FY 2016

Informational Circular No.: 16-P-001

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-003

Effective Date: Payroll Period Ending September 12, 2015

Contact Name: Amanda Entress

Ph: (785) 296-3887

Email: Amanda.Entress@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Organization Dues Changes for KAPE

The Board of Directors for the Kansas Association of Public Employees (KAPE) has advised that changes to the regular biweekly dues for members of KAPE will be effective with the payroll period beginning August 30, 2015 and ending September 12, 2015, paid September 25, 2015 as follows:

As a reminder, the service fee will remain $0.06 per biweekly payroll period. Therefore, the amounts listed above include the deduction amount (ORG001-006 deduction codes) and the $0.06 service fee (ORF001-006 deduction codes) added together.

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team will make the necessary updates to the payroll system to affect all SHARP employees enrolled in the above KAPE dues deductions. Regent’s institutions are responsible for ensuring that these changes are made in their respective systems effective with the payroll period noted above.

DH:ABE:ckw

Informational Circular No.: 116-P-002

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-002

Effective Date: Payroll Period Ending August 15, 2015

Contact Name: Amanda Entress

Ph: (785) 296-3887

Email: Amanda.Entress@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Organization Dues Changes of ORG030

The organization dues for members of the Pittsburg State University, Kansas National Education Association will change from $30.50 to $30.81 per biweekly payroll period.  The new rate will become effective with the payroll period beginning August 2, 2015 and ending August 15, 2015, paid August 28, 2015.

The amounts listed above include the deduction amount (ORG030 deduction code) and the $0.06 service fee (ORF030 deduction code) added together. The new rate for deduction code ORG030 will increase from $30.44 to $30.75 and the fee (ORF030) will remain at $.06 (for a total deduction of $30.81 per biweekly payroll period).

The Office of the Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team will make the necessary updates to the SHARP system.  Regent’s institutions are responsible for ensuring that these changes are made in their respective systems effective with the payroll period noted above.

DH:ABE:ckw

Informational Circular No.: 16-P-003

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 10-P-018

Effective Date: Payroll Period Beginning August 30, 2015 and Ending September 12, 2015, Paid September 25, 2015

Contact Name: Amanda Entress

Ph: (785) 296-3887

Email: amanda.entress@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Organization Dues Changes for ORG281

The organization dues for members of the Kansas State Troopers Association will increase from $16.85 to $20.00 per bi-weekly pay period. The new rate will become effective with the payroll period beginning August 30, 2015 and ending September 12, 2015, paid September 25, 2015.

The amounts listed above include the deduction amount (ORG281 deduction code) and the $0.06 service fee (ORF281 deduction code) added together. The new rate for deduction code ORG281 will increase from $16.79 to $19.94 and the fee (ORF281) will remain at $0.06 (for a total deduction of $20.00 per biweekly payroll period). 

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team is responsible for making this rate change in the SHARP system.  Agencies are responsible for ensuring that employees are enrolled in the correct dues organization.  Regent’s institutions are responsible for ensuring this change is reflected in their individual systems and is effective for paychecks issued on or after September 25, 2015.

DH:ABE:ckw

Informational Circular No.: 16-P-004

Effective Date: September 13, 2015

Contact Name: Earl Brynds

Ph: (785) 296-5376

Email: earl.brynds@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: New Service Buyback Deduction Code for Members of KPERS 3

Pursuant to Sub House Bill (HB) 2333 passed in the 2012 legislature, a new Kansas Public Employees Retirement System KPERS 3 cash balance retirement plan was created for new hires under the KPERS Regular retirement program beginning January 1, 2015.  This plan includes new employees hired after January 1, 2015 and inactive KPERS Tier 1 and Tier 2 members who are not vested and return to work January, 2015 and thereafter. Beginning with the fourth quarter of calendar year 2015, KPERS 3 members will be allowed to purchase back previous years of service. Therefore, a new KPERS 3 Buyback deduction code will be added in SHARP effective for the payroll period beginning September 13, 2015, ending September 26, 2015, paid October 9, 2015, as follows:

(Note: this code does not apply to the corrections, law enforcement or judges retirement plans)

The KPERB3 service buybacks will be set up differently in the Savings Plan table than the current service buybacks for Tier 1 and 2 members which are calculated as a percentage of pay.  The KPERB3 service buybacks will be set up and calculated as a flat amount each pay period for a fixed amount of time with a beginning and ending date.  However, the final flat amount payment will possibly need to be changed in order to complete the service purchase. 

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team is responsible for making the necessary updates to the SHARP payroll system.  Regents’ Institutions are responsible for ensuring that these changes are reflected in their individual systems.

DH:EWB:ckw

Informational Circular No.: 16-P-005

Effective Date: January 1, 2016

Contact Name: Heather DeBusk

Ph: (785) 296-2434

Email: heather.debusk@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: New General Deduction Codes for Dependent Child Group Life

The KPERS Board has approved the implementation of Dependent Child Group Life through payroll deduction. In order for employees to be eligible for Dependent Child Group Life, the employee needs to be employed in a KPERS covered position.  However, for KPERS KP&F (Kansas Police and Fireman) members only, employees need to be enrolled in Optional Group Life before they are eligible for Dependent Child Group Life.   Regent employees covered by the Death and Disability plan or the Deferred Compensation employees who are covered by the Death and Disability plan would also be eligible for Dependent Child Group Life. Open enrollment for this new benefit will be conducted in October 2015.

For this type of coverage, Minnesota Life will not be collecting any information on the covered children.  Therefore, since no child information will be stored in SHaRP, these deductions will be processed on employee paychecks as general deductions.

Coverage for Dependent Child Group Life will be effective January 1, 2016.  The new general deduction codes will be added to SHaRP October 25, 2015. The first deduction will be processed effective for the payroll period beginning January 3, 2016, ending January 16, 2016, paid January 29, 2016.  

The new Dependent Child Group Life after-tax deduction codes are:  

These general deduction codes will be set up on the Deduction Table to only deduct on the second paycheck of the month, similar to the other OGL deduction codes. There will not be an administrative fee associated with these deduction codes. 

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team is responsible for making the necessary updates to the SHaRP payroll system.  Regents’ institutions are responsible for ensuring that these changes are reflected in their individual systems. 

Questions regarding the system set-up/interfaces for this new payroll deduction can be directed to Earl Brynds (Earl.Brynds@da.ks.gov or 785.296.5376) or to Heather DeBusk (Heather.DeBusk@da.ks.gov or 785.296.2434). 

Questions regarding the child group life benefit should be directed to Minnesota Life at:

Email: topekabranchoffice@securian.com

In Topeka: (785) 354-0783

Toll Free: 1-877-215-1476

Or contact the KPERS Info line at 1-888-275-5737 or in Topeka at (785) 296-6166 and they will direct calls for help with Dependent Child OGL questions.

DH:EWB:ckw

Printable Version of 16-P-005

Informational Circular No.: 16-P-006

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-008

Effective Date: Calendar Year 2016

Contact Name: Earl Brynds

Ph: (785) 296-5376

Email: (earl.brynds@da.ks.gov)

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: SHARP On-cycle and Off-cycle Payroll Processing Schedules for 2016

Attached are the SHARP bi-weekly on-cycle and off-cycle schedules for calendar year 2016.  The attached schedules provide important information regarding the critical payroll processing deadlines for each bi-weekly payroll period. Agency personnel responsible for payroll processing will need to ensure that all appropriate information is entered or submitted by the cutoff dates indicated on the schedules to ensure timely issuance of pay for their employees.     

SHARP off-cycle payrolls will generally be processed each Monday and every other Wednesday night and will include all activity entered into SHARP since the last off-cycle payroll.  If a holiday occurs on a Monday or Wednesday, the off-cycle payroll will normally be rescheduled to occur on the following business day.  Payroll payments resulting from the first off-cycle for the payroll period (Run ‘A’) will normally be issued with the same paycheck/direct deposit date as the on-cycle pay date for the payroll period. Payroll payments resulting from the remaining off-cycles (Runs ‘B’ and ‘C’) will normally be dated three working days from the date the off-cycle is processed. Agencies generally have until 6:00 p.m. on Mondays and every other Wednesday to enter adjustments and/or supplemental data into SHARP for processing in that night’s off-cycle payroll.   Agencies have until 3:30 p.m. to submit/approve reported time so it is picked up by the Time Administration process. After Time Administration runs, the payable time must be approved by 6:00 p.m. so that the status is ready for payroll processing.  Agencies are reminded that they must approve the timesheet (reported time) and payable time (after time administration runs) before requesting a paycheck adjustment in SHARP. 

Off-cycle payrolls for Regents’ institutions are also normally scheduled for each Monday and every other Wednesday night.  Regents’ institutions generally have until 4:00 p.m. on Fridays and every other Tuesday to submit off-cycle payroll interface files.  The Office of the Chief Financial Officer must approve all interface files for processing by 5:00 p.m. on the following Monday or every other Wednesday for the files to be processed in that night’s off-cycle payroll.   Regents’ off-cycle payrolls will be issued with the same check/advice date as the SHARP off-cycle processed the same night.

DH:EWB:ckw

2016 On-cycle
2016 Off-cycle
Printable Version of 16-P-006

Informational Circular No. 16-P-007

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-011

Effective Date: November 2015

Contact Name: Joyce Dickerson

Ph: (785) 296-3979

Email: (joyce.dickerson@da.ks.gov)

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Payroll processing schedule changes due to the SHARP/SMART Upgrades and the November 2015 holidays

This informational circular addresses key dates and changes in SHARP as a result of the PeopleTools upgrade to version 8.54 and the SMART upgrade to version 9.2 beginning at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, 2015.  In addition, Wednesday, November 11, 2015 (Veterans' Day), Thursday, November 26, 2015 and Friday, November 27, 2015 (Thanksgiving Holiday) are designated holidays and therefore no batch jobs are scheduled for those nights. 

Due to the SHARP PeopleTools upgrade, SMART upgrade and the holidays in November, changes are required to the ‘normal’ payroll processing schedule.  Agencies are asked to note the payroll processing schedule due dates, some of which are occurring on a different day of the week than normally scheduled.  Please review carefully the information contained in this circular and in the attached partial calendar. 

Monday, November 2, 2015
The Run A off-cycle for the period ending October 24, 2015 will be processed November 2, 2015.  SHARP agencies have until 6:00 PM on this date to enter supplementals and/or adjustment run controls for the Run A off-cycle.  All employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM.  Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM.  Paychecks for the Run A off-cycle will be dated November 6, 2015. 

