The University Payroll & Benefits (UPB) office facilitates accurate, timely payment and benefits enrollment of employees at all three universities. UPB manages payroll schedules, earnings, deductions, taxes, and time reporting. UPB also counsels employees on insurance benefit concerns and coordinates the administration of benefits.
UPB successfully schedules and conducts 26 bi-weekly payroll calculations, 12 monthly payroll calculations, and 51 payroll adjustment calculations every year. Payroll calculations involve coordination and cooperation from Human Resources, employees, departments, and Administrative Information Technology Services (AITS).
Administration
The administration is responsible for the oversight of UPB and is comprised of UPB’s senior leader with an assistant in both Chicago and Urbana. Their principal objective is geared towards the long-term strategic planning of the organization on a financial, operational and human resource level.
This includes:
- Maintaining the UPB Budget
- Regulatory compliance (Federal, State, University Policy)
- Developing the correct organizational structure
- Talent Management
- Leveraging opportunities and resolving key issues
Customer Service
Customer service is present at all three universities, providing support to employees and vendors. Assistance is available by submitting inquiries in Team Dynamix, an electronic service ticketing system accessed through the UPB Customer Service Portal. Other service options include phone and walk-in.
Services provided include but are not limited to:
- General insurance inquiries
- Supplemental retirement plans assistance
- Retrieving tax forms
- Answering questions related to payroll time reporting and payroll adjustments
- Providing information about tuition waiver taxation
Fiscal Control and Management
Fiscal Control and Management (FCM) is responsible for ensuring all applicable laws and regulations are adhered to related to payroll withholdings of all types. This unit handles withholding and remittance to vendors and agencies for taxes, voluntary and involuntary withholdings, State Universities Retirement System (SURS), charities, unions, insurance (health/life/dental), and more.
- FCM is responsible for balancing every payroll calc (monthly, bi-weekly and adjustments). FCM processes all court orders received for employee withholding.
- FCM is also responsible for the issuance of year-end tax information forms (W2, 1042S, 1095C, etc.) as well as making all applicable tax payments and filings. UPB completes the necessary Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and state tax filings for all payroll-related withholding.
- FCM audits Department of Central Management Services (CMS) and MyBenefits data to ensure accurate paycheck deductions are made for state health, life, and dental insurance premiums.
Foreign National Service Center
The Foreign National Service Center (FNSC) is responsible for reviewing, withholding and reporting payments made to foreign nationals. Taxation differences between resident and nonresident aliens are appropriately considered.
University of Illinois System units rely on the FNSC to correctly make payments to foreign nationals. The FNSC supports the units with these services:
- Conducts tax status reviews with foreign national employees and non-employees receiving payment from the U of I System to verify taxation status.
- Provides online payment resources giving guidance on payment eligibility, required forms and documentation, plus submission procedures.
- Staff provide Team Dynamix (UPB Customer Service Portal), telephone, and walk-in support.
The FNSC reviews and ensures payments to foreign nationals are properly taxed.
Operations & Production
This unit provides support, maintenance, and testing for crucial operations required to ensure payroll and benefits processes run smoothly and accurately, with special attention to the payroll calculation process.
Staff work with AITS to coordinate processes in Banner to complete biweekly and monthly payroll calculations. Operations & Production maintains schedules, runs audits and reports, and loads or interfaces data essential to the payroll calc.
Earnings and deduction codes are created, tested, and maintained in Banner to calculate properly according to statutory, union, and policy requirements.
Operations & Production supports the creation of W-2, 1095-C, and 1042S files for print and online access, and maintains application releases and patches for foreign national tax compliance.
Processing
This unit reviews payroll adjustment transaction requests for accuracy before applying them to the payroll system for payment and makes corrections during payroll calculation. Overpayments to employees are recovered and corrected for taxation. Staff check all payroll adjustment transactions for appropriate deductions and withholdings for taxes.
Processing works with the UPB Foreign National Service Center to enter transactions for approved payment vouchers to nonresident aliens. Employee recognition award transactions are also entered and applied to the payroll system for payment.
Staff reviews daily bank reports to identify ACH returns and direct deposit information. Transactions are processed to void or reissue payments and update direct deposit information. Processing makes final payroll payments to the estates of deceased employees according to current laws and regulations. Final payments to retiring or separating employees are also made for compensable leave benefits and reported to SURS.
Training & Performance Improvement
The primary responsibility of this unit is developing internal and external training resources. External training resources for employees and departments can be found on the University of Illinois System Training and Development Resources website.