Policy Statement
Staff are responsible for recording and reporting accurate and complete work time to ensure the timely and accurate payment of salaries and wages and the processing of all Duke payroll disbursem*nts and related deductions. Corporate Payroll Services ensures that the payroll transactions comply with generally accepted accounting principles and that all withholdings for taxes, benefits, wage attachments, and voluntary deductions are reported accurately.
Policy Details
- Direct Deposit
- Pay Deductions
- EST vs. DST
Reporting & Recording Paid Time
Staff in hourly-paid positions are required to accurately report time worked either by paper time cards, online, telephone, or by swiping in and out of Duke's electronic time and attendance system. When staff submit time worked, they are attesting that such information is accurate.
Please refer to the table below for information concerning the reporting and recording of paid time at Duke.
Reporting and Recording Paid Time
| Time Reporting | In conformance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, all hourly-paid staff are required to submit time worked on an approved Duke time reporting system. The biweekly paycheck calculation is based on the staff member's time submitted. |
|---|---|
| Recording Time | Time worked for hourly-paid staff is recorded based upon hours and tenths of hours. The method of recording time includes a biweekly, paper time card or the electronic time and attendance system. Staff are to record time worked according to the time reporting instructions. Errors in recording time must be reported and corrected in accordance with the time reporting guidelines. |
| Ensuring Reporting and Recording Accuracy | Staff or supervisors responsible for time reporting must take steps to ensure the accuracy of the data collected. When a staff member, supervisor, and/or responsible designee submits and approves time reporting data, he or she is attesting to the accuracy of that data. Knowingly approving inaccurate time reporting data is in violation of Duke policy and illegal under the FLSA, and may subject the individual(s) to corrective and/or legal action (up to and including termination). |
| Supervisor's Responsibilities: Controlling Work Time or Hours Worked | Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that staff are complying with established work schedules and that unscheduled work is performed only in bona fide emergencies. Simply establishing or communicating work schedules does not, in and of itself, relieve the supervisor of the responsibility for controlling work time. The supervisor is responsible for controlling, starting, and stopping work time – whether within or outside the usual work schedule. Delegation of this responsibility must be coordinated with the appropriate designee within the same organization. |
| Staff Member's Responsibilities: Controlling Work Time or Hours Worked | It is the staff member's responsibility to comply with department work schedules and to obtain his or her supervisor's approval prior to working outside of the normal work schedule. |
Time & Attendance (Duke University Health System staff only)
The purpose of time and attendance is to automate collection of hours worked and accrual of paid time off.
Each day the non-exempt staff member will "swipe" his or her Duke ID card through a badge reader as they arrive at work and upon departure. Hours will automatically be collected and sent to payroll, along with the appropriate pay rate and premiums. Exempt staff will swipe in once per day. For details regarding "swiping in," please refer to the DUHS Badge Swiping Policy on the DUHS intranet.
If the staff member is offsite and unable to swipe their Duke ID card, he or she will be permitted to phone in hours or log in by computer with prior agreement from the supervisor.
Staff will have ownership and accountability for inputting work time and PTO hours, and will be able to access information about their PTO banks by phone. Supervisors will be able to override the system and make the necessary corrections. All staff are able to use the internet to view their own timecards in order to check hours worked or review PTO balances. Some staff are given the privilege to sign in and out via the internet. The staff member's supervisor will advise if applicable. The web address for these functions is: http://staff.dukehealth.org. To gain access, select TimePC, enter NetID and password. Click on the Login icon. Any NT computer used within the institution will allow staff this privilege. If checking a timecard from home, ensure the internet web browser is compatible with the ReportXpress system used by Time and Attendance.
Automation cannot capture everything- it only captures badge in and badge out times. There will be times when notations will be necessary to the adjustment sheet to clarify hours recorded. Each department should have an adjustment sheet for this purpose. Find out from a supervisor where the location of the sheet is located. Currently all PTO at Duke University Health System except Duke Raleigh Hospital is manually entered from requests on the adjustment sheet, DHRH has its own automated staffing system that transfers the hours electronically to the Time and Attendance System.