Regents’ on-cycle files for the period ending October 24, 2015 will also be processed on this date.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Regents’ Run B off-cycle payroll files for the period ending October 24, 2015 must be received by the Department of Administration by 4:00 PM on November 3, 2015 in order to be processed on Wednesday, November 4, 2015. 

Wednesday, November 4, 2015
The Run B off-cycle for the period ending October 24, 2015 will be processed November 4, 2015.  SHARP agencies have until 6:00 PM on this date to enter supplementals and/or adjustments run controls for the Run B off-cycle.  All employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM. Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM.  Paychecks for the Run B off-cycle will be dated November 9, 2015.

Thursday, November 5, 2015
Regents’ Run C off-cycle payroll files for the period ending October 24, 2015 must be received by the Department of Administration by 4:00 PM on November 5, 2015. 

SHARP system (Including Employee Self-service [ESS]) shut down at 6:00 PM.  Transition to PeopleTools v8.54 begins.  No batch jobs scheduled.

Note:  SMART system also shut down at 6:00 PM for transition to v9.2 upgrade.

Friday, November 6, 2015

SHARP/ESS system shut down.  Transition to PeopleTools v8.54 continues.

No batch jobs scheduled.

SMART system shut down.  Transition to v9.2 upgrade continues. 

Payday for the payroll period ending October 24, 2015. 

Saturday, November 7, 2015

SHARP/ESS system shut down.  Transition to PeopleTools v8.54 continues.

No batch jobs scheduled.

SMART system shut down.  Transition to v9.2 upgrade continues. 

Sunday, November 8, 2015

SHARP/ESS system shut down.  NOTE: SHARP system open to Central Department of Administration/OITS core users only.

SMART system shut down.  Transition to v9.2 upgrade continues.  

Monday, November 9, 2015
SHARP/ESS system open to all users.

SMART system shut down.  Transition to v9.2 upgrade continues. 

Time and Labor interface agencies can submit time and labor (INF42/KAGYTL42) files for the period ending November 7, 2015 to the Department of Administration for processing by noon to be processed at 12:30 p.m. on November 9, 2015. 

NOTE: Terminations and Retirements must be entered by 6:00 PM on November 9, 2015 and reported time must be submitted (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM in order for leave payouts to be calculated correctly. 

Paysheets for the on-cycle payroll for the period ending November 7, 2015 will be created on Monday, November 9, 2015.  (Paysheets would normally be created on Tuesday, November 10, 2015.)  For SHARP agencies, some job actions (i.e., FLSA Status change) must be entered by 6:00 PM on November 9, 2015 in order to be reflected on the paysheets for this period. 

The first on-cycle preliminary pay calculation for the period ending November 7, 2015 will also occur November 9, 2015. For SHARP agencies, all employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) into SHARP by 3:30 PM.  After Time Administration runs at 3:30 PM, payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM. on November 9, 2015 in order for a paycheck record to be created. 

The Run C off-cycle for the period ending October 24, 2015 will be processed November 9, 2015.  SHARP agencies have until 6:00 PM on this date to enter supplementals and/or adjustment run controls for the Run C off-cycle. All employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM. Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM.  Paychecks for the Run C off-cycle will be dated November 13, 2015. 

NOTE: EFT Return checks will NOT be processed from November 9, 2015 through November 12, 2015 while SMART is shut down.  Depending on volume, every effort will be made to process all EFT returns in SMART on November 13, 2015. 

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

The second on-cycle preliminary pay calculation for the period ending November 7, 2015 will occur November 10, 2015. 

Regent file sets for the period ending November 7, 2015 on-cycle and ‘A’ off-cycle may be submitted.  KREGPAY1 and KADJPAY1 will be processed in SHaRP.  The corresponding INF06 files will be held until SMART is open Friday, November 13, 2015. 

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Veterans' Day Holiday

No batch jobs scheduled.

Thursday, November 12, 2015
The third on-cycle preliminary pay calculation for the period ending November 7, 2015 will occur November 12, 2015.  

Regent file sets for the period ending November 7, 2015 on-cycle and ‘A’ off-cycle may be submitted.  KREGPAY1 and KADJPAY1 will be processed in SHaRP.  The corresponding INF06 files will be held until SMART is open Friday, November 13, 2015. 

SMART system shut down.  Transition to v9.2 upgrade continues. 

Friday, November 13, 2015
Final pay confirmation for the on-cycle payroll for the period ending November 7, 2015 will occur November 13, 2015.  All employees’ payable time must be approved, by 6:00 PM on November 13, 2015 in order for a paycheck record to be created.  All deduction and tax data changes must be entered by 6:00 PM on November 13, 2015 in order to be reflected in the final paycheck created for the employee. 

Regent INF06 files will be run in SMART. 

Regents’ on-cycle and Run A off-cycle payroll files for the period ending November 7, 2015 must be received by the Department of Administration by 4:00 PM on November 13, 2015. 

SMART system open to all users. 

Monday, November 16, 2015
The Run A off-cycle for the period ending November 7, 2015 will be processed November 16, 2015. SHARP agencies have until 6:00 PM on this date to enter supplemental and/or adjustment run controls for the Run A off-cycle. All employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM. Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM. Paychecks for the Run A off-cycle will be dated November 20, 2015. 

The Regents’ on-cycle files for the period ending November 7, 2015 will also be processed on this date. 

Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Regents’ Run B off-cycle payroll files for the period ending November 7, 2015 must be received by the Department of Administration by 4:00 PM on November 17, 2015. 

Wednesday, November 18, 2015
The Run B off-cycle for the period ending November 7, 2015 will be processed November 18, 2015.  SHARP agencies have until 6:00 PM on this date to enter supplementals and/or adjustment run controls for the Run B off-cycle.  All employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM. Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM.  Paychecks for the Run B off-cycle will be dated November 23, 2015. 

Friday, November 20, 2015
Payday for the payroll period ending November 7, 2015. 

First opportunity for Time and Labor interface agencies to have time and labor (INF42/KAGYTL42) files for the period ending November 21, 2015 submitted to the Department of Administration for processing by 5:00 PM on November 20, 2015.  (These files would normally be due Monday, November 23, 2015.)  Last opportunity to submit files will be noon on Monday, November 23, 2015. 

Regents’ Run C off-cycle payroll files for the period ending November 7, 2015 must be received by the Department of Administration by 4:00 PM on November 20, 2015. 

Monday, November 23, 2015
Time and Labor interface agencies can submit time and labor (INF42/KAGYTL42) files for the period ending November 21, 2015 to the Department of Administration for processing by noon to be processed at 12:30 p.m. on November 23, 2015. 

NOTE: Terminations and Retirements must be entered by 6:00 PM on November 23, 2015 and reported time must be submitted (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM in order for leave payouts to be calculated correctly. 

Paysheets for the on-cycle payroll for the period ending November 21, 2015 will be created on Monday, November 23, 2015. (Paysheets would normally be created on Tuesday, November 24, 2015.)  For SHARP agencies, some job actions (i.e., FLSA Status change) must be entered by 6:00 PM on November 23, 2015 in order to be reflected on the paysheets for this period. 

The first on-cycle preliminary pay calculation for the period ending November 21, 2015 will also occur November 23, 2015.  For SHARP agencies, all employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) into SHARP by 3:30 PM.  After Time Administration runs at 3:30 PM, payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM, in order for a paycheck record to be created. Please note that there will be only two SHARP on-cycle preliminary payroll calculations for the pay period ending November 21, 2015. 

The Run C off-cycle for the period ending November 7, 2015 will be processed November 23, 2015.  SHARP agencies have until 6:00 PM on this date to enter supplementals and/or adjustment run controls for the Run C off-cycle.  All employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM. Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM.  Paychecks for the Run C off-cycle will be dated November 30, 2015. (These checks would normally be dated Thursday, November 26, 2015.) 

Tuesday, November 24, 2015
The second on-cycle preliminary pay calculation for the period ending November 21, 2015 will occur November 24, 2015. 

Regents’ on-cycle files for the period ending November 21, 2015 must be received by the Department of Administration by 4:00 PM on November 24, 2015. 

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Final pay confirmation for the on-cycle payroll for the period ending November 21, 2015 will occur November 25, 2015.  For SHARP agencies, all employees’ payable time must be approved, by 6:00 PM on November 25, 2015 in order for a paycheck record to be created.  All deduction and tax data changes must be entered by 6:00 PM on November 25, 2015 in order to be reflected in the final paycheck created for the employee. 

Regents’ Run A off-cycle payroll files for the period ending November 21, 2015 must be received by the Department of Administration by 4:00 PM on November 25, 2015. 

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Thanksgiving Holiday

No batch jobs scheduled. 

Friday, November 27, 2015

Thanksgiving Holiday

No batch jobs scheduled. 

Attached is a partial calendar for the month of November 2015, which highlights key payroll processing activity for the month.  The attached partial calendar is intended for use as a supplementary reference tool only; it does not contain the level of detail that is included in the narrative portion of this circular. 

Please note the changes to the payroll processing schedule and adjust your schedules accordingly. If it becomes necessary to change any of the payroll processing dates identified above, notification of the change will be provided to all subscribers of the SHARP Infolist.  SHARP users interested in subscribing to the Infolist, but who have not yet done so, can subscribe at http://www.da.ks.gov/sharp/infolist.htm.

DH:NTR:ewb 

Attachment
Printable Version of 16-P-007

Informational Circular No.: 16-P-008

Effective Date: Pay Period Beginning December 20, 2015; Ending January 2, 2016; Paid January 15, 2016

OCFO Contact: Earl Brynds

KDHE Contact: Melody Connell

Ph: (785) 296-5376, (785) 368-6533

Email: earl.brynds@da.ks.gov, mconnell@kdheks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Addition of New Vision Provider Deduction Codes/Benefit Plan Codes

The Health Care Commission approved a new vision provider for plan year 2016. Surency Life and Health will replace Superior Vision. A basic and enhanced plan will continue to be offered. 

To accommodate the new vision vendor, the following new Benefit Plans/Deduction Codes are being added in SHARP effective 12/20/2015:

The new deduction codes/benefit plans will be added in SHARP effective for the payroll period beginning December 20, 2015 and ending January 2, 2016, paid January 15, 2016. 

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team is responsible for making the necessary updates to the SHaRP payroll system. Regents’ institutions are responsible for ensuring that these changes are reflected in their individual systems. 

Questions regarding the system set-up/interfaces for this new payroll deduction can be directed to Earl Brynds (Earl.Brynds@da.ks.gov or 785.296.5376). 

Questions regarding the vision benefit should be directed to Melody Connell, Benefits Consultant (mconnell@kdheks.gov or 785.368.6533).

