301 Graduate Assistant Payments
Payroll Policy and Procedure Manual
Section 300: Payment of Graduate Student Employees
Effective: 01/01/2001
Revised: 12/27/2011
- 301-01 Payment Process
- 301-02 Job and Labor Distribution Forms
- 301-03 Pay Method - Default / Unit Pay
- 301-04 Social Security Exemption for Student Employees
- 301-05 Accounting for Labor Charges
To be eligible for a Graduate Assistantship appointment, students must meet specific eligibility requirements established by the Graduate School and monitored by the Office of Human Resources. See OSU Graduate Assistantships on the Graduate School website for additional information.
Graduate assistant students may also work as student employees during summer session and the academic year in addition to their Graduate Assistantship. If a graduate assistant on less than .49 FTE takes on extra duties, the total assistantship plus salary or hourly pay from any location within the Oregon University System shall not exceed the equivalent of .49 FTE for any term. Doing so jeopardizes the student’s assistantship eligibility.
301a Other Specialized Graduate Employee Types
Clinical Fellows are found only in the Vet Med and Pharmacy Schools. See the Health and Science Business Center for more information.
Postdoctoral Scholars are employed by all Business Centers. Contact the Graduate School for any policy issues.
301-01 Payment Process
After logging in on the Oregon State Central Administrative Resources (OSCAR) website, scroll down to Recruit/Appoint, click on "Appoint - Graduate Assistant" (or Postdoctoral Scholar as appropriate) and complete the appropriate online tasks.
301-02 Job and Labor Distribution Forms
301-02a Job Form
- The Job Form is used to authorize pay for initial appointments, report changes of appointment %, and to report changes in contract length during the fiscal year.
- To obtain this form, log onto the Oregon State Central Administrative Resources OSCAR website, scroll down to Recruit/Appoint, click on "Appoint - Graduate Assistant" (or Postdoctoral Scholar and complete the appropriate online tasks.
- Job forms should be routed as normal within the Business Centers.
301-02b Labor Distribution Form
- The Labor Distribution Form is used to report changes to prior, current, or future distributions
- To obtain this form, go to OSCAR, scroll down to "Payroll Changes," scroll to and click on "Job Labor Distribution Change" (excel format).
- Labor Distribution forms should be entered and archived by Business Center personnel.
301-03 Pay Method - Default/Unit Pay
301-03a Default Pay
Pay is issued for the period from the 1st of the month through the end of the month. Refer to Graduate Student Earn Codes for the correct Earn Codes and Account Codes to use.
301-03b Unit Based Pay
For Fall, Winter and Spring only, eligible Graduate Assistants are granted a Graduate Salary Adjustment as determined per contract. This is administered by the Payroll Office.
301-04 Social Security Exemption for Student Employees
Student employees, enrolled in an Oregon University System (OUS) school at least half-time, are exempt from both Social Security and Medicare withholding tax, (FICA) based on Federal regulations. Half-time enrollment is defined as:
- Undergraduate Students – 6 credit hours per term
- Graduate Students – 5 credit hours per term
Generally, Clinical Fellows and Postdoctoral Scholars are full time employees and ineligible for the student FICA exemption.
301-05 Accounting for Labor Charges
Labor is charged to specific indexes and account codes. Use of activity codes is the choice of the department.
301-05a Index
- Department/Grant index must be an open index owned by the employing department.
- Department/grant index must remain open through the last day of the month payment is received by the employee.
- Redistributions of payroll charges should also include redistributions of tuition remissions.
301-05b Account Code
Refer to Graduate Student Earn Codes for account code information.