SAP R/3 is the business application software that runs the Duke University Health System’s core administrative processes. It runs the accounting and payroll system.
Duke Paycheck & Pay Periods
Biweekly Pay Period
The biweekly pay period begins at 12:01 a.m. on Monday and runs 14 consecutive workdays, ending at 12:00 midnight the second following Sunday. Staff in hourly-paid positions are paid biweekly every other Friday, based upon that year’s payroll schedule. When a payday falls on a holiday, paychecks will be issued on the preceding workday.
Monthly Pay Period
The monthly pay period begins on the first calendar day of the month and ends on the last calendar day of that month. Staff in monthly-salaried positions are paid on the 25th of each month of employment or on the Friday preceding the 25th, if that day of the month falls on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday.
Paycheck Distribution
Paychecks can be picked up from the payroll representative or designee or can be deposited directly into a staff member’s bank account (either checking or savings).
Direct Deposit
Direct deposit provides the convenience of having paychecks electronically deposited into checking or savings accounts. All faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to take advantage of direct deposit because of the many advantages it offers. In addition to being efficient and convenient, direct deposit is the most reliable method of receiving pay. The Direct Deposit Authorization Agreement form is available on the Payroll website.
Pay Deductions
Staff performing exempt work at Duke University and Health System must be paid on a salary basis. Improper pay deductions from such staff members’ salaries are prohibited. Thus, although subject to certain exceptions, staff performing exempt work must receive a full salary for any week in which they perform any work - without regard to the number of days worked or how well they perform.
Consistent with these regulations, Duke may take deductions from the salary of staff performing exempt work but only in the following situations:
- When an absence from work for one or more full days for personal reasons occurs due to reasons other than sickness or disability (and when vacation or paid-time-off accrual has been expended).
- When an absence from work for one or more full days occurs due to sickness or disability if deductions are made under a bona fide plan, policy, or practice of providing wage replacement benefits for these types of absences.
- When it is necessary to offset any amounts received as payment for jury fees, witness fees, or military pay.
- When penalties imposed in good faith for violating safety rules of "major significance” occur.
- When unpaid disciplinary suspension of one or more full days is imposed in good faith for violations of workplace conduct rules, such as rules prohibiting sexual harassment or workplace violence.
- When a proportionate part of a staff member's full salary is paid for time that a staff member actually works in the first and last weeks of a period of employment.
- When unpaid leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act occurs.
Deductions are allowed for certain types of absences (as described above) for "one or more full days." This means that a deduction may be taken from an exempt-status staff member’s salary only in full-day increments. Deductions from salary for partial-day absences are not permitted under federal regulations – except for those occurring in the first or final weeks of a staff member’s employment or for unpaid leave taken under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Managers and supervisors should contact a Human Resources representative within Duke’s Rewards and Recognitions office for answers to any questions regarding this policy. It is Duke’s policy to comply with all FLSA regulations including the salary basis requirements of the FLSA. Therefore, Duke prohibits all managers from making any improper deductions from the salaries of staff members performing exempt work. Duke desires that all staff be aware of this policy. Duke will not allow deductions that violate the FLSA.
If you believe that an improper deduction has been made from your salary, please report this concern to your direct supervisor or to Rewards and Recognitions immediately. Reports of improper deductions will be promptly investigated. If it is determined that an improper deduction has occurred, you will be promptly reimbursed for any improper deductions made.
Voluntary Payroll Deductions
The type and amount of all deductions and the number of federal and state tax exemptions are printed on the paycheck stub.
Staff may voluntarily elect payroll deductions for a variety of services including – but not limited to – benefits programs, uniforms, hospital bills, parking fees, recreation club dues, United Way, DukeCard debit functions, on-campus store sales, Duke Annual Fund gifts, and many other services.
First Check in the Month
Deductions occur for supplemental life insurance, personal accident insurance, group dental, vision, long-term care, universal life, and parking.
Second Check in the Month
Deductions occur for health insurance plans.