DH:EWB:ckw

Printable Version of 16-P-008

Informational Circular No.: 16-P-009

Effective Date: Immediately

Contact Name: Joyce Dickerson

Ph: (785) 296-3979

Email: joyce.dickerson@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Changes to the payroll processing schedule for the payroll periods ending December 5, 2015 and December 19, 2015 due to December 24 and 25, 2015 being designated state holidays.

As a result of Governor Brownback declaring Thursday, December 24, and Friday, December 25, 2015 as state holidays, the following changes have been made to the December payroll processing schedule for the payroll periods ending December 5, 2015 and December 19, 2015: 

Monday, December 7, 2015
The Run 'C' off-cycle for the payroll period ending November 21, 2015 continues to be scheduled for December 7, 2015.  SHARP agencies have until 6:00 PM on this date to enter supplemental and/or adjustment run controls for the Run C off-cycle. All employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM. Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM.  The check issue date for the Run 'C' off-cycle will remain Thursday, December 10, 2015. 

Time and Labor Interface agencies must have time and leave files for the period ending December 5, 2015 submitted to the Department of Administration for processing by 5:00 p.m. on December 7, 2015. 

Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Paysheets for the on-cycle payroll for the period ending December 5, 2015 will be created as usual on Tuesday, December 8, 2015.  Some job actions (i.e., FLSA Status change) must be entered by 6:00 PM on December 8, 2015 in order to be reflected on the paysheets for this period.

The first on-cycle preliminary pay calculation for the period ending December 5, 2015 will also occur December 8, 2015.   For SHARP agencies, all employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) into SHARP by 3:30 p.m. After Time Administration runs at 3:30 p.m., payable time must be approved by 6:00 p.m. in order for a paycheck record to be created. 

Wednesday, December 9, 2015
The second on-cycle preliminary pay calculation for the period ending December 5, 2015 will occur December 9, 2015.

Thursday, December 10, 2015
The third on-cycle preliminary pay calculation for the period ending December 5, 2015 will occur December 10, 2015.

Regents’ on-cycle payroll files for the period ending December 5, 2015 are due to the Department of Administration by 4:00 p.m. on December 10, 2015. 

Friday, December 11, 2015
Final pay confirmation for the on-cycle payroll for the period ending December 5, 2015 will occur December 11, 2015.    For SHARP agencies, all employees’ payable time must be approved, by 6:00 p.m. on December 11, 2015 in order for a paycheck record to be created.    All non-health benefit deductions and tax data changes must be entered by 6:00 p.m. on December 11, 2015 in order to be reflected in the final paycheck created for the employee. The check issue date for the on-cycle will be Friday, December 18, 2015. 

Regents’ Run ‘A’ off-cycle payroll files for the period ending December 5, 2015 are due to the Department of Administration by 4:00 p.m. on December 11, 2015. 

Monday, December 14, 2015
The Run ‘A’ off-cycle for the period ending December 5, 2015 will be processed December 14, 2015.  For SHARP agencies, all employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM. Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM.  Paychecks for the Run ‘A’ off-cycle will be dated Friday, December 18, 2015. 

The Regents’ on-cycle files for the period ending December 5, 2015 will be processed. 

Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Regents’ Run ‘B’ off-cycle payroll files for the period ending December 5, 2015 must be received by the Department of Administration by 4:00 p.m. on December 15, 2015. 

Wednesday, December 16, 2015
The Run 'B' off-cycle for the payroll period ending December 5, 2015 continues to be scheduled for December 16, 2015.  For SHARP agencies, all employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM. Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM.  Paychecks for the Run ‘B’ off-cycle will be dated Monday, December 21, 2015. 

Friday, December 18, 2015
Payday for the payroll period ending December 5, 2015. 

Regents’ Run ‘C’ off-cycle payroll files for the period ending December 5, 2015 must be received by the Department of Administration by 4:00 p.m. on December 18, 2015. 

First opportunity for Time and Labor interface agencies to have time and leave files for the period ending December 19, 2015 submitted to the Department of Administration for processing by 5:00 p.m. on December 18, 2015. (The files would normally be due on Monday, December 21, 2015).  Last opportunity to submit files will be noon on Monday, December 21, 2015. 

Monday, December 21, 2015
The Run 'C' off-cycle for the payroll period ending December 5, 2015 continues to be scheduled for December 21, 2015.  SHARP agencies have until 6:00 PM on this date to enter supplemental and/or adjustment run controls for the Run C off-cycle. All employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM. Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM.  The check issue date for the Run 'C' off-cycle will be Monday, December 28, 2015. (It would normally be on Thursday, December 24, 2015). 

Please note that paysheets for the on-cycle payroll for the period ending December 19, 2015 will be created on Monday, December 21, 2015, instead of the normal day on Tuesday, December 22, 2015, to allow for maximum preliminary payroll calculation opportunities.  Some job actions (i.e., FLSA Status change) must be entered by 6:00 PM on December 21, 2015 in order to be reflected on the paysheets for this period.

The first on-cycle preliminary pay calculation for the period ending December 19, 2015 will also occur December 21, 2015.  (It would normally be on Tuesday, December 22, 2015.)  For SHARP agencies, all employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) into SHARP by 3:30 p.m.  After Time Administration runs at 3:30 PM, payable time must be approved by 6:00 p.m. in order for a paycheck record to be created. 

Time and Labor interface agencies can submit time and leave files for the period ending December 19, 2015 to the Department of Administration for processing by 7:30 a.m. to be processed at 7:45 a.m. or by noon to be processed at 12:30 p.m. on December 21, 2015. 

NOTE: Terminations and Retirements must be entered by 6:00 PM on December 21, 2015 and reported time must be submitted by 11:00 AM or 3:30 PM in order for leave payouts to be calculated correctly. 

Tuesday, December 22, 2015
The second on-cycle preliminary pay calculation for the period ending December 19, 2015 will occur December 22, 2015. Please note there will be only two preliminary pay calculations for the period ending December 19, 2015. 

Regents’ on-cycle payroll files for the period ending December 19, 2015 are due to the Department of Administration by 4:00 p.m. on December 22, 2015. (The files would normally be due on Thursday, December 24, 2015). 

Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Final pay confirmation for the on-cycle payroll for the period ending December 19, 2015 will occur December 23, 2015.  All employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM.  Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM.  The check issue date for the on-cycle will be Thursday, December 31, 2015. The Check issue date for the on-cycle will be Thursday, December 31, 2015. (It would normally be on Friday, January 1, 2016). 

Regents’ Run ‘A’ off-cycle payroll files for the period ending December 19, 2015 are due to the Department of Administration by 4:00 p.m. on December 23, 2015. 

Thursday, December 24, 2015
Christmas Eve Holiday 

Friday, December 25, 2015
Christmas Holiday 

Sunday, December 27, 2015
The Regents’ on-cycle files for the period ending December 19, 2015 will be processed.

Monday, December 28, 2015
The Run ‘A’ off-cycle for the period ending December 19, 2015 will be processed December 28, 2015. IMPORTANT NOTE:  This is the final off-cycle for calendar year 2015. For SHARP agencies, all employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM. Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM.  Paychecks for the Run ‘A’ off-cycle will be dated Thursday, December 31, 2015. 

Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Regents’ Run ‘B’ off-cycle payroll files for the period ending December 19, 2015 are due to the Department of Administration by 4:00 p.m. on December 29, 2015. 

Wednesday, December 30, 2015
The Run 'B' off-cycle for the payroll period ending December 19, 2015 continues to be scheduled for December 30, 2015. For SHARP agencies, all employees’ reported time must be entered (and approved if applicable) by 3:30 PM. Payable time must be approved by 6:00 PM.  Paychecks for the Run ‘B’ off-cycle will be dated Tuesday, January 5, 2016. (They would normally be dated on Monday, January 4, 2016). 

Attached is a revised calendar for the month of December 2015 that highlights the payroll processing schedule changes due to the Christmas holidays.  The informational circular for key payroll processing dates in December for calendar year end activities will be released at a later date.  The attached calendar is intended for use as a supplementary reference tool only; it does not contain the level of detail that is included in the narrative portion of this informational circular. 

Please note the changes to the payroll processing schedule and adjust your schedules accordingly. If it becomes necessary to change any of the processing dates identified above, notification of the change will be provided to all subscribers of the SHARP Infolist.  SHARP users who are interested in subscribing to the Infolist, but have not yet done so, can subscribe at http://da.ks.gov/sharp/infolist.htm.

SG:NTR:ckw

Attachment
Printable version of 16-P-009

Informational Circular No.: 16-P-010

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-021

Effective Date: Payroll Period Ending January 2, 2015

Contact Name: Amanda Entress

Ph: (785) 296-3887

Email: amanda.entress@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Organization Dues Change for ORG133

The organization dues for members of the Public Service Employees Local Union 1290 P.E. (represents employees at the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas Medical Center)

will increase from $13.56 to $14.37 per biweekly payroll period.  The new rate will become effective with the payroll period beginning December 20, 2015 and ending January 2, 2016, paid January 15, 2016. 

The amounts listed above include the deduction amount (ORG133 deduction code) and the $0.06 service fee (ORF133 deduction code) added together. The new rate for deduction code ORG133 will increase from $13.50 to $14.31 and the fee (ORF133) will remain at $0.06 (for a total deduction of $14.37 per biweekly payroll period). 

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team will make the necessary updates to the SHARP system.  Regent’s institutions are responsible for ensuring that this change is made in their respective systems effective with the payroll period noted above. 

DH:NTR:ckw

Printable version of 16-P-010

Informational Circular No.:16-P-011

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-019

Effective Date: January 1, 2016

Contact Name: Nancy Ruoff

Ph: (785) 296-2853

Email: nancy.ruoff@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: New Federal Withholding Tax Tables Effective for Paychecks Issued On or After January 1, 2016

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued new tables for the percentage method of withholding for 2016.  Therefore, the attached tables will be used in SHARP for computing federal tax withholding for wages paid on or after January 1, 2016.  In order to use the attached tables, income must be annualized.  To annualize income, multiply federal taxable income for the current bi-weekly pay period by twenty-six pay periods.  In addition, the value of one withholding allowance has increased to $4,050 for 2016.  

Regents should also note that the annual amount to add to Nonresident Alien employee’s wages for calculating income tax withholding for 2016 has decreased to $2,250.  In addition, Regents should check IRS Publication 1494 for any changed amounts when computing tax levies for garnishments.  Publication 1494 for 2016 is currently available on the IRS website at https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1494.pdf. 

IRS regulations continue to require employees claiming exempt status from federal tax withholding (for income earned in the United States) to file a new W-4 form annually.  Employees are eligible for the exempt status if the following criteria are met:  1) the employee had no income tax liability in the previous year, and 2) the employee anticipates no income tax liability in the upcoming year.    

