Payroll FAQ

Salaried Appointments

If you are a GSI, you will receive pay on the 1st of each month.

If you have been newly hired as a student employee, your first pay amount will ALWAYS be in the form of a paycheck. If you are a rehire, and there is no break in service, your direct deposit information will normally carry over to your current appointment.

Once your appointment is active, you may sign up ONLINE in UCPath. You will use your CALNET ID and passphrase to log in. Once you have logged in, navigate to Employee Actions > Income and Taxes > Direct Deposit and follow the instructions. Please review your entry afterwards to ensure your information is accurate.

Please note that although your information will be saved in the system immediately, UCPath needs to verify your account with your banking institution before beginning direct deposit. This can take up to 30 days. Depending on the timing of your enrollment and pay cycle, you may receive a paper paycheck in the interim period while UCPath is verifying your account.

  • If you are a graduate student, you may be eligible for partial fee remission if you have a GSR appointment of 25-44% time, or a combination of GSI, Reader, and/or Tutor appointments of 25% time or more.
  • If you are an undergraduate student, you may be eligible for partial fee remission if you hold a GSI appointment of 25% time or more. Undergraduate Reader and Tutor appointments are not eligible for fee remission.
  • Only graduate students with a GSR appointment of 45% time or more are eligible for full fee remission.

The fee remission CAN include University Registration Fee, Educational Fee, Health Insurance Fee, Berkeley Campus Fee, Class Pass (AC Transit) Fee, and Nonresident Tuition Fee. For a more detailed description of fee remission types: http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/policies/pdf/fee_remission_bulletin.pdf

Once your appointment has been entered into UCPath, it will take approximately 10-14 business days for the remission to take effect. If you have filled out the appropriate paperwork and still do not see the fee remission on your bill after 21 business days, please contact Hamilton Chang in 395 Soda Hall, 642-0544.

Your account will be reimbursed within a few weeks once your appointment has been entered into UCPath for the type of fee remission you are eligible for.

If you have accrued late fees on your registration and you have a student appointment with EECS, contact Hamilton Chang.

All students can work up to 50% time during the semester: this corresponds to a 20-hour appointment. If you’re signing up for a GSI position for less than 50%, you should consult with your faculty advisor regarding a combination GSI/GSR appointment. Students may hold GSI/GSR combination appointments, as long as they are in line with campus policies.

You should always discuss both GSI and GSR appointments with your faculty advisor. You may request a GSR appointment online.

We do not handle NRT fees, you will need to contact your departmental Staff Graduate Advisor.

Your appointment is contingent upon the dean’s approval from the graduate division office. To be proposed for appointments as GSIs, undergraduate candidates must:

  • Be registered in the semester in which they are teaching;
  • Be enrolled in the minimum number of units approved by your college by the end of the third week of classes;
  • Have upper division status when they begin teaching;
  • Have an overall GPA of 3.1 or higher; and
  • Have taken the course for which they are being appointed, its equivalent, or a more advanced course, and have received for that course a grade of A- or better.

Appointees who do not speak English as a native language must satisfy the English Language Proficiency requirement before they can teach. For details on this requirement, contact the GSI Teaching & Resource Center (2-4456).

Policy on ASEs Working in Excess of Contracted Appointment Hours

We encourage any (U)GSI who feels they’re working in excess of their contract to contact Christopher Hunn, Director of Undergraduate Student Instruction, as soon as possible. The Director is a confidential advisor as well as a liaison for addressing these and other circumstances that may be challenging a (U)GSI.

TA’s may also feel free to set up an appointment by first using this bcal link to the campus Google Calendar to view Christopher Hunn’s calendar availability. Invite him to a new event during an available time by adding him to your newly created event’s guest list and saving; this requires CalNet authentication using your @berkeley email address. Then he will be ready for the meeting in his office at 341C Soda Hall.
The following is the department’s policy for addressing a TA’s concern regarding working in excess of their contract:

EECS Policy on Support, Evaluation, and Restitution for Undergraduate/Graduate Student Instructors (U/GSIs) Working in Excess of Contracted Appointment Hours

To establish a procedure to support undergraduate and graduate student instructors U/GSIs who believe they are working in excess of their contracted appointment hours, and to resolve such issues if and when they occur in a timely manner.

  1. All U/GSIs are instructed to carefully track their weekly hours and duties as explicitly stated in their contract and on their ASE appointment letter provided by the department. In the event the U/GSI suspects they are working more than their appointment permits, they should contact their instructor to address the issue. Common resolutions might be to modify their appointment percentage or work duties so that they are congruent with their appointment letter per UAW contract.
  2. If, at any time, the U/GSI does not feel comfortable bringing this to their instructor’s attention—for whatever reason—they are encouraged to contact the Director of Undergraduate Student Instruction (DUSI) as soon as possible for an informal, confidential meeting to discuss the issue. The Director is provided as an advocate and/or liaison. They are also provided to evaluate the relevant circumstances in concert with the U/GSI.
  3. The Director of Undergraduate Instruction may propose actions to resolve the situation.
  4. In the event initial actions do not resolve the issue, the Director of Undergraduate Instruction may evaluate and verify the U/GSIs work hours according to internal procedures to ensure a comprehensive review.

