period will be from December 20-31, 2010).

 

Please contact Kristen Stevens at [email protected] or (808) 956-6979 with any questions or concerns about the change in TPAs.

 

Flexible Spending Medical Expense Reimbursement Accounts

As a reminder, effective January 1, 2011, Over-the-Counter (OTC) drugs must be prescribed by a physician to be considered an eligible expense. Participants should have received a notice from Benefit Services of Hawaii, Inc. (BSHI) with their Quarterly Year-to-Date Balance Statement reminding them of this important change. BSHI/TASC, nor RCUH, will be able to make any exceptions to this IRS regulation; thus, with nine (9) days left in the year, we ask that our employees act/plan accordingly for this change.  For more information regarding this change, go to the Health Care Reform Bill website at www.healthcare.gov.  

 

STUDENT VERIFICATION

All RCUH Students Assistants employees are responsible for submitting a Student Verification each Semester in order to qualify for continued student employment. For all University of Hawaii students (e.g., UH Manoa, UH Hilo, Honolulu Community College, Maui College, etc.), verification is not required, as RCUH has the ability to verify student status´ electronically through a UH database. However, verification is still needed for UH Outreach College and non-UH Schools (e.g., High School, Chaminade, HPU, etc.).

 

The following are acceptable forms of student verification:

a) Student registration or receipt

b) Letter of student registration from the registrar or counselor

c) Validated student I.D. card

d) Any other form of verification deemed acceptable by the Director of Human Resources

 

Continuation of student employment:  Project/Student must submit a Student Verification for the Spring 2011 semester by January 25, 2011.  Failure to submit student verification by the indicated deadline will result in termination of student employment.

 

Termination of student employment:  Student Assistants who no longer hold a student status must be terminated from RCUH due to their ineligibility (i.e. student graduation). Principal Investigators must initiate a termination action via the HRAP system by December 22, 2010.

 

Please contact Sharon Vong at [email protected] or (808)956-7307 if you have any questions.

 

TUITION REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM

Those who were approved for the Fall 2010 Tuition Reimbursement Program have 30 days after the semester ends to turn in copies of their grades and receipt of payment in order to be reimbursed. 

 

Anyone interested in participating in the Spring 2011 tuition reimbursement program should refer to the 3.460 RCUH Tuition Expense Reimbursement Policy. The required forms that are specified in the policy are due before the semester begins.

IMPORTANT Dates to Remember (January):

1/3	Payroll Deadline – 12:00 noon for PE 12/31/10
1/6-1/10	Web Time Preview 1
1/7	Pay Day
1/10	PAF Deadline
1/11	HRAMP Deadline
1/11-1/12	Web Time Preview 2
1/13-1/14	Web Time Input
1/17	HOLIDAY – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
1/18	Payroll Deadline – 12:00 noon for PE 1/15/11
1/21	Pay Day
1/21-1/25	Web Time Preview 1
1/25	PAF Deadline
1/26-1/27	Web Time Preview 2
1/26	HRAMP Deadline
1/28-1/31	Web Time Input

IMPORTANT Dates to Remember (February):

2/1	Payroll Deadline – 12:00 noon for PE 1/31/11
2/7	Pay Day
2/7-2/9	Web Time Preview 1
2/9	PAF Deadline
2/10	HRAMP Deadline
2/10-2/11	Web Time Preview 2
2/14-2/15	Web Time Input
2/16	Payroll Deadline– 12:00 noon for PE 2/15/11
2/17-2/22	Web Time Preview 1
2/21	HOLIDAY – President’s Day
2/22	Pay Day
2/22	PAF Deadline
2/23	HRAMP Deadline
2/23-2/24	Web Time Preview 2
2/25-2/28	Web Time Input

TIMESHEETS FOR THE MONTH OF December – January:
December 16-31

January 1-15

January 16-31

SSE Timesheet (Form D-9c)

2010 Personnel Action & Payroll Calendar (revised 10/2010)

2010 Special Check Calendar

 

2011 Personnel Action & Payroll Calendar

2011 Special Check Calendar

The Principal Investigator’s Corner

 

REMINDER:  IMPORTANT PAYROLL DATES FOR DECEMBER 2010

Special Check Run:  December 29, 2010 (Wednesday):

Deadline to submit requests for the December 29^th Special Check Run is Monday, December 27, 2010.  Please note that checks processed on this check run will be dated January 3, 2011 and are considered earnings for 2011.

 

Pay Period Ending 12/31/10:  January 3, 2011 (Monday) – 12:00 noon:

The payroll deadline for pay period ending 12/31/10 is 12:00 noon on Monday, January 3, 2011.  The HR AMP online timesheets will be available for input from Tuesday, December 28, 2010 through 12:00 noon on January 3, 2011.

 

FRINGE BENEFIT SCHEDULE Change Effective January 1, 2011:  Flexible Spending/Pre-Tax Transportation Administrative Fees

RCUH’s Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Third-Party Administrators (TPA) will change from Benefit Services of Hawaii, Inc. (BSHI) to Total Administrative Services Corporation (TASC) effective January 1, 2011.  Our FSA fringe benefit rate has been updated to reflect changes in administrative fees (see below) that are effective January 1, 2011. 

 

• For FSA Medical Expense and Dependent Care Reimbursement accounts, the monthly administrative fee will decrease from $4.00 to $3.50 per month/per participant and there will no longer be a fee of $2.00 per month/per participant for the FSA Medical Expense debit (“BENNY”) card. 
• For Pre-Tax Transportation Qualified Parking Accounts, there will be an administrative fee of $3.50 per month/per participant (previously no charge). 

The RCUH Policy 3.510 RCUH Fringe Benefits Schedule has been updated with the above changes.