An e-mail notification was sent on December 1, 2015 to all SHARP employees who were exempt from federal withholding in 2015.  The notification reminded employees that a new W-4 must be submitted to continue the federal tax withholding exempt status for 2016.  The notification was sent to the employee’s e-mail address listed under ‘Update My Profile’ in the Employee Self Service Center at https://sharp.ks.gov/psp/ESS/?cmd=login. Agencies will need to distribute notifications to their employees who lack an individual e-mail address.   

SHARP employees are encouraged to use the Employee Self Service functionality to file their 2016 W-4s.  The 2016 Form W-4 has not currently been published by the IRS. The Office of the Chief Financial Officer will post it to their website as soon as it becomes available. Employees should submit their new W-4s as soon as possible to allow adequate time for processing.  Agency personnel have until 6:00 p.m. on December 30, 2015 to enter all paper W-4s into the system.  It is important that agency personnel check the ‘New W-4 Received’ radio button on the employee’s ‘Federal Tax Data 1’ page in SHARP for the effective-dated row that is entered.  Agency Workflow Administrators also need to check the ‘New W-4 Received’ radio button on electronic W-4s submitted by the employee for calendar year 2016.     

The KPAY320 will process during the batch cycle generated on the evening of December 30, 2015.  This process will search for employees for whom a W-4 notification was sent.  If a new W-4 has not been received, a January 1, 2016 effective-dated row will be placed in the employee’s Tax Data record, and will update the employee’s marital status to ‘single’ and exemptions to ‘zero’.  

For any Form W-4s for 2016 received after December 30, 2015, agency personnel will need to enter the data with a January 2, 2016 effective date.   Agency Workflow Administrators also will need to change the effective date to January 2, 2016 for any electronic FormsW-4s for 2016 received in this time period.  Please refer to the Employee Payroll Tax Data section of the Payroll module in the on-line CBT (Computer Based Training) for specific instructions on entering employee tax data information and worklist maintenance.     

IRS regulations require non-resident alien employees who claim an exempt status from federal withholding tax up to their treaty limit (for income earned in the United States) to file a new 8233 annually.  Employees who claimed a non-resident alien exempt status in calendar year

2015 must file a new 8233 form for calendar year 2016 if they wish to continue their non-resident alien status.  As a reminder, Regents Institutions are responsible for the accuracy of the eligibility of their non-resident alien employees and for monitoring maximum presence.    

The KPAY320 processed on December 30, 2015,  will enter a new effective dated row in the SHARP federal tax data records for employees with a special tax withholding status of ‘Non-Resident Alien’ to reflect that no 8233 form has been submitted for calendar year 2016.  The new tax data row will be dated January 1, 2016.  Regents Institutions are responsible for updating the 8233 indicator on the tax data records once a form 8233 for calendar year 2016 has been submitted.  

The KPAY320 creates a report (by SHARP agency) that identifies all agency employees whose exempt withholding status was updated in SHARP on the night of December 30, 2015. The report will be available in the agency directory on the MVS on Friday, December 31, 2015.  A report will not be provided for the ‘Non-Resident Alien’ updates since reports are generated periodically throughout the calendar year to identify employees who have had non-resident alien earnings reported but whose tax data records indicate a current 8233 form has not been received. 

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Services, will make all of the necessary changes in the computation of withholding taxes for SHARP agencies.  Regents’ institutions are responsible for implementing the new withholding tax rates in their respective payroll systems.  

DH:NTR:abe

Attachment:  Tables for Percentage Method Withholding

Printable Version of 16-P-011                       

Informational Circular No.: 16-P-012

Effective Date: Immediately
Contact Name: Joyce Dickerson

Ph: (785) 296-3979

Email: joyce.dickerson@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: December 2015 Payroll Processing and Updated December Processing Calendar

As 2015 calendar year-end approaches, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer is making preparations for the issuance of calendar year 2015 Wage and Tax Statements (Forms W-2) and Non-Resident Alien Compensation Statements (1042-S).  Any 2015 paycheck adjustments processed after the established cut-off dates will update the employee’s calendar year 2016 balances; a corrected W-2 (Form W-2C) for 2015 will not be issued for the employee involved. 

FINAL 2015 PAYCHECK
The final on-cycle paychecks for calendar year 2015 will be issued December 31, 2015.  Payroll transactions for the December 31, 2015 on-cycle paychecks will be posted to SMART on Tuesday night, December 29, 2015.  The final off-cycle paychecks for calendar year 2015 will be issued on December 31, 2015 (generated from the off-cycle processed on December 28, 2015). 

PAYCHECK ADJUSTMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTALS
SHARP agencies have until 6:00 p.m. on December 28, 2015 to enter paycheck adjustment requests for any 2015 paychecks.  Adjustments processed in the December 28, 2015 off-cycle payroll will be reflected on the employee’s 2015 Form W-2.  Please remember that only one adjustment can be processed per employee per off-cycle; this applies to agency entered adjustments, supplementals and centrally entered adjustments.  If a 2015 paycheck has been previously adjusted and requires additional adjustment, form DA-180, SHARP Paycheck Reversal/Adjustment/Supplemental, should be submitted to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Section by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 16, 2015. 

Payroll Services staff will make every effort to process all DA-180 forms submitted by 5:00 p.m. on December 16, 2015 for inclusion in the December 28, 2015 off-cycle.  However, if a large volume of DA-180 forms is received on the December 16, 2015 cut-off date, Payroll Services cannot guarantee that all forms will be processed as calendar year 2015 business.  Agencies can assist in the processing effort by submitting any DA-180 forms and the completed attachment as soon as you become aware a centrally entered adjustment is needed. 

Adjustment requests entered after December 28, 2015 which are adjusting paychecks issued prior to January 1, 2016 will not result in a W-2C; the adjustment will update the employee’s 2016 payroll balances regardless of the reason the paycheck is being adjusted.  Likewise, any supplemental requests that are entered either by agencies or centrally by Payroll Services after December 28, 2015 will update the employee’s 2016 payroll balances. 

REGENTS’ INSTITUTIONS: ON-CYCLE FILES
Regent on-cycle files for the pay period ending December 19, 2015, paid December 31, 2015 are due to the Department of Administration by 4:00 p.m. on December 22, 2015. 

REGENTS’ INSTITUTIONS: OFF-CYCLE FILES
2015 Paycheck Reversals
Regent Institutions must submit all transmittals for 2015 paycheck reversals by 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 23, 2015 in order to update the employee’s 2015 W-2.  These files should contain a ‘C’ indicating current year business and the pay adjust check date field should contain the original check issue date for the paycheck being reversed.   Any paycheck reversals submitted after this date will update the employee’s calendar year 2016 payroll balances regardless of the paycheck issue date of the paycheck being reversed.  Reversals for paychecks issued prior to January 1, 2016 submitted after 4:00 p.m. on December 23, 2015 should default the pay adjust check date to January 1, 2016.

2015 Adjustments and Supplementals
In order to update employee balances for 2015, any paycheck adjustments and supplementals must be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 23, 2015.  The Run A off-cycle for the pay period ending December 19, 2015 generated on the night of Monday, December 28, 2015 will have a check issue date of December 31, 2015; all activity for this off-cycle will be reflected in the employees’ 2015 W-2.  These files should contain a ‘C’ indicating current year business.  For supplementals and salary underpayments, the pay adjust check date should be blank; for all other adjustment types, the pay adjust check date field should contain the original paycheck issue date of the paycheck being adjusted and the date must be a 2015 date. 

2016 Adjustments and Supplementals
With the exception of arrearages or refunds for OASDI and/or Medicare for tax years prior to 2016, any adjustments or supplementals submitted after 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 23, 2015, will be considered to be 2016 business regardless of the pay period end date to which the pay is related.  Since this activity will be considered calendar year 2016 business, the employee’s 2016 balances will be updated.  These files should contain a ‘C’ indicating current year business and the pay adjust check date should be a 2016 date (regardless of the original paycheck issue date of the paycheck being adjusted -- if the original check date was prior to January 1, 2016, agencies should default the pay adjust check date to January 1, 2016). 

With the exception of OASDI and/or Medicare tax refunds or arrearages for tax years prior to 2016, Regents institutions may continue to submit adjustments and supplementals throughout the month of January 2016 regardless of the original pay period ending date of the paycheck being adjusted.  The activity will be processed on the regular Monday and every other Wednesday off-cycle schedule and will update 2016 payroll balances. 

Arrearages or refunds for OASDI and/or Medicare taxes for prior calendar years and limited to those adjustments resulting from a change in Social Security status must be submitted on separate payroll interface files.  These files should contain a ‘P’ indicating prior year business and the pay adjust check date field should contain the original check issue date of the paycheck being adjusted.  Prior year OASDI and/or Medicare arrearages/refunds are the only situations in which a prior year indicator of ‘P’ should be used; payroll interface files for any other type of adjustments, which contain a prior year indicator of ‘P’, will be rejected and will not be processed. 

Any prior year OASDI and/or Medicare refunds/arrearages identified after the December 23, 2015 deadline for the December 28, 2015 Run A’s off-cycle payroll will not be processed until the April 11, 2016 off-cycle payroll.  Since the files will be held, please do not begin submitting those files for processing until the week of April 4, 2016.  The deadline for submitting payroll interface files for the April 11, 2016 off-cycle is 4:00 p.m. on Friday, April 8, 2016. 

GENERAL REMINDERS
United Way and Community Health Charities
The deduction END date on the general deduction page for 2015 United Way or Community Health Charities contributions for both the UTDXXX and UTFXXX deduction codes should be dated between December 6, 2015 and December 19, 2015 in order for the last 2015 deduction to be taken on the paycheck issued December 18, 2015 if the deduction was taken over 26 pay periods. If the deduction was to be taken over 27 pay periods, a deduction end date of December 20, 2015 should be entered. Agencies should verify the deduction end date for all employees enrolled in United Way and/or Community Health Charities to ensure deductions are taken correctly.  

For calendar year 2016, agencies can enter a new row effective-dated between December 20, 2015 and January 2, 2016 in order for the first deduction for United Way or Community Health Charities for 2016 to be taken on the January 15, 2016 paycheck.  If the deduction is to be taken over 26 pay periods, a deduction end date of December 18, 2016 should be entered.  Agencies should enter the total pay period amount authorized by the employee when establishing the UTDXXX deduction code for 2016. 