Every Check
Deductions occur for personal casualty insurance, reimbursem*nt accounts, and the Faculty and Staff Retirement Plan (for eligible biweekly-paid staff).
Termination
Upon termination, a staff member’s pay is subject to all involuntary deductions established and to all voluntary deductions previously authorized. The terminated staff member may request that voluntary deductions not be made from his or her final paycheck by timely completing and signing an authorization deleting these voluntary deductions. This process can be taken care of by contacting or visiting Duke’s Benefits Office. Deleting voluntary deductions is the sole responsibility of the staff member. If the staff member does not initiate action to delete any or all voluntary deductions, those deductions will be taken from a final paycheck. In the case of deletion, any contribution normally made by Duke in the affected category will not be made. Some voluntary deductions may be deleted based on eligibility.
Involuntary Payroll Deductions
Federal and State laws require that employers withhold taxes from wages and salaries. Most staff are subject to Federal Income Tax, North Carolina State Income Tax, and Social Security deductions. Deductions are made by Corporate Payroll Services on the basis of information furnished by the staff member with the Federal W-4, State NC-4, and the designated state's withholding forms. Every staff member is responsible for updating Corporate Payroll Services with all changes in tax exemptions, marital status, and home address. Failure to submit the appropriate forms will result in default to a “single” marital status with zero allowances.
Garnishment and Bankruptcy
Duke is obligated by federal and state law to deduct or garnish wages from staff paychecks when child support, unpaid student loans, bankruptcy collection, or unpaid taxes are owed and/or overdue. Deductions from staff wages occur when Duke’s Corporate Payroll Services receives a "Summons and Levy in Garnishment" or a "Wage Earner Plan" from federal or state institutions.
Garnishments remain active until Corporate Payroll Services receives a release or an amendment of these federal and state decrees. Duke does not refund any incorrectly deducted funds due to requisite garnishments. Instead, staff must request refunds from the agency directly authorizing the deduction.
Lost/Stolen Paychecks & Paycheck Corrections
One of the reasons that direct deposit is strongly encouraged is that checks that are physically lost or stolen can significantly delay the delivery of pay to staff. If a paycheck is lost or stolen, staff should contact their supervisor and department payroll representative immediately. Payroll representatives will contact Corporate Payroll Services to issue a stop payment on the lost or stolen check. After the financial institution has notified Corporate Payroll that payment of the check has been stopped, Payroll can issue a new check within three to four business days.
In the event of an error in payment, staff should contact their supervisor as soon as possible. Supervisors will then contact the appropriate payroll office and send the necessary paperwork to correct the matter. When Corporate Payroll Services receives the correction, the office will determine how the error is to be corrected – either through a manually created paycheck or in the individual’s subsequent paycheck. Any questions concerning how or when corrections will be made should be directed to the supervisor and/or a department payroll representative.
Eastern Standard Time versus Daylight Saving Time
Residents of North Carolina change clock time during the spring of every year in following "Daylight Saving" time procedures. Starting in 2007, Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March. Time then reverts to standard clock time at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November. The following table lists the dates on which these time changes occur during the years 2007 to 2008:
| Year | DST Begins at 2 a.m. | EST Begins at 2 a.m. |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | March 11 | November 4 |
| 2008 | March 9 | November 2 |
Please refer to the table below for information concerning Duke’s pay practices for Eastern Standard Time and for Daylight Savings Time.
Pay Practices for Eastern Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time
| The Second Sunday of March Begins Daylight Saving Time. | Commonly referred to as "Spring Forward," Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March. When going from Eastern Standard Time to Daylight Saving Time, hourly-paid staff are paid for the total number of hours worked. During the spring when North Carolina loses an hour of time, staff may need to use one hour of vacation or PTO-Short Term Bank time in order to receive payment for a full work schedule. |
| The First Sunday of November Begins Eastern Standard Time | Commonly referred to as "Falling Back," Eastern Standard Time begins at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November. When going from Daylight Saving Time to Eastern Standard Time, hourly-paid staff will be paid for an additional hour of work as a result of the time change. |
Policy Number: 08.01
