September 30, 2009

Payroll to hold information sessions as direct deposit enrollment deadline nears

The Payroll Department reminds employees who still receive paper paychecks on payday that, as the University moves toward a 100 percent paperless payroll, they have until Oct. 31 to enroll in electronic direct deposit.

By then, faculty, staff and student employees must have authorized Payroll to deposit their wages directly into their personal checking or savings account, or choose to be paid via an electronic pay card, which works much like a debit card.

To assist employees during the University's transition from paper to electronic payment of wages, the Payroll Department will conduct a number of information sessions in October.

The sessions will focus on usage of the pay card -- safety, security, reliability and ease. A pay card representative will discuss that option and answer questions. Payroll staff will be available at the sessions to help employees (one-on-one) to sign up for either the pay card or direct deposit.

Thirteen one-hour meetings have been scheduled at a variety of times and locations around campus. They are categorized according to monthly or bi-weekly employee wage payment.

Sessions for monthly employees are:

    * Oct. 13 (Tu). 8:30-9:30 a.m., 10-11 a.m., 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Room 318, STEW.
    * Oct. 20 (Tu). Noon-1 p.m., 1:30-2:30 p.m. and 3-4 p.m.     Room 1142, Lawson Computer Science Building (LWSN).

Sessions for biweekly employees are:

    * Oct. 15 (Th). Noon-1 p.m., 1:30-2:30 p.m. and 3-4 p.m. Room 1142, LWSN.
    * Oct. 20 (Tu). 8-9 a.m. and 9:30-10:30 a.m. Room 322, STEW.
    * Oct. 21 (W). 9-10 a.m. and 10:30-11:30 a.m. Room 310, STEW.

Registration for the sessions is available through PREMIS with the employee's career account and password. Registrants can select the session they wish to attend by first clicking "Other," then "Policies," and finally "Pay Card Training."   

Direct deposit enrollment can be accomplished quickly and easily online via Employee Self-Service (ESS) or by completing a Form 0003, Direct Deposit Authorization and submitting it to the Shared Service Center in Freehafer Hall. The form is downloadable from the Payroll Department Web site, and hard copies are available from the business offices. Payroll asks business offices to be ready to assist new and current staff with the direct deposit enrollment process.

Employees' only prerequisite for direct deposit is a savings or checking account into which Payroll can deposit earnings. Staff and faculty who lack such an account may contact the Payroll Department for assistance and a list of area financial institutions.

Information security need not be a concern for employees, says Mary Alexander-Conte, assistant comptroller. The employee's personal information -- such as the payee's Social Security number, date of birth, and home address -- is not transmitted during the electronic transfer of funds for either the direct deposit or the pay card. Only the employee's name, bank account number, bank routing number, and amount of the deposit are included with the transfer.

"That information is extremely secure," Alexander-Conte stresses. "Direct deposits are transferred from our secure transport server through a firewall and take only a few seconds. During transmission, the file is encrypted, and never the same way twice. Once it has reached the secure destination, it is then decrypted and ready to process."

After Oct. 31, Payroll will meet individually any members of the Purdue work force who still need to arrange for electronic payment. For those employees, paychecks will be sent via regular U.S. mail, but only on a temporary basis. Payroll advises those individuals to avoid delivery delay by visiting Employee Self-Service to be certain their mailing address is correct and up to date.

For more information, go to "Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Direct Deposit," available through the Payroll Department Web site.