A batch process will run the night of December 31, 2015 to establish the fee portion (deduction code UTFXXX) of the 2016 United Way/Community Health Charities deduction.  The batch process will establish the UTFXXX deduction code with the same effective date and deduction end date as the UTDXXX deduction code for 2016.  This process will reduce the 2016 deduction amount (UTDXXX deduction code) by $.06 and create a UTFXXX deduction code which defaults to the Deduction Code table for a deduction of $.06; the sum of the UTDXXX and UTFXXX deduction codes for 2016 will match the employee’s authorized deduction amount.  Agencies should verify the deduction/fees set up for all employees enrolled in United Way and/or Community Health Charities beginning Monday, January 4, 2016 to ensure both the UTDXXX and UTFXXX deductions are taken correctly.  Please note that if agencies need to enter any 2016 United Way/Community Health Charities deductions after December 31, 2015, then both the UTDXXX and UTFXXX deduction codes for the employee will need to be entered by the agency. 

Tax Information
Pursuant to IRS regulations, all employees claiming an exemption from federal withholding must file a new W-4 each calendar year. To facilitate this requirement, an email notification was sent on December 1, 2015 to all SHARP employees who are exempt from federal withholding.  Notifications were sent to the employee’s email address listed under ‘Update My Profile’ in the Employee Self Service Center at:https://sharp.ks.gov/psp/ESS/?cmd=login.  Notifications were sent to the agency payroll supervisor email address for those employees who lack an individual email address, and agencies will need to distribute the notifications to their employees.  For agency payroll/human resource staff, a worklist was created to identify these employees. The worklist was sent on December 1, 2015 to the agency staff that has been designated as the Agency Payroll Administrator through the SHARP security roles.  The worklist can be accessed two ways in SHARP:  from the Home page, click on Worklist under Main Menu on the left side of the screen, or click on Worklist on the top right side of the screen next to Home.  For each employee on the worklist, your agency should contact the person to ensure the appropriate action is taken so that the desired tax status is in effect for 2016.  If your agency has no employees claiming an exemption from federal withholding the worklist will be empty. 

SHARP employees are encouraged to use the Employee Self Service functionality to file their 2016 W-4s.  Employees should submit new paper W-4s by December 23, 2015 to allow adequate time for processing. 

Agency personnel have until 6:00 p.m. on December 30, 2015 to enter all paper W-4s into the system.  Agency personnel are reminded that they also need to check the radio buttons ‘New W-4 Received’ on the employee’s ‘Federal Tax Data’ panel in SHARP for the effective-dated row they enter.  Agency Workflow Administrators also need to check the radio button ‘New W-4 Received’ on the electronic W-4s submitted by the employee for calendar year 2016. 

The KPAY320 will be processed the evening of December 30, 2015.  This process searches for all employees for whom a W-4 email notification has been sent.  If a new W-4 has not been received, a January 1, 2016 effective-dated row will be placed in the Employee Tax Data record.  The January 1, 2016 effective-dated row will update the employee’s marital status to ‘single’ with zero exemptions. 

For any 2016 paper W-4s (for employees claiming exemption from withholding) received between December 30, 2015 and January 1, 2016, agency personnel will need to enter the data with a January 2, 2016 effective date.  Agency Workflow Administrators will also need to change the effective date to January 2, 2016 for any electronic W-4s received in this time period. 

The KPAY320 will only insert new effective-dated rows for federal withholding tax.  Employees should be advised to also review their state tax withholding to determine if changes are needed.  Employees working in Kansas will need to complete a new Form K-4, either paper or on-line, to make any needed state tax withholding change.  SHaRP employees are encouraged to use the Employee Self Service functionality to file their 2016 K-4’s. 

The 2016 Form W-4 will be posted to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer’s website as soon as it is available from the IRS. 

The KPAY320 will also enter a new-effective dated row in the SHARP federal tax data records on December 30, 2015 for employees with a special tax withholding status of ‘Non-Resident Alien’ to reflect that no 8233 form has yet been submitted for calendar year 2016.  The new tax data row will be dated January 1, 2016.  The 8233 indicator on the tax data records should be updated once a form 8233 for calendar year 2016 has been submitted.  A listing will not be provided for the 'Non-Resident Alien' updates, since reports are generated periodically throughout the calendar year to identify employees who have had non-resident alien earnings reported but whose current Federal Tax Data record in SHARP indicates the ‘Form 8233 Received’ checkbox does not contain a value of ‘Y’. 

Deduction Information
All deductions for calendar year 2016 are biweekly except:

-Group Health Insurance: semi-monthly, deducted on the first and second pay dates of the month. 

-Health Care Flexible Spending Accounts: semi-monthly, deducted on the first and second pay dates of the month. 

-Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts: semi-monthly, deducted on the first and second pay dates of the month. 

-Optional Group Life Insurance: monthly, deducted on the second pay date of the month. 

-Health Savings Accounts: semi-monthly, deducted on the first and second pay dates of the month.   Some deduction balancing adjustments can be processed by the State Employee Health Plan (SEHP) on the third pay date of the month when applicable. 

Arrearages/Advances
The collection of all outstanding payroll debts (arrearages or advances) must be completed either by personal reimbursement or paycheck deduction prior to the off-cycle A cut-off date of December 28, 2015.  Please refer to the most recent PAY007, ‘Deductions in Arrears Report’ and evaluate all existing arrearages for your agency and verify that collection will be made; agencies should continue monitoring the PAY007 reports to determine collections will be made by calendar year-end.  For sufficiently large balances that cannot be collected in one sum, agencies should establish a deduction override as soon as possible so paycheck deductions can be made and the balance collected by the cut-off date for year-end processing.  Also, as adjustments are processed from now until the end of the year, please monitor any new arrearage balances and collect in an expedient manner. 

Agencies are reminded that advance (‘ADV’) earnings are being paid to employees in situations where the employee’s earnings are not sufficient to cover certain deductions.  ‘ADV’ earnings are taxable wages at the time the earnings are paid; taxable wages are then reduced when the advance is collected (‘ADVNCE’ deduction).  Any ‘ADV’ earnings paid to an employee in calendar year 2015 will increase the employees’ W-2 taxable wages if the earnings are not collected by the end of the calendar year.  Agencies should collect any outstanding advances for payroll periods ending before December 19, 2015 by personal reimbursement as soon as possible. 

Payroll arrearages and advances, not including advances for Group Health Insurance for active employees and specific arrearages requested for exclusion, outstanding as of December 31, 2015 will be sent to the State of Kansas Set-Off Program for collection.  Agencies are allowed to request certain debts not be submitted to the Set-Off Program for the period of one calendar year by submitting a DA-181, SHARP Exclusion Request Form to Payroll Services. All DA-181 forms are due to Payroll Services no later than 4:00 p.m. on December 29, 2015.  Please remember that these forms are only for those arrearages that are actively being collected. 

On December 31, 2015, Payroll Services will generate a file of those identified outstanding payroll arrearages which will be sent to the Set-Off Program for collection.  KPAY229 will be run to remove those identified outstanding payroll arrearages from SHARP.  Please be aware that any employee inquiries for specific information regarding the debts submitted by Payroll Services to Setoff will be directed to the individual employee’s agency. 

W-2s
Please note that if an employee has an active mailing address on the SHARP Personal Information/ Modify a Person/ Contact Information page, the mailing address will be used for mailing the W-2.  If the employee has no active mailing address, then the home address will be used for mailing the W-2.  Since the majority of employees do not have a mailing address, most W-2's will continue to be mailed to the employee's home.  Please make any name, address, or social security number changes to the employee’s Contact Information page by 6:00 p.m. on January 5, 2016 to guarantee the updated information is included in the W-2 data. Although SHARP agencies have until January 5, 2016 to update the Contact Information page, it is strongly recommended that these changes be made as soon as they are known.  Regent's Institutions should make their name, address, and social security number changes by submitting them through the management reporting interface by 5:00 p.m. on December 23, 2015.  Since the W-2 form can only accommodate 30 characters in Address 1 and Address 2, please limit your employees’ address lengths.  Abbreviations should be used as needed to stay within the limit. 

The W-2 programs will be executed anytime between January 6, 2016 and January 11, 2016.  Electronic W-2 forms through Employee Self Service will be available on or before January 11, 2016.  For those employees not consenting to receive their W-2 forms electronically, W-2 forms will be printed and mailed on or before January 31, 2016.  Email notification of electronic W-2 availability will be provided for employees who have consented.  Notification of the W-2 mailings will be provided to all subscribers of the SHARP Infolist. 

December Calendar
Attached is a revised calendar for the month of December 2015 that highlights the key payroll processing activity.  This calendar does not provide the same level of detail as that provided in this informational circular.  The attached calendar is intended for use as a supplementary reference tool to this informational circular. 

If, in order to ensure the timely issuance of payroll, it becomes necessary to change any of the processing dates identified above, notification of the change will be provided to all subscribers of the SHARP Infolist.  SHARP users interested in subscribing to the Infolist, but who have not yet done so, can subscribe at http://da.ks.gov/sharp/infolist.htm.

Attachment

Printable version of 16-P-012
DH:NTR:ckw

Informational Circular No.: 16-p-013

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-033

Effective Date: Payroll Period Beginning December 20, 2015 and Ending January 2, 2016, Paid January 15, 2016

Contact Name: Earl Brynds

Ph: (785) 296-5376

Email: earl.brynds@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Parking Fee Decrease - Curtis Building Garage 

Pursuant to Kansas Administrative Regulation 1-45-22(b)(1), parking fees for the Curtis Building Garage will decrease effective January 1, 2016.  To implement this change, the following payroll deduction codes and associated administrative fee code will decrease effective with the payroll period beginning December 20, 2015 and ending January 2, 2016, paid January 15, 2016:

Deduction Code                     New bi-weekly rate for pped 1/2/16         PKT08B                                                          23.08                             

PPKT08                                                          23.08                         PKAD05 (admin fee)                                          1.77 

Employees who park on the roof of the Curtis Building Garage under parking deduction codes PKT0CB and PPKT0C will have a new bi-weekly deduction and associated administrative fee as follows:

Deduction Code                     New bi-weekly rate for pped 1/2/16        PKT0CB                                                         16.15                         

PPKT0C                                                         16.15                         PKAD12 (admin fee)                                          1.24 

Employees with Attorney General and Department of Commerce who park in the Curtis Building Garage under parking deduction codes PKT10B and PPKT10 will see their bi-weekly deduction and associated administrative fee decrease as follows:

Deduction Code                     New bi-weekly rate for pped 1/2/16        PKT10B                                                          11.54                         

PPKT10                                                          11.54                         PKAD07 (admin fee)                                          0.88

The parking rates for Secretary of State employees are listed below and do not change:

Deduction Code                     Bi-weekly rate since pped 6/20/15           PKT09B                                                          9.23                         

PPKT09                                                          9.23                         PKAD06 (admin fee)                                         0.71 

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team will make the necessary updates to the SHARP payroll system to effect this change for all employees for whom SHARP calculates pay.  Regents’ institutions are responsible for ensuring that this change is made in their individual systems.  

