Student Payroll Guidelines

Student payroll occurs every two weeks based on the annual student payroll calendar.  The weekly student work period runs from Sunday to Saturday and student online time sheets must be submitted for approval every other Sunday by 5pm. 

Please note that all student employees are expected to submit their time sheet(s) online by the stated deadline.  In the event that a student forgets to submit a time sheet for approval, he/she should contact their supervisor immediately. The supervisor can enter time on the student's behalf up until noon, Monday. This allows employers to approve time sheets prior to the deadline in order for students to get paid on time. Paychecks for late time will not be issued between pay cycles. Courtesy reminder emails are sent to student and supervisor UML email accounts from the Payroll Office prior to all payroll deadlines.

2018 Pay Calendar  

Student Wage Limits

Student wage rates and levels are determined by the SEO and are based on the level of responsibility, skills and requirements to perform the job.  The Student Wage Scale, located in the Student Employment Handbook, aids the SEO in assessing the wage rate in order to be consistent and fair across all UMass Lowell student positions. Click here for more information on the University Student Employee Wage Structure. 

Earnings & Hour Limits

For students with a student employment award (CWP or FWS) in their financial aid package, the total annual earnings may not exceed the allotted award. Students are permitted to work up to 22 hours per week during the academic year.  They are allowed to up to 37.5 per week during breaks and summer as their award permits. *Please note that while the maximum number of hours per week is 22, student employment awards will be exhausted prior to the end of the Academic Year. Please see example below.

$3,500 award/$12.75 per hour/32 weeks= approx 8.5 hours per week

The SEO will be monitoring student earnings throughout the year and will contact the student and employer if the guidelines above are not followed.  For more information related to payroll guidelines, please see this section in the Student Employment Handbook.

Direct Deposit

To assist the University in their sustainability efforts, students are nerolled in Direct Deposit. If there has been a change with your account, you can complete a new Direct Deposit Form.  The SEO will forward to Payroll for processing.

Student Employee Tax Information

The W-4 is used to determine how much (if any) tax should be withheld from a student’s pay. UMass Lowell also withholds Massachusetts State income taxes based on the M-4.  Students are not automatically exempt from having income taxes withheld. Even federal work study wages are taxable income. International students should check their country’s tax treaty status to determine if their earnings are exempt from U.S. taxes.  Students should direct questions regarding the W-4 and taxes to their parents, an accountant, or the IRS. The tax assistance hotline is 1-800-423-1040.

In accordance with the Internal Revenue Code, the college provides all students with a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) at year-end.  This is sent by January 31st for the preceding calendar year’s earnings, and is mailed to the student’s permanent home address.  W-2 forms from UMass Lowell should be used to file the federal and state tax returns.  This form is also available for the student to download in HRDirect.  It is the responsibility of the taxpayer to file the appropriate income tax forms annually.