  1. If it is determined that the U/GSI is in fact working in excess of their appointment hours per the aforementioned procedure, then those hours will be tabulated, and the U/GSI will be financially compensated for the excessive work at the hourly rate of their appointment. If this occurs before the end of the UGSI’s appointment then their work duties will be amended so as to no longer require more hours than their appointment allows.
  2. All U/GSIs will be reminded that—regardless of if they feel their issue was evaluated and resolved reasonably and adequately—they are represented and may seek guidance from an appropriate union representative at any time.

Hourly Appointments

We encourage any (U)GSI who feels they’re working in excess of their contract to contact Christopher Hunn, Director of Undergraduate Student Instruction, as soon as possible. The Director is a confidential advisor as well as a liaison for addressing these and other circumstances that may be challenging a (U)GSI.

TA’s may also feel free to set up an appointment by first using this bcal link to the campus Google Calendar to view Christopher Hunn’s calendar availability. Invite him to a new event during an available time by adding him to your newly created event’s guest list and saving; this requires CalNet authentication using your @berkeley email address. Then he will be ready for the meeting in his office at 341C Soda Hall.
The following is the department’s policy for addressing a TA’s concern regarding working in excess of their contract:

EECS Policy on Support, Evaluation, and Restitution for Undergraduate/Graduate Student Instructors (U/GSIs) Working in Excess of Contracted Appointment Hours

An hourly employee is someone that is paid based on the amount of hours you are assigned to work by your employer. Some of our hourly employees include readers and student assistants.

  • Beginning May 31, 2020, all biweekly hourly employees use CalTime to log their hours. 
  • Student Assistants are Real Time employees, meaning that they must record a time stamp at the beginning and end of their shift.
  • Readers and Tutors are Anytime employees, meaning that they can enter their number of hours worked at any point during the biweekly pay period.
  • Some Readers and Tutors that also hold other appointments may be Real Time employees for both appointments, or will be paid on a monthly basis. You will be informed by ERSO HR if this is the case.
  • Job Aids and Information for both Real Time and Anytime employees can be found here.

Time sheets must be submitted before the due date for the current pay period. Please refer to the CalTime website to find more information about due dates. Please note that most hourly appointments are on the biweekly pay period.

If you turn in your time sheet after the due date, you will receive pay at a later date. You will need to contact ERSO Payroll to find out when you should expect to receive pay.

If you are a biweekly hourly employee, you will receive your paycheck according to the dates specified on the Berkeley Controller’s Office web page. The 2020 biweekly pay dates can be found here.

If you have been newly hired as a student employee, your first pay amount will ALWAYS be in the form of a paycheck. If you are a rehire, and there is no break in service, your direct deposit information will normally carry over to your current appointment.

The campus payroll system is not linked to CARS billing. You will need to sign up for direct deposit through UCPath.

Yes, you have the opportunity to sign up for direct deposit when you fill out your paperwork at 199M Cory Hall. Please bring in a voided check. Once you have been hired, you may also sign up ONLINE in UCPath

  1. Login to UCPath
  2. Navigate to Employee Actions on the left hand side of the webpage
  3. Select Income and Taxes
  4. Select Direct Deposit.

You can elect up to three (3) direct deposit accounts at different financial institutions. (Note that only one change may be made to direct deposit information per 24 hour period.) 

Although your information will be saved in the system immediately, UCPath needs to verify your account with your banking institution before beginning direct deposit. Depending on the timing of your enrollment and pay cycle, you may receive a paper paycheck in the interim period while UCPath is verifying your account.

Readers and Tutors are eligible for a partial fee remission, if you are a graduate student.

The partial fee remission includes the regular Tuition, Student Service Fee, $150 toward the Berkeley Campus Fee, and Health Insurance Fee (graduate students only). For a more detailed description of fee remission types, view: http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/policies/pdf/fee_remission_bulletin.pdf

Once we have entered your information into our HR and Payroll system, it will take approximately 10-14 business days for the remission to take effect. If you have filled the appropriate paperwork and still do not see the fee remission on your CARS bill after 21 business days, please contact Hamilton Chang.

Your CalCentral account will be reimbursed within a few weeks once your appointment has been entered into our payroll system for the partial fee remission, if you are eligible.

If you have accrued late fees on your registration and you have an academic student appointment with EECS, contact Hamilton Chang.

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