DH:NTR:abe

Informational Circular No.: 16-P-014

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-022

Effective Date: January 1, 2016

Contact Name: Amanda Entress

Ph: (785) 296-3887

Email: amanda.entress@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: IRS Cents-Per-Mile Valuation Rule Changes for Calendar Year 2016

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has announced the standard mileage rate will decrease to 54 cents beginning January 1, 2016 under the Cents-Per-Mile method of valuing an employee’s personal (commuting) use of a state-owned or leased vehicle.  The standard mileage rate for business is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of operating an automobile.  The Cents-Per-Mile valuation is one of several methodologies that can be used to calculate fringe benefit income.  See Informational Circular No. 05-P-023*.  Using this methodology, fringe benefit income is calculated by multiplying the 54 cents rate by the number of personal (commuting) miles driven by the employee in the state-owned or leased vehicle.  To be eligible to use the Cents-Per-Mile method, at least 50% of the vehicle’s total mileage is used for the employer’s trade or business, or the vehicle is primarily used by employees and the total mileage for the vehicle exceeds 10,000 miles per year.  The Cents-Per-Mile method may not be used for ‘luxury’ vehicles.  If a vehicle is first made available to an employee for personal (commuting) use in calendar year 2016 and the agency wishes to use the Cents-Per-Mile method, the fair market value of the vehicle cannot exceed $15,900 for a car (down from $16,000 in 2015), and $17,700 (up from $17,500 in 2015) for a passenger truck or van.  Agencies and employees are also reminded that the only personal use of a state-owned or leased vehicle allowed under state law is to commute between the employee’s work station and home, and then in only limited situations.

Please note that this Informational Circular does not impact the State’s privately owned vehicle mileage reimbursement rate. 

*Informational Circular No. 05-P-023 contains an incorrect K.A.R. reference number in the next to the last paragraph of the POLICY section.  The reference should be:  Kansas Administrative Regulation 1-17-2a(b)(1).

Printable version of 16-P-014

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Informational Circular No.: 16-P-015

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-025

Effective Date: Immediately

Contact Name: Carmen Waters

Ph: (785) 296-7059

Email: carmen.waters@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Information Pertaining to Employee 2015 W-2 Statements

The final version of the KTXPR55 W-2 listing has been generated.  The KTXPR55 report contains all information printed on the 2015 W-2 Wage and Tax Statement for each employee of your agency.  Agencies will find the report in their agency mailbox on the MVS with a date of January 7, 2016.  This report should be downloaded and retained by your agency to meet your historical record needs.  This report will be removed from your MVS mailbox and will be no longer available for downloading after February 5, 2016.  In reviewing the report, please note that 27 paycheck dates occurred in calendar year 2015 and are included on the 2015 W-2 Wage and Tax Statements as required by IRS regulations. 

The KTXPR55 W-2 listing is sorted as follows: 1) by department number, 2) alphabetically by last name, and 3) by social security number (SSN).  Totals are included for each 10-digit department number as well as a grand total summary for the entire agency.  The 'DIST. TOTAL' represents the total number of 2015 W-2's that were generated for your agency.  The Department of Administration will be preparing a SMART voucher to bill each agency for the applicable costs associated with processing the 2015 W-2's.

In those instances where an employee has worked for more than one department, one W-2 form has been prepared which includes earnings and deductions for all departments.  The W-2 information for these employees will be included on the KTXPR55 W-2 listing for the department number appearing on the employee's most current job record.

The standard W-2 will be used again for 2015.  The standard W-2 is one page, contains four copies (a copy to be used with the employees federal return, two copies that can be used for the employees state and local returns, and a copy for the employee records).  For those employees consenting to receive their W-2 electronically, the form will be available on Employee Self Service (ESS).  For those receiving a printed W-2, the form will be printed and sealed in an envelope. Please note that any employees who have retired or separated from state service continue to have access to consent and receive W-2 forms electronically via Employee Self Service for 18 months following separation.  However, retired/separated employees will have his/her consent reset in order to ensure generation of a mailed copy of his/her W-2 if the former employee does not re-consent/receive the W-2 electronically via Employee Self Service.  

Agencies are reminded that the mailing address on the Contact Information page will be the primary address used for mailing the paper W-2 to employees not consenting to receive an electronic W-2.  If the employee has no mailing address, then the employee's home address will be used for mailing the W-2.  Most employees should continue to receive their W-2’s at home, since the majority of employees do not have a mailing address.  The return address for all W-2 forms mailed this year will be the address of the Department of Administration’s Office of Printing & Mailing.

All paper 2015 W-2’s, which are considered undeliverable to the employees and are returned to the Office of Printing & Mailing by the U.S. Postal Service, will be retained until April 15, 2016.  At that time, they will be destroyed.

In cases where the 2015 W-2 Wage and Tax Statement information does not agree with your records, please notify this office with an explanation.  For all cases where the social security number is incorrect, please send a copy of the employee's social security card to this office with the explanation.  State agencies are not authorized to make changes on W-2 forms.  The Social Security Administration and the Kansas Department of Revenue must be notified of corrections made by the Department of Administration.

For employees needing duplicate W-2’s for years 2010 through 2015, agencies are expected to recommend that employees consent to view these W-2’s electronically using ‘W-2/W-2c Consent’ found in Employee Self Service at https://sharp.ks.gov/psp/ESS/, and then viewing and printing the duplicate using ‘View W-2/W-2c Forms’.  For those employees not wishing to consent to receiving their W-2 Form electronically, they should use the ‘W-2 Reissue Request’ functionality also found in Employee Self Service to request a paper W-2 duplicate if a paper W-2 was processed for the year being requested.  Desk Aids that explain these procedures, Desk Aid - View W-2/W-2c Forms - Employee Self Service and Desk Aid - W-2 Reissue Request - Employee Self Service may be printed and distributed to employees to assist them in this process. Agencies are reminded that employees who have separated or retired from State service have access to consent to view/view/print and to request duplicate paper W-2’s for 18 months following their date of separation, per Informational Circular 12-P-011 and should be directed to utilize Employee Self Service to consent/view/print or request a duplicate W-2.  For requesting paper W-2 reissues, after logging into the system and selecting ‘W-2 Reissue Request’, the employee will be asked to review the Tax Address and make any needed corrections.  Please note that the Tax Address is where the reissued paper W-2 will be mailed, so it is imperative that the address is correct.  The employee will also need to specify for which tax year (2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011, or 2010) the reissued W-2 is needed.  Duplicate W-2’s for 2010- 2014 are currently available, and duplicate W-2’s for 2015 will be available starting on Wednesday, February 10, 2016.  Please note that duplicate W-2’s for the year 2010 will no longer be available after mid-April 2016.

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Services will continue to provide duplicate paper W-2’s for those employees who cannot access Employee Self Service.  Requests for duplicate W-2’s received by Payroll Services by noon of each Thursday will be processed Thursday afternoon and mailed the next day.  Agencies need to verify the mailing addresses for the W-2’s and submit the correct addresses to Payroll Services.  Agencies are requested to submit one blanket request for duplicate 2015 W-2's for each printing.  The requests should be in employee ID order and should include each employee's name and correct mailing address in addition to the employee ID.  Requests for duplicate W-2's for years prior to 2015 should be submitted separately.  Duplicate 1042S form requests should also be submitted separately.  Requests for either duplicate W-2 or 1042S forms should be directed to Payroll Services at telephone number 785-296-7059.

Attachment A has been included with this circular to assist agencies in answering questions regarding the W-2 forms.  The attachment defines what items must be added (+) or subtracted (-) to arrive at the amounts shown on the W-2 form.  In addition, agencies may also consider utilizing the SHARP KPAY318, “Year to Date Balances” report to assist in answering W-2 related questions.  The report is available through SHARP using the path: Home / Payroll for North America / Periodic Payroll Events USA / Balance Reviews / Year to Date Balances.  Employee ID and year are required to run this report.  See Accounts and Reports Informational Circular No. 97-P-005 dated October 31, 1996 for additional information regarding the KPAY318. 

Please note that on-cycle and off-cycle paychecks dated December 31, 2015 are included in the 2015 W-2 amounts.   

Attachment A
Attachment B
Printable version of 16-P-015

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Informational Circular No.: 16-P-016

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-026

Effective Date: Immediately

Contact Name: Carmen Waters

Ph: (785) 296-7059

Email: carmen.waters@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: 2016 W-2 Production Report Schedule

In an effort to reduce the time and effort required of Regents and SHARP agency personnel as well as Payroll Services staff at the end of the calendar year, the 2016 W-2 production reports will be produced throughout the calendar year.  By producing the reports on a scheduled basis during the year, the work associated with identifying and correcting errors/address problems can be more evenly distributed.  The following is a list of the dates the 2016 W-2 production reports are scheduled to be generated:

Friday, February 12, 2016
Friday, March 11, 2016
Friday, April 22, 2016
Friday, May 20, 2016
Friday, June 17, 2016
Friday, July 15, 2016
Friday, August 12, 2016
Friday, September 9, 2016
Friday, October 7, 2016
Friday, November 4, 2016
Friday, November 18, 2016
Monday, December 5, 2016
Monday, December 12, 2016
Monday, December 19, 2016
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Thursday, January 5, 2017 - Tentative Final Load
 

Agencies should anticipate finding copies of the KTXPR55 and TAX910ER reports in their agency mailbox on the MVS on the first working day following the above listed scheduled dates. Errors appearing on TAX910ER for SHARP agencies will be monitored and corrected by the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.  Regent’s institutions are responsible for monitoring and correcting their own errors in a timely manner.  No action is required by the agency on the KTXPR55.  Once the W-2’s for 2016 are complete, a final KTXPR55 report will be generated for each agency’s information and review.

In addition, the Regent’s institutions will receive the report TAX900 in their agency mailbox on the MVS. The TAX900 report should be thoroughly reviewed and any correcting transactions processed timely.  It will continue to be the Regent’s responsibility to use the Management Reporting Interface file (MRI) to reconcile the year-to-date amounts in SHARP to the year-to-date amounts in their individual payroll systems.

