Research Corporation of the University of Hawaiʻi

Research Corporation
of the University of Hawai‘i
3.810 RCUH PAYROLL & CERTIFICATION
I. Policy
It is the policy of RCUH to pay employees accurately and in a timely manner, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. RCUH requires both the Employee and Principal Investigator to report and certify accurate time worked or leave time taken by the RCUH payroll deadline. Employee’s salary and/or fringe expense will be charged to the applicable project account(s) (with the applicable percentage allocation if multiple project number(s) are being charged) where the work was performed and as assigned and certified by the Principal Investigator.
Falsification of time reporting is prohibited and is grounds for disciplinary action up to and including termination.
II. Responsibilities
A. RCUH Employee
1. Must report time worked and leaves taken using the Employee Time/Leave Certification Form.
a) All employees are required to record leave hours taken.
b) Only Non-exempt employees (those eligible for overtime compensation) on a daily basis, are required to report all hours worked in the pay period.
2. Comply with payroll and certification policy and procedures.
B. Principal Investigator and Project Administrators
1. Ensure compliance with policy and payroll/timekeeping procedures are defined and clearly communicated to each employee.
2. Ensure employee’s time report is accurate and supporting documentation is collected.
3. Ensure employee’s salary and fringe are allocated and charged to the correct project account(s) in which the work was performed.
*Refer to the RCUH Human Resources HR Portal User Guide.
III. Applications
This policy applies to all RCUH employees and Principal Investigators.

IV. Details of Policy
A. General Payroll Information – Payroll Period is based on a semi-monthly pay period. There are two pay periods in each month, they are the 1st to the 15th and the 16th to the end-of-the-month. Timesheet submission must be completed by the RCUH Payroll Deadline, which is 12:00 noon on the first working day after the end of the pay period. The deadline may be adjusted due to holidays or emergency circumstances. Pay days are the 7th and 22nd of each month, or the nearest preceding business day if the 7th or 22nd falls on a weekend or holiday. The RCUH publishes an HR/Payroll Calendar, which may be found on the RCUH Human Resources Portal (link labeled HR/Payroll Calendar). For employees, the HR/Payroll calendar can be found in Employee Self-Service (ESS) under: Main Menu > Self Service > Personnel Action Deadline.
B. Timesheets – Employees are required to utilize the RCUH Employee Time/Leave Certification Form (or project version facsimile of RCUH’s time reporting) to accurately report time and leave hours taken during the pay period. Accuracy of hours reported includes using applicable RCUH leave codes found on the form.
Timesheets/Records Retention – Projects are required to retain copies of all employees’ timesheets for a minimum of six (6) years after the termination of the project. Timesheets must be made available for inspection/audit upon request at anytime up through the end of the retention period.
Minimum Time Reporting Requirements – (1) Non-exempt employees are eligible for overtime and must accurately report all hours worked and leaves taken on a daily basis. (2) Exempt employees are not eligible for overtime and must accurately report all leave hours. (For both Non-Exempt and Exempt employees) all leave hours must be reported on a daily basis using the applicable Paid Leave Codes, Unpaid Leave Codes and/or applicable Special Code established by RCUH and found on the RCUH Employee Time/Leave Certification Form.
Principal Investigator certifies the accuracy of all time reported is properly documented and charged to the project account(s), in which the employee’s work was performed during the applicable pay period.
C. Certification – Certification of salaries and fringe benefit charges to the applicable project numbers must be based on the employee’s timesheet and online project number(s) and percentage allocation. All charges must be accurate, allowable and properly allocated. RCUH maintains an electronic record of all payroll and fringe benefit charges. Projects are responsible to maintain time reports to support these charges.
Employees – Must certify the accuracy of their time worked and/or leave time taken during the applicable pay period. Principal Investigators or responsible persons: Must certify the accuracy of all work and/or leave time reported by all employees working on the applicable project(s) during the pay period. In compliance with the applicable regulations pertaining to federal funds, certification is required to affirm that labor and
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fringe charges are accurate, allowable and properly allocated to the specific project account(s) where the work was performed.
Only certified timesheets by the Employee(s) and Principal Investigator received by RCUH Payroll Timesheet Deadline will be processed for payroll disbursement.
Co-Certification Requirement for Delegated Responsible Person – Employees who have been delegated the Principal Investigator’s responsibilities for timesheet submission to RCUH, that also includes their own timesheet, must provide hardcopy of their timesheet or a print screen of the online timesheet with the PI’s signature (as a co-certification of the delegated responsible person’s time report) to RCUH Payroll by the deadline in order to be paid.
D. Mandatory Direct Deposit – Net earnings are paid by direct deposit. Net pay is your gross earnings (pay for time worked) less taxes and deductions where applicable. Employee is responsible to report account closures or changes to bank or account information to RCUH immediately to avoid delay in pay.
E. Pay Statements – Pay Statements will be available on ESS each pay period for employees review for correctness. The pay statement reflects hours and earnings, net pay, and applicable taxes and deductions which are withheld from the employee’s pay. Vacation and sick accruals also appear on each pay statement for eligible employees.
F. Overpayment and Underpayments – If an error to an employee’s pay is discovered, corrections will be made in the pay period immediately following the receipt of required documentation. For overpayments, repayment of full amount is required. Recovery of overpayment from former employees will be offset with their vacation payout and final pay. Employee will be responsible for any outstanding balance. For underpayments, amount due to the employee is paid via direct deposit. In extenuating circumstances, manual checks may be issued with the approval of the Director of Human Resources. Unclaimed payroll checks will be escheated to the State of Hawaii Unclaimed Property department as required by law.
G. IRS Form W-2 Wage and Tax Statements – RCUH has a legal obligation to provide Wage and Tax Statements to active and former employees with earnings in the tax year. Electronic Form W-2 is available on the ESS and requires employee consent, otherwise, a paper W-2 form will be mailed to the employee’s mailing address on record.
Wage and Tax Statements contain information that is confidential and considered “personally identifiable information (PII)”. Therefore, employees are responsible to keep their mailing address updated. Refer to RCUH Policy 3.290 “RCUH Reporting of Changes and Corrections of Employee’s Personal Records.”
H. For more detailed information refer to the RCUH Human Resources HR Portal User Guide (A. General Information (Overview, Accessing HR Portal and Global Rules- Features))
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VI. Contact
RCUH Payroll, (808) 956-7239
[email protected] Date Revised: 4/12/17
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