Category: Payroll & Benefits

Income Continuation Insurance Benefits
Income Continuation Insurance provides replacement income if you become ill or injured and are unable to work due to disability. Benefits are based on 75 percent of your gross salary up to a maximum benefit of $7,500 per month (75 percent of $120,000). Benefit payments begin after you meet the elimination period or use up to a maximum of 130 days of accrued sick leave, whichever is longer.

New Income Continuation Insurance premium rates and coverage amounts will be effective April 1, 2025 and will be reflected on your April 3, 2025, paycheck.

• Premium Rates: Premium rates are decreasing.
• Coverage Level: Coverage levels will be updated.

How Your Premium Amount is Determined
Your Income Continuation Insurance premium amount is based on these factors:

• Premium rate
• Your 2024 eligible earnings *
• For Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees: The elimination period you elected.
• For University Staff: Your unused sick leave balance as of December 28, 2024.

* If you experienced a furlough, temporary work reduction, or an unpaid leave of absence during 2024, your eligible earnings may be impacted and in turn impact the amount of your ICI benefit if you were to become disabled in 2025 and request to use ICI.

How to Estimate Your Monthly Income Continuation Insurance Premium
Employees enrolled in Income Continuation Insurance who want to estimate the change in premium should:

• Log on to my.wisconsin.edu and click on the Benefits and Well-Being tile.
• Review your Benefit Enroll Confirmation to confirm your Income Continuation Insurance coverage.
  • For Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees obtain your elimination period.
  • For University Staff use the Absence Balances tipsheet to obtain your sick leave balance at the end of 2024.
• Visit the Benefits Premiums web page, select Income Continuation Insurance from the list and open the Income Continuation Premium Calculator.
  • For Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees enter your Annual Earnings, Percent FTE (percent time worked), and Elimination Period.
  • For University Staff enter your Hourly Rate, Percent FTE (percent time worked), and Premium Category (based on your year-end sick leave balance).

The Universities of Wisconsin contributes towards the cost of your Income Continuation Insurance coverage. For Faculty, Academic Staff, and Limited Appointees the contribution begins after you have more than one year of state service and varies based on the elimination period you elect. For University Staff the contribution varies based on your premium category.

Questions
Review the Income Continuation Insurance web page and Benefits Premiums web page for more information. If you have questions after reviewing the web pages, reach out to your benefits contact.

Source: Universities of Wisconsin Office of Human Resources

New State Group Life Insurance premium rates and coverage levels change effective April 1, 2025, and will be reflected on your April 3, 2025, paycheck.

• Premium Rates: Premium rates are increasing for most age categories. Premium rates for Spouse and Dependent coverage remain unchanged.
• Coverage Level: Coverage levels will be updated.

How Your Premium Amount is Determined
Your State Group Life Insurance premium amount is based on these factors:

• Premium rate
• Your highest calendar year of eligible earnings
• Your age as of April 1 each year
• Your elected coverage level(s)

How to Estimate Your Updated State Group Life Insurance Premium
Employees currently enrolled in the State Group Life Insurance Program, and who want to estimate the change in premium, should:

• Log on to my.wisconsin.edu and click on the Benefits and Well-Being tile.
• Review your Benefit Enroll Confirmation to confirm your coverage level(s) (State Group Life-Basic, Supplemental, Additional, and Spouse & Dependent)
• Visit the Benefits Premiums web page, select State Group Life Insurance from the list, and follow the instructions to calculate your estimated monthly premium.

The Universities of Wisconsin contributes towards the cost of your State Group Life Insurance Basic and Supplemental coverage. You pay the full cost of Additional and Spouse/Dependent coverage.

Questions
Review the State Group Life Insurance web page and Benefits Premiums web page for more information. If you have questions after reviewing the web pages, reach out to your benefits contact.

Source: Universities of Wisconsin Office of Human Resources

Summer prepay insurance premiums are deducted from spring paychecks to cover the cost of continuing insurance coverage through the summer months (i.e. contract break) and are in addition to regular biweekly insurance premium deductions.

