Comptroller

Syracuse University Will Not Implement 2020 Payroll Tax Deferral

On Friday, August 28, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Treasury Department issued guidance on a potential employee payroll tax deferral directed by a presidential memorandum released on August 8, 2020. The deferral provided employers the option to defer withholding the employee portion of social security tax payments from September 1 through December 31, 2020, with the deferred taxes to be repaid from January 1 through April 30, 2021. The deferral applied only to employees whose wages are less than $2,000 for a weekly pay period and to salaried workers earning less than $104,000 per year.

After consulting with tax, legal, and compensation experts, the University has decided not to participate in the optional deferral. Since this program only postpones tax payments, the University chose this option in an effort to safeguard our employees from higher withholdings beginning January 2021.

If you have any questions, please contact the Payroll Service Center at 315-443-4042 or payroll@syr.edu.

Message from the Comptroller Regarding Paper Paychecks

All Syracuse University paper paychecks dated Wednesday, Aug. 26, and continuing until further notice will delivered via campus mail to each employee’s campus department.

As a reminder, anyone with a NetID and password are able to set up direct deposit through MySlice. The Payroll Office’s website provides step-by-step instructions to enroll in direct deposit.

Contact the Payroll Office at payroll@syr.edu or 315.443.4042, option 2 with any questions.

Message from Comptroller Regarding Paper Paychecks

All Syracuse University paper paychecks dated this Wednesday, March 18, and continuing until further notice will be mailed via the U.S. Postal Service.

Employees who have not signed up for direct deposit and will therefore receive a paper paycheck should ensure their permanent address is accurate by visiting MySlice and navigating to My Profile > Addresses. As a reminder, anyone with a NetID and password is able to set up direct deposit through MySlice. The Payroll Office’s website provides step-by-step instructions to enroll in direct deposit.

Contact the Payroll Office at payroll@syr.edu or 315.443.4042, option 2, with any questions.

Comptroller Urges All Employees to Take Advantage of Direct Deposit Option

Syracuse University’s Payroll Office pays nearly 12,000 employees every month. Even though the majority of the University’s employees take advantage of direct deposit, nearly 10 percent still receive paper checks on payday. In addition to helping the University meet its sustainability goals by eliminating the need for paper, direct deposit removes the need to physically travel to your office mailbox and then to the bank to deposit paychecks, says Jean Gallipeau, University comptroller.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Building Local Fair Leads to New Partnerships With Local Businesses

Last May, the Office of Community Engagement and the Division of Business, Finance and Administrative Services hosted Syracuse University’s first-ever Building Local procurement fair.

The connections made at that fair have begun to bear fruit on both sides. Laura Cueva, the owner of Interior Innovations, attended the Building Local fair. Her contract furniture and interior architectural solutions firm is located on East Genesee Street, not far from the University. At the fair, she had met with representatives from the University’s Purchasing Department to outline the capabilities of her firm and discuss potential opportunities for doing business with the University and its business units.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Parking Fees Revert to Before-tax Deduction

Recently, Congress repealed section 512(a)(7) of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. As a result of the repeal, Syracuse University employee withholdings for parking fees will be withheld before-tax beginning on January 1, 2020 for calendar year 2020.

Congress retroactively repealed the law, which means employees who had parking fees deducted from their pay during calendar year 2019 will have their W-2 form adjusted in accordance with the repeal of the tax law.

For Syracuse University-specific questions, contact the Payroll Office at 315.443.4042 or email payroll@syr.edu.

Campus & Community IRS Makes Update to 2020 Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate

Due to changes to the federal tax law passed in 2018, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has updated the 2020 version of Form W-4. Form W-4 is completed by every Syracuse University employee to determine how much federal income tax is withheld from each paycheck.

The IRS does not require all employees to complete the updated form. It will be used by employees hired after 2019 and can be used by employees that want to make a withholding change after 2019.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Dupli Announces Online Ordering Improvements; Training Sessions Begin this Week

Dupli has just completed a major overhaul to its website in order to improve the ordering process for its customers, and launched its new catalog-ordering platform on Nov. 11, 2019.

Since becoming the University’s primary printing and mailing distribution center in July 2017, Dupli has adjusted and adapted in response to feedback from campus constituents. The newest enhancements to its interface include:

  • A complete redesign of the e-commerce ordering experience
  • Specific templates for postcards, flyers, brochures, booklets and posters
  • A new search feature
  • User-friendly tutorials with screenshots
  • 150th anniversary toolkit
  • Calendars
  • Access to the site outside of University business hours

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Job Fair Brings Together Those Seeking Positions with Opportunities in Food Services, Facilities Services

On Wednesday, July 10, Syracuse University hosted a community-based job event as part of the University’s Building Local initiative. This was the second event focused on fostering local opportunities, partnerships and business relationships. The first was a Procurement Fair held on May 21.

The goal of the event was to match job seekers from local area community job readiness agencies with hiring authorities within the University to fill numerous temporary positions in Food Services and Facilities Services. The agencies represented included: Catholic Charities, The Salvation Army, the Syracuse Rescue Mission, Women’s Opportunity Center, JOBSplus and the New York State Department of Labor.  These agencies provide occupational training programs and were asked to invite their clients with culinary, maintenance or administrative skills. By leveraging the agencies’ existing programs, the University is hoping to meet its upcoming labor needs for the fall semester.

Read the full story at Syracuse University News.

Purchasing Department Announces New Purchasing Policy

The Purchasing Department, a business unit of the Business, Finance and Administrative Services division, has announced the publication of a new Purchasing Policy that went into effect July 1, 2019. The new policy formally establishes bidding thresholds, responsible parties and requirements for purchasing decisions made throughout the University. Additionally, it provides broader procurement decision-making at the departmental level, while establishing the Purchasing Department as the go-to resource for large procurement needs. The new policy also sets the same dollar thresholds for sponsored and non-sponsored funds in an effort to cut down on confusion.

Read the full story from Syracuse University News.