Printable version of 16-P-016

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Informational Circular No.: 16-P-017

Effective Date: Payroll Period Beginning January 31, 2016 and Ending February 13, 2016, Paid February 26, 2016

Contact Name: Earl Brynds

Ph: (785) 296-5376

Email: Earl.Brynds@da.ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Additional Parking Codes for State Parking Lot 3 at 1020 Kansas Avenue 

Pursuant to an agreement entered into by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism (KDWP) and the Department of Administration for State parking lot 3, current inactive parking deduction codes PKT05B (after-tax), and PPKT05 (before-tax) were updated in SHARP to be used for these employee parking deductions. KDWP employees enrolled in parking codes PKT05B and PPKT05 will have a bi-weekly payroll deduction of $8.08. KDWP employees enrolled in parking deductions PKT05B and PPKT05 will also be enrolled in the parking administrative fee code PKADR3. Parking code PKADR3 will result in an employer bi-weekly payroll contribution of $0.62. These parking codes are effective with the pay period beginning January 31, 2016, ending February 13, 2016, and paid February 26, 2016.

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team will make the necessary updates to the SHARP payroll system to effect this change for all employees for whom SHARP calculates pay.  Regents’ institutions are responsible for ensuring that this change is made in their individual systems.  

Printable version of 16-P-017

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Informational Circular No.: 16-P-018

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 13-P-025

Effective Date: Payroll Period Beginning February 28, 2016 and Ending March 12, 2016, paid March 25, 2016

Contact Name: Earl Brynds

Ph: (785) 296-5376

Email: (earl.brynds@da.ks.gov)

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Suspension of Employer Contributions for KPERS Death and Disability Insurance for the Final Seven Pay Periods of Fiscal Year 2016

House Sub for SB 112, passed in the 2015 legislative session, calls for an additional moratorium that suspends employer contributions for KPERS Death and Disability Insurance for the final seven payroll periods of fiscal year 2016.  As a result, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer will not collect or remit the employer portion of KPERS Death and Disability insurance contributions for pay periods during the moratorium.  The KPERS Death and Disability Insurance moratorium will start effective with the pay period beginning February 28, 2016 and ending March 12, 2016, paid March 25, 2016 and end with the pay period beginning May 22, 2016 and ending June 4, 2016, paid June 17, 2016.  Please note that the KPERS Death and Disability contributions for off-cycle payrolls are calculated based on the original pay period end dates, so paycheck adjustments processed after March 14, 2016 for pay period end dates prior to March 12, 2016 will continue to have the contributions collected and remitted.  Refer to Informational Circulars 11-P-025 at https://www.admin.ks.gov/offices/office-of-accounts--reports/informational-messages-and-circulars/payroll-circulars/p-fy-2011, 12-P-023 at https://www.admin.ks.gov/offices/office-of-accounts--reports/informational-messages-and-circulars/payroll-circulars/p-fy-2012  and 13-P-020 at  https://www.admin.ks.gov/offices/office-of-accounts--reports/informational-messages-and-circulars/payroll-circulars/p-fy-2013 to review the dates the previous moratoriums were in effect for 2010 through 2013.  Remittances will continue to be made according to the normal schedule for the prior period adjustments.

Agencies are reminded that it is extremely important that the appropriate ‘GTL’ code be established in SHARP’s Retirement Plans page ( Plan Type 7U) under Benefits, or for Legislators the Life and AD/D Benefits page ( Plan Type 22) for new employees hired after February 27,2016 even though the agency will not be charged for KPERS Death and Disability contributions.  If the appropriate ‘GTL’ code is not established, the imputed income, if applicable, will not be properly calculated for the new employee.

Regent institutions are reminded that the Death and Disability Insurance moratorium is for the employer paid contributions only.  The moratorium does not extend to members of Board of Regents retirement plans who elect to continue the Death and Disability Insurance coverage while on leave without pay under the provisions of K.S.A. 74-4927a(8), which specifically require the "employee" to remit the required contribution while on leave without pay.

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team, will make the necessary updates to the SHARP payroll system to effect this change for all employees for whom SHARP calculates pay.  Regent’s institutions are responsible for ensuring that this change is made in their respective systems effective with the payroll periods noted above.

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Informational Circular No.: 16-P-019

Effective Date: Pay Period Beginning June 5, 2016; Ending June 18, 2016; Paid July 1, 2016 

OCFO Contact Name: Earl Brynds

KDHE Contact Name: Peter Nagurny

Ph: (785) 296-5376, (785) 296-0185

Email: earl.brynds@ks.gov, pnagurny@kdheks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: <insert summary information here>

The Health Care Commission approved a policy change for the timing of vision payroll deductions from twice a month to once a month.  Starting with payroll period beginning June 5, 2016 and ending June 18, 2016, paid July 1, 2016 the vision payroll deduction for a month will be taken in the first coverage period of that month. Any mid-month eligibility or coverage changes that result in a deduction change to vision would roll into the first coverage period of the following month.  Since the vision deduction is a monthly deduction, a mid-month termination will not result in a proration of the vision deduction.

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team is responsible for making the necessary updates to the SHaRP payroll system. Regents’ institutions are responsible for ensuring that these changes are reflected in their individual systems.

Questions regarding the system set-up/interfaces for this payroll deduction can be directed to Earl Brynds (Earl.Brynds@ks.gov or 785.296.5376).

Questions regarding the vision benefit should be directed to Peter Nagurny, Health Plan Data Manager (pnagurny@kdheks.gov or 785.296.0185).

Printable version of 16-P-019

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Informational Circular No.: 16-P-020

Effective Date: April 10, 2016

Contact Name: Earl Brynds

Ph: (785) 296-5376

Email: earl.brynds@ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Addition of Earnings Code ‘VOA’ for Volunteerism Award

At the implementation of the State of Kansas Employee Award and Recognition Program, an award for volunteerism was categorized as a nonmonetary award and was recorded on the employee’s timesheet under earnings code NMA. After further review of the definition of volunteerism from the Employee Award and Recognition Program, it was determined that this award should be a monetary award. The definition and program guidelines can be found on the Department of Administration’s website at http://www.admin.ks.gov/offices/personnel-services/policies-and-programs/award-and-recognition-program.

Therefore, a new earnings code has been added to SHARP effective April 10, 2016 to administer a volunteerism award.  The following earnings code is eligible to be used starting with the pay period beginning April 10, 2016 through April 23, 2016 paid May 6, 2016.

Earnings Code           Description           Short Description       Effective Dat
        VOA              Award – Volunteerism           Award                   04/10/2016

SHARP agencies: The Office of Personnel Services has created the VOA (Volunteerism Award) Time Reporting Code (TRC) and has mapped the VOA TRC to the VOA earnings code effective April 10, 2016. The VOA TRC is now visible in Time and Labor drop down lists.

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team, is responsible for adding the new earnings code in the SHARP system.  Regents’ institutions are responsible for implementing the new earnings code in their payroll systems.

Printable Version of 16-P-020

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Informational Circular No.: 16-P-021

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-031

Effective Date: July 1, 2016

Contact Name: Heather DeBusk

Ph: (785) 296-2434

Email: (Heather.DeBusk@ks.gov)

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Optional Group Life Insurance Rate Changes, Optional Spousal Life Insurance and Child Life Insurance Changes 

KPERS has approved a new Optional Group Life Insurance provider effective July 1, 2016. The Standard will replace Minnesota Life. Due to this change in provider the Employee Optional Group Life Insurance rates are changing effective July 1, 2016 as follows:

        Age as of                                                 Monthly Premium
        January 1, 2016                                               per $1,000       
           Under 25                                                        $0.037
             25-29                                                           $0.037
             30-34                                                           $0.055
             35-39                                                           $0.064
             40-44                                                           $0.073
             45-49                                                           $0.110
             50-54                                                           $0.156
             55-59                                                           $0.293
             60-64                                                           $0.467
             65-69                                                           $0.869
             70-74                                                           $1.409
           75 and Older                                                  $1.528

An administrative fee of $0.20 per month will continue to be added to the employee premium each month.  Maximum employee coverage available is $300,000.00.  The age calculation will continue to be based on the employee’s attained age as of January 1^st of the current calendar year.

At this time the Spousal Group Life Insurance and Child Life Insurance rates will remain the same. An administrative fee of $0.20 per month will continue to be added to the spousal premium each month. Effective, July 1, 2016, a new $.20 administrative fee will be added to the child premium each month. Maximum coverage is available up to $100,000 for Spousal Group Life Insurance and $20,000 for Child Life Insurance. 

The new rates are effective with coverage for the month of July, 2016.  Therefore, the July 15, 2016 paycheck (paycheck issued for the payroll period ending July 2, 2016) will be the first check issued with the new rates since Optional Group Life Insurance premiums are collected on the second biweekly paycheck of the month for that month’s coverage. 

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Services Team will ensure the updates are made to the SHARP payroll system to effect this change for all employees from whom SHARP calculates pay.  Regent's institutions are responsible for ensuring that this change is made in their respective systems prior to July 1, 2016.

Printable Version of 16-P-021

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Informational Circular No.: 16-P-022

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 16-P-018

Effective Date: Payroll Period Beginning June 5, 2016 and Ending June 18, 2016, paid July 1, 2016

Contact Name: Earl Brynds

Ph: (785) 296-5376

Email: earl.brynds@ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Extension of the Suspension of Employer Contributions for KPERS Death and Disability Insurance for all of Fiscal Year 2017

House Substitute for Senate Bill 161 Section 97, passed in the 2016 legislative session, calls for an extension of the moratorium that suspends employer contributions for KPERS Death and Disability Insurance for all of fiscal year 2017.  As a result, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer will not collect or remit the employer portion of KPERS Death and Disability insurance contributions for pay periods during the moratorium.  The KPERS Death and Disability Insurance moratorium will end after the pay period beginning June 4, 2017 and ending June 17, 2017, paid June 30, 2017.  Please note that the KPERS Death and Disability contributions for off-cycle payrolls are calculated based on the original pay period end dates, so paycheck adjustments processed after March 14, 2016 for pay period end dates prior to March 12, 2016 will continue to have the contributions collected and remitted.  Refer to Informational Circulars 11-P-025 at https://www.admin.ks.gov/offices/office-of-accounts--reports/informational-messages-and-circulars/payroll-circulars/p-fy-2011, 12-P-023 at https://www.admin.ks.gov/offices/office-of-accounts--reports/informational-messages-and-circulars/payroll-circulars/p-fy-2012  and 13-P-020 at  https://www.admin.ks.gov/offices/office-of-accounts--reports/informational-messages-and-circulars/payroll-circulars/p-fy-2013 to review the dates the previous moratoriums were in effect for 2010 through 2013.  Remittances will continue to be made according to the normal schedule for the prior period adjustments.

Agencies are reminded that it is extremely important that the appropriate ‘GTL’ code be established in SHARP’s Retirement Plans page ( Plan Type 7U) under Benefits, or for Legislators the Life and AD/D Benefits page ( Plan Type 22) for new employees hired after February 27,2016 even though the agency will not be charged for KPERS Death and Disability contributions.  If the appropriate ‘GTL’ code is not established, the imputed income, if applicable, will not be properly calculated for the new employee.