Faculty, academic staff, limited appointees, student assistants, and employees-in-training will have summer prepay insurance premium deductions if:

• Their academic (9 month) or annual (12 month) contract does not include work during one or more summer months; and
• They are expected to return to benefits eligible employment on or before the start of the fall semester; and
• They are eligible to maintain insurance coverage through the summer months.

The summer prepay insurance premium deductions will occur on all paychecks received in March, April, and May. Employees scheduled to have summer prepay deductions will receive monthly emails with estimated prepay deduction amounts.

Review the Universities of Wisconsin Employee Benefits Summer Prepay Insurance Premiums web page for information on:

• Which insurance plans have summer prepay deductions.
• The summer prepay deduction timeline.
• How life events (employment or family status changes) may affect deductions.

If you have questions after reviewing the web page, reach out to serviceoperations@uwss.wisconsin.edu

To be reimbursed from your 2024 Health Care Flexible Spending Account (FSA), you must have eligible expenses from the 2024 calendar year. Submit and substantiate your eligible expenses by March 31, 2025.

An FSA reimburses you for certain out-of-pocket expenses with tax-free dollars. Since these are spending accounts, the money should be spent. Eligible expenses include:

• Medical (post-deductible only if you were also in the HDHP and HSA)
• Dental
• Vision
• Dependent Day Care

How to Submit Eligible Expenses for Reimbursement

Submit your eligible expenses for reimbursement electronically by using the Optum Financial mobile app or Optum website. Remember to include the required IRS supporting documentation with your submission. Optum will contact you directly for additional information, if necessary.

Carryover Reminders

Some of the unused funds in your Health Care FSA may be eligible to carry over from 2024 to 2025 based on the balance in your 2024 Health Care FSA on March 31, 2025. The carryover process will occur around April 15, 2025.

• Unused funds less than $50 will be forfeited if you did not re-enroll for the 2025 plan year
• Unused funds greater than $50 and up to $640 will carry over from 2024 to 2025
• Unused funds greater than $640 will be forfeited

The IRS does not allow carryover for the Dependent Day Care FSA.

More Information

For questions about your claims, eligible expenses, or your payment card, contact Optum at (833) 881-8158.

For general information, review the Universities of Wisconsin Employee Benefits FSA web page.

Looking for a cost-free E-filing solution for both federal and state taxes? Interested in mastering your own tax return? The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program provides FREE tax help from IRS-certified volunteers on campus. Options include:

• Full-service tax preparation for individuals with income up to $67,000.
• DIY E-filing support for individuals with income up to $84,000.
• Free group tax workshop to introduce free E-filing options, including the IRS DirectFile program.

Visit uwgb.edu/vita to learn more.

The 2024 W-2 forms (Wage and Tax Statements) are available for all active Universities of Wisconsin employees on the MyUW portal.

Paper copies will be postmarked by January 31, 2025, and sent via U.S. mail to employees who did not consent to electronic only W-2 Form distribution.

Resources
View/print your W-2 form and find tax resources on the Tax Statements tab on the Payroll Help page.

Filing Taxes
Employees should use their W-2 form, not their final 2024 earnings statement, to file taxes.

The Internal Revenue Service will begin accepting and processing 2024 tax year returns near the end of January 2025. Employees may want to file their return as soon as all tax forms are received to minimize the chance of a fraudulent return being processed using their Social Security number, or Individual Taxpayer Identification number. More information is available on the IRS website.

1095-C Forms

Are available in the MyUW Portal Now for those who consented to electronic distribution. To view your 1095-C Form in the MyUW Portal, select the “Benefits & Well Being” tile, click on the drop down for Affordable Care Act, and select “View Form 1095-C”.

Paper copies will be postmarked and mailed via US Mail for those who did not consent for electronic distribution.

If you have questions, contact your Payroll Office.

Source: UW-Shared Services