Overview: Student Specific Payroll Administration

Students accept employment at Stanford to meet academic year earning expectations for financial aid packages and/or to perform services incident to their course of graduate study. When students are performing a service for Stanford, they must be treated as employees with the requisite paperwork and, if working in an hourly position, must keep an accurate record of hours worked.

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I-9 Collection and Reverification

To comply with U.S. law, Stanford must verify eligibility for employment for all new employees, including student employees. Students, who are continuously employed, except during normal school break periods, do not need to submit a new I-9 when moving between jobs. Reference How To: Verify Employment Eligibility (I-9).

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Taxation of Student Pay

Student employee pay is subject to federal and state income tax withholding and is reported on Form W-2. Work performed in California is subject to withholding and reporting to California, regardless of residency status of the student. Registered degree-seeking students do not pay FICA (Social Security and Medicare) taxes and California Voluntary Disability Insurance for quarters during which they are enrolled in classes.

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Paying Non-Registered Students

Students who are working but are not enrolled for a given quarter must be treated as temporary employees. The student job record must be terminated and the student must be re-hired as a temporary employee. Wages paid during this period are subject to FICA (Social Security and Medicare) taxes and California Voluntary Disability Insurance. Reference Termination Process (PeopleSoft HRMS Job Aids).

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Federal Work Study

Students who have been awarded Federal Work Study (FWS) funds may use these funds to seek employment at Stanford. Upon hire of a Work Study student, the hiring department must complete the FWS Authorization Request to confirm employment and to receive instructions on the Oracle Labor Distribution allocation for the student. The student is responsible for monitoring hour limits. Additional hours worked must be funded by the hiring department. Reference Financial Aid Federal Work Study.

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Hourly Student Workers

Students working in hourly paid positions are hired with employee job records in PeopleSoft. For PeopleSoft entry deadlines for each pay period, see Resources: Payroll Schedules & Deadlines. For employment guidelines, including pay scales and work hour limitations, see Administrative Guide Policy 10.1.1: Undergraduate Student Employment on Campus. Hourly student workers must record actual hours worked in Axess Timecard each pay period. Reference Overview: Time and Leave Reporting.

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Salaried Graduate Assistants and Postdoctoral Scholars

Salary information for graduate research / teaching assistants and postdoctoral scholars is maintained in the PeopleSoft Graduate Financial Support (GFS) system. For GFS entry deadlines for each pay period, see Resources: Payroll Schedules & Deadlines. For policy guidelines, including pay scales and work hour limitations, see the GFS Policy Manual.

Graduate students may opt to have tuition and fees deducted from their pay. Reference Paying Tuition and Other Fees via Payroll Deduction in the Student Financial Services web site.

Graduate assistantships are paid on following standard appointment periods:

  • Autumn Quarter, October 1 - December 31
  • Winter Quarter, January 1 - March 31
  • Spring Quarter, April 1 - June 30
  • Summer Quarter, July 1 - September 30

Postdoctoral scholar salaries are paid according to actual work start and stop dates.

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