A “pay advice” is provided for each pay period and shows earnings and deductions for the current pay period and year-to-date earnings. Year-to-date is always January 1 through the current pay period.

The University is required by law to withhold money from your pay for Federal income tax, Medicare and Social Security. If the country of your official residence has a tax treaty with the United States, Federal taxes may be eliminated or lowered, depending on the exact terms of the treaty and your Visa type. You will be required to submit an income tax return to the Internal Revenue Service. These are due no later than April 15 of each year for the prior annual year.

The following is an example of a pay check. How a person is paid is very individual and is determined by a great variety of components. If you have questions about your individual pay check, please contact the Payroll Office directly at 713-743-8770.

See also Faculty Pay Advice

 

Key The numbers to the right refer to sections of the paycheck on the cover. Match up the numbers and sections for an explanation of your Pay Check.	1 Pay Period Your Pay Group, Campus and Pay Begin Date and Pay End Dates are indicated here. This also includes the check number and the date the check was issued.
	2 Name/Address/SSN Your name, current address and SSN are indicated here – Please verify that your current address is correct and make sure this address is always updated in the event of a move.
	3 Employee ID Your Employee ID number in the Payroll System. Your Department number and Name. The location code represents the payroll distribution area within your department that distributes your paycheck or direct deposit advice.
	4 Tax Data Your Federal tax withholding status is shown here, along with the number of allowances you have claimed and any additional withholding you have requested.
	5 Hours and Earnings Hours and Earnings will show gross pay for the current pay period and then for the year-to-date (YTD). Any income earned, regular plus holiday pay, sick-leave pay, research pay, etc., will be shown within this section.
	6 Taxes Can include Federal withholding, Medicare (MED/EE), and Social Security (OASDI/EE) taxes. Federal Withholding is the income taxes determined individually by income. The Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) requires all employers to withhold two taxes: the Fed Med/EE is the Medicare tax and Fed OASDI/EE is the Social Security tax. The Med/EE is 1.45% of gross earnings and the OASDI/EE is 6.2% of total earnings. An International Employee may or may not have OASDI and MED taken out depending on several conditions. The State of Texas does not have a state income tax.
	7 Before-Tax Deductions The items that are deducted from your pay before Federal withholding, and, in some cases, before Medicare and Social Security taxes are calculated. Includes the cost of benefits you selected and contributions to your retirement account. Portions of Optional Life may be included in After-Tax Deductions depending on your earnings.
	8 After-Tax Deductions Any other items withheld from your pay, such as additional insurance deductions or a United Way contribution. These are deducted from your pay after Federal withholding, Medicare, and Social Security taxes are calculated.
	9 Employer-Paid Benefits These are not deductions taken. This shows the value of your benefits paid by the University of Houston, such as the employer-paid portion of retirement or employer-paid portion of medical insurance costs.
	10 Federal Taxable Gross The amount of earnings that is subject to Federal withholding tax. This is your Current Total Earnings minus your Current Total Before-Tax Deductions.
	11 Net Pay Total Your Net Pay is your Current Total Gross Pay minus your Current Total Taxes, and Current Total Deductions. Net- Pay is your “Take Home” pay.
	12 Leave Accrual/Fiscal Year Will show the hours of leave-time (Compensatory Time, Vacation and Sick) accrued and used during the fiscal year.
	13 Net Pay Distribution For direct deposit, this area shows how much was credited to your bank, savings and loan, or credit union account(s). The total of all amounts will equal your Net Pay Total (See #11 above). Under section 403.016 of the State Government Code, salary payments to employees will be made through direct deposit to the employee’s account unless the employee meets and authorized condition for exemption.
	14 Check or Advice If you have direct deposit, this will be an advice only. If you do not have direct deposit, this will be your actual check