Regent institutions are reminded that the Death and Disability Insurance moratorium is for the employer paid contributions only.  The moratorium does not extend to members of Board of Regents retirement plans who elect to continue the Death and Disability Insurance coverage while on leave without pay under the provisions of K.S.A. 74-4927a(8), which specifically require the "employee" to remit the required contribution while on leave without pay.

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team, will make the necessary updates to the SHARP payroll system to effect this change for all employees for whom SHARP calculates pay.  Regent’s institutions are responsible for ensuring that this change is made in their respective systems effective with the payroll periods noted above.

Printable version of 16-P-022

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Informational Circular No.: 16-P-023

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-032

Effective Date: Immediately

Contact Name: Joyce Dickerson

Ph: (785) 296-3979

Email: joyce.dickerson@ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Summary of Fiscal Year End Payroll Processing

This informational circular will discuss key payroll processing concepts to aid in fiscal year end closing.

Note:  Another informational circular regarding the fiscal year 2017 payroll contribution rates will be issued as soon as the information becomes available.

Benefits Contribution Rates

Supplementals and adjustments use the benefit contribution rates effective for the pay period being adjusted.  Supplementals and adjustments that are processed for pay periods ending on or before June 4, 2016 will use fiscal year 2016 benefits contribution rates (or prior fiscal years benefits contribution rates depending on the fiscal year of the payroll period being adjusted).  Supplementals and adjustments for pay period ending dates greater than June 4, 2016 will use fiscal year 2017 rates. Benefit contributions include: KPERS, TIAA-CREF, KPEDCP, workers compensation insurance, state leave reserve assessment, group health insurance (GHI), and parking administrative fee.

Tax Rates

Taxes for supplementals and adjustments will be calculated using the tax rates effective for the paycheck issue date for the off-cycle payroll being processed.  Taxes include: OASDI (Social Security), Medicare, federal withholding tax, state withholding tax, local withholding tax, and unemployment compensation insurance.  Note for Regents: the use of the ‘current’ UCI rate for calculation purposes does not replace the reporting requirements for prior period adjustments necessary for quarterly UCI reporting.

Fiscal Year Expenditure Impact  

Supplementals, adjustments and reversals will be charged to expenditures in the fiscal year the off-cycle paycheck is issued regardless of the pay period being adjusted.   Please note, the Run C off-cycle (scheduled for June 20, 2016, paid June 23, 2016) for the pay period ending June 4, 2016 will be the last opportunity to have a paycheck adjustment charged to fiscal year 2016 expenditures. 
  

The fiscal year expenditure impact applies to both SHARP agencies and Regents institutions.

Budget End Date and Fiscal Year Changes

The Budget End Date and Fiscal Year on the Department Budget tables will be updated centrally at the beginning of the fiscal year.  This process is scheduled to run during the batch cycle the night of June 12, 2016 and should be completed by Monday morning, June 13, 2016.  In that process, a new row will be added to the Department Budget tables with an effective date of June 5, 2016 (beginning date of the first on-cycle payroll charged to FY2017).  The Budget End Date will be June 4, 2017. 

Agencies should send Combination Code files or any Department Budget Table files for FY17 changes into Payroll Services by Friday, June 10, 2016.  These files will be loaded into SHARP beginning Monday, June 13, 2016. Agencies should not enter any rows with an effective date greater than or equal to June 5, 2016 until after the FY2017 insert has been completed. When adding new rows for FY2017, agencies should verify that June 4, 2017 was used as the Budget End Date for FY2017.

A special run of the KPAYGL5C (paycheck accounting transactions file) will be processed on Friday, June 17, 2016 after the ‘B’ off-cycle process has been completed for the June 4, 2016 pay period end date.  A SHARP Infolist message will be sent out to agencies after the KPAYGL5C has finished processing on June 17.  Agencies are encouraged to complete all FY16 payroll adjustments on or before the ‘B’ off-cycle which processes on Wednesday night, June 15, 2016, to take advantage of this early run of the KPAYGL5C.    Otherwise, any adjustments processed in the ‘C’ off-cycle on Monday, June 20, 2016 will not be included on the KPAYGL5C file until it is run again on Wednesday night, June 22, 2016. 

GHI Adjustments

As a reminder, GHI adjustments can only be processed for terminated employees. Contact SEHP Membership Services by Email: SEHPMembership@kdheks.gov or Phone: 785-296-3226 at Kansas Department of Health & Environment, Division of Health Care Finance, State Employee Health Plan about event maintenance that may affect claims processing for any active employees.

Regents’ Institutions Responsibilities

Regents’ institutions are responsible for ensuring that the correct benefit and tax contribution rates are used when calculating payroll for employees of their agencies and for ensuring that the SMART INF06 interface files affect the correct fiscal year expenditures. 

Reminders

To help reduce the number of adjustments to process, SHARP agencies are reminded of the following:

1. Enter job data changes prior to the creation of paysheets.  Paysheets for on-cycle payrolls are generally created on the Tuesday night following the end of the payroll period.  Agencies should not change the FLSA status after Tuesday night as this will cause issues with the paysheets and will require special handling.  Agencies should also not change the Assign Work Schedule after Tuesday night if the change affects the Paygroup.
2. Agencies should review the accuracy of the gross-to-net payroll information and employer contributions after each preliminary pay calculation.  The PAY002 report can be used to review the gross-to-net data. Agencies can review employer contributions by accessing the employee’s paycheck deduction information for the period. Employer contributions have a deduction class of ‘Nontaxable’.

Printable version of 16-P-023

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Informational Circular No.: 16-P-024

Effective Date: July 1, 2016

OCFO Contact Name: Jude Overton

OPS Contact Name: Connie Guerrero

Ph: (785) 296-2290, (785) 296-0754

Email: jude.overton@ks.gov, connie.guerrero@ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: New Benefit Plans for KPERS Working After Retirement and New Rules/Instructions for Tracking in SHARP

Pursuant to Sen Sub for House Bill 2095 passed in the 2015 legislature, changes are being implemented for KPERS working after retirement (WAR) rules for both employers and members effective July 1, 2016.  Agencies can refer to the Working After Retirement flyer as well as the attached notes from KPERS for additional information. As a result of these changes, nine new KPERS benefit plans will be added in SHARP effective for the payroll period beginning July 3, 2016, ending July 16, 2016, paid July 29, 2016, as follows:

These nine new benefit plans will be linked to the existing RETRET deduction code (KPERS-Hired Retirees) in SHARP the same as the current PR benefit plan (KPERS AT member code) for hired retirees.  The PR benefit plan (KPERS AT member code) will continue to be used for any WAR employee currently in SHARP who accepted their position before 5/1/15.  These employees will be grandfathered in.

The FY17 employer only rates (and Earnings Limit) for each of the new benefit plans are listed on the attached document from KPERS.  These employer rates will also be listed on the FY2017 Payroll Contribution Rates informational circular that will be published in the near future.

NOTE:  There is an additional KPERS member code being added to the KPERS system only (NOT added in SHARP), ACTR – Working after Retirement – 3^rd party or independent contractor, that is subject to a $25,000 limitation and employer rate of 10.81%,  effective start date July 3, 2016.  This KPERS member code is established for retirees who return to an agency in a staff position, but the agency is paying a third party (example, Westaff).  KPERS will work directly with the agencies or third party vendors to identify and report the necessary information for KPERS.  Third party/independent contractor retirees will not be tracked in SHARP.

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team is responsible for making the necessary updates to the SHARP payroll system.  Regents’ Institutions are responsible for ensuring that these changes are reflected in their individual systems.

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Attachment

Printable version of 16-P-024

Informational Circular No.: 16-P-025

Supersedes Informational Circular No: 15-P-035

Effective Date: Pay Period Beginning June 5, 2016; Ending June 18, 2016; Paid July 1, 2016

Contact Name: Carmen Waters

Ph: (785) 296-7059

Email: Carmen.Waters@ks.gov

Approval:    Nancy Ruoff (Original Signature on File)
Summary: Fiscal Year 2017-Employee/Employer Matching Share of Payroll   Contributions and Retirement Plans

The attached schedules contain employer’s contribution rates for KPERS, unemployment insurance, state leave assessment, group health insurance, and worker’s compensation insurance for fiscal year 2017.  The fiscal year 2017 rates will become effective with the on-cycle payroll period beginning June 5, 2016, ending June 18, 2016 and paid July 1, 2016.  The withholding rates for OASDI, Medicare, federal income taxes, and Kansas income taxes remain unchanged for the remainder of calendar year 2016.

For Fiscal Year 2017, the employer’s contribution to KPERS Death and Disability Insurance will continue to be suspended due to the moratorium called for by House Substitute for Senate Bill 161.  Since SHARP uses pay period end dates to determine if the KPERS Death and Disability Insurance contribution is taken, no contribution will be taken for paycheck adjustments with payroll period end dates that contain an original check date within a moratorium period.  Previous moratoriums for KPERS Death and Disability Insurance contributions were in place for payroll periods with an original check date greater than March 12, 2016; between April 1, 2000 and December 31, 2001; between July 1, 2002 and December 31, 2002; between April 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004; between March 1, 2009 and November 30, 2009; between April 1, 2010 and June 30, 2010; between April 1, 2011 and June 30, 2011; between April 1, 2012 and June 30, 2012; and between April 1, 2013 and June 30, 2013.

For Regent institutions, moratoriums do not extend to members of Board of Regents retirement plans who elect to continue the Death and Disability Insurance coverage while on leave without pay under the provisions of K.S.A. 74-4927a(8), which specifically requires the “employee” to remit the required contribution while on leave without pay.

Legislation passed in 2015 changed rules about KPERS retirees who work after retirement for the same or a different KPERS employer.  More detailed information on these changes can be found in the Working After Retirement flyer.  These changes do not affect KP&F or the Retirement System for Judges.  For retirees who begin work for a different KPERS employer, the employer must make contributions based on retiree compensation.  This includes all retirees who first begin actively working in KPERS-covered positions on or after May 1, 2015.  Employees who meet these criteria should be enrolled in corresponding benefit plan and Deduction Code ‘RETRET’ as detailed in Informational Circular 16-P-024.  Retirees enrolled in the working after retirement benefit plans are not subject to KPERS death and disability insurance.

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, Payroll Systems Team will update the SHARP system to reflect the changes in employer’s contribution rates.  Regents’ institutions are responsible for ensuring the changes in rates are made in their individual systems.  Regents’ institutions are also responsible for ensuring that the SMART INF06 impacts the correct fiscal year and account codes.

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Attachment A

Attachment B

Attachment C

Printable Version of 16-P-025