The Time and Absence System will be your resource for timesheet management while working at USC. You may have access in the Time and Absence Workcenter to resolve timesheet related problems yourself or direct the issue to the appropriate Time Administrator in the payroll department at 803-777-4227.

Hourly vs. Salaried Students

• Hourly students are required to enter and account for their time worked on a weekly basis in the Time and Absence System.
• Salaried students are not required to enter any time into the system. They are paid a flat semimonthly amount for each pay period worked to equal the total payout from their hire.

Role of Supervisor

• Supervisors of student employees are responsible for reviewing, editing (if needed), and approving student employees’ timesheets in the Time and Absence System each week by noon on Monday for the prior week, unless otherwise requested.
• Visit the Payroll Office for more information on how to access the system and how to review and approve time.
• Certain areas at USC use other timekeeping systems to track hours worked for students. These hours are loaded from the outside system into the Time and Absence System for inclusion in upcoming paychecks. Note that hours worked that are not loaded into the system timely could result in late payment to student employees. Resources for these systems are found in the specific areas that utilize those systems.

Role of the Additional Approvers

• The TL/ABS Approver will have the ability to create and approve employee timesheets within their department in situations where the employee’s supervisor is unavailable. To serve in the role as the TL/ABS Approver, a Peoplesoft HCM All Access Form [pdf], which includes a Statement of User Responsibility must be completed and submitted.
• Each department can assign up to three individuals to serve as the TL/ABS Approver. 

Student Employees with Multiple Jobs

• When hiring a student employee that holds more than one job, it is important to inform the student employee how to appropriately log and submit hours for all active jobs. Once you successfully complete the hire of a student with multiple jobs in the HR/Payroll System, you must inform the student employee of the EMPL record associated with their job in your department. This number will appear in a dropdown list at the top left corner of the timesheet. They can see the internal title, if it is entered by the department (in addition to EMPL record) to determine the appropriate job.
• To log and submit time for multiple jobs, the student employee should select the correct position from the drop down lists at the top left corner of the timesheet in the Time and Absence System and enter hours worked for each position. Once entered and submitted, the timesheet will be sent to the appropriate supervisor for approval. 
• Visit the Payroll Office for visuals on how to submit timesheets for multiple jobs.

Once a student employee is hired, it is best practice to check the HR/Payroll System to validate the student’s pay rate was entered properly.

Students should also check the electronic version of their paycheck in Employee Self-Service to ensure payout looks accurate.

Salaried student employees are paid on a lag. A pay lag means earnings for the first half of the month will be paid at the end of the month and earnings for the second half of the month will be paid the following month on the 15th.

• The university processes lag payrolls and current payrolls on a semi-monthly basis in accordance with the employee's pay group schedule. View Payroll Schedules to see pay period end dates and check distribution dates.

Hourly student employees are paid on a different schedule than salaried students. Visit the Payroll Website to view Hourly and Overtime Pay Schedules.

A pay discrepancy such as a late payment, underpayment, or overpayment may be brought to your attention by a student employee or a supervisor. Once you are aware of a pay discrepancy, you will need to investigate what caused the discrepancy in order to resolve it. Examples of things you can look at to determine the cause of a discrepancy include:

For Hourly Students

• Check to ensure the hire eForm was successfully approved and executed in HCM PeopleSoft. Also confirm it was active in HCM prior to the deadline for that specific payroll. HR deadlines can be found in the HR Toolbox.
• Check to ensure timesheets were submitted and approved timely in the Time and Absence System.
• Validate hours were logged and entered appropriately.
• If student holds multiple jobs, ensure time was entered under the correct position in the system. Remember to pay attention to the last digit showing as that is the EMPL record.

For Salaried Students

• Check to ensure the hire eForm was successfully approved and executed in HCM PeopleSoft. Also confirm it was active in HCM prior to the deadline for that specific payroll. HR deadlines can be found on the HR Toolbox.
• Check Job Data to ensure the salary was annualized properly.

If you need assistance in determining the cause of or rectifying a pay discrepancy you can contact the Human Resource office at 803-777-6650.

If the student did not set up direct deposit in a timely manner, a paper check will be provided. If this occurs, contact the Payroll Department at 803-777-4227 for assistance.

As a general rule, students should be encouraged to review their paychecks for accuracy through Employee Self Service. Paycheck information is available one day prior to the actual pay date.