Category: Payroll & Benefits

As we near the end of the 2015 calendar year, University Staff employees are reminded to review their leave balances.

Vacation Carry Over
Normally, vacation time must be used within the calendar year during which it is earned.  Employees may carry over any unused earned vacation into the following calendar year.  Any vacation carried over from the previous calendar year must be used by December 31 of the following calendar year.

The Human Resources System (HRS) will automatically take any vacation absences entered first from carry over balances before taking from the current year’s allocations.

Compensatory Time
Compensatory time is able to be carried into the following calendar year if approved by the immediate supervisor.  If carried over, unused compensatory time must be used by April 30^th of the following year or it will be paid out on the pay period that includes May 1^st.

Personal and Legal Holidays
Personal and Legal holiday hours may not be carried into 2016 and if not used by December 31, 2015 will be forfeited.

Annual Leave Conversion Option (Sabbatical)
Forms for all employees eligible for the Annual Leave Conversion Option are now available on the My UW System Portal, under the Time and Absence section, Statements tab.  All completed forms must be submitted to HR no later than Friday, December 4, 2015.

Please contact the Payroll & Benefits office at 920-465-2390 or payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu if you have any questions.

TASC, the plan administrator, has provided the University of Wisconsin notice that the deadline to enroll in the 2016 Flexible Spending Account (FSA) (Includes: Medical and Dependent Care) and Health Savings Account (HSA) for eligible participants has been extended through midnight on 11/6/15.

Who is an eligible participant for the HSA/FSA programs?

FSA: All benefit-eligible employees may participate in the FSA programs except Fellows, Scholars, University Staff Temporary,Graduate Interns/Trainees or Post-Doctoral Fellows/Trainees.    

HSA: To be eligible for an HSA, you must be a Wisconsin Retirement System participant who enrolled in a High Deductible Health Plan for 2016 through the 2016 Annual Benefit Enrollment Period (Enrollment Period Ended on 10/30/2015)

How do I enroll?

To enroll in these plans, please go directly through the plan administrator TASC Enrollment Website and follow the instructions provided in the TASC Online Enrollment Guide.  Online enrollments through TASC must be completed by midnight on November 6, 2015.

• If you are unable to enroll online and would like to participate, please contact the benefits office for a paper enrollment form. The paper application must be received by 4:30 pm on November 6th.
• You may also enroll over the phone with TASC by 5:00 pm on November 6th: 1-844-786-3947.

How do I get more information?

For general questions, call TASC Customer Care at (844) 786-3947 or (608) 316-2408, Monday through Friday, 8am- 5pm.  You may reference the Annual Benefit Enrollment website for more information for Flexible Spending Accounts at https://www.wisconsin.edu/abe/fsa and/or Health Savings Accounts at https://www.wisconsin.edu/abe/hsa.

Live Webinars Scheduled for November

ETF is offering a series of 30-minute, live, interactive webinars designed to increase your understanding of Wisconsin Retirement System benefits. Individuals can also ask questions at the end of these sessions.

 

5 Basic Steps to Retirement  Consider this webinar your quick reference guide to starting the retirement process within the next 12 monhts.  It’ll review:  choosing a termination date, how to request a retirement estimate- and how to read and understand it.  It’ll also cover how to schedule a retirement appointment and how to submit the retirement application.

• Wed. Nov 4, 2015 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Mon. Nov 9, 2015 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Thu. Nov 12, 2015 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
• Mon. Nov 16 2015 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Additional Contributions Find out how making additional contributions to your WRS account can potentially increase your retirement. This webinar also provides examples of how contributions grow over time with interest, how to pay additional contributions, etc.

• Tue. Nov 10, 2015 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Wed. Nov 11, 2015 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Thu. Nov 19, 2015 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Choosing When to Retire This webinar will focus primarily on choosing your optimal termination and WRS benefit effective dates. The focus will include not only the “December versus January” decision, but also how retirement timing at any point during the year can affect your retirement annuity amount and other employee retirement benefits.

• Thu. Nov 5, 2015 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• Tue. Nov 10, 2015 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Tue. Nov 17, 2015 6:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Tue. Nov 24, 2015 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

How to Use ETF’s Online Calculator to Estimate a Retirement Benefit ETF’s online retirement calculator, one of the most-used tools on ETF’s website, allows you to calculate an unofficial projection of your WRS retirement benefit at any point in the future. This webinar will cover where to find and how to use the calculator, specific information required for data entry (e.g., desired retirement date, spouse or partner’s birthdate, etc.) and how to interpret the results.

• Wed. Nov 4, 2015 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Mon. Nov 16, 2015 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Wed. Nov 18, 2015 12:00 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Variable Fund This webinar will discuss the Variable Fund – what it is, how it differs from the Core Fund, and the affect participation in this fund may have on your retirement benefit calculations. It will also discuss how to elect to participate in the Variable Fund, how to cancel participation, and how the timing of these decisions may affect your Wisconsin Retirement System benefits.

• Mon. Nov 9, 2015 11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
• Fri. Nov 13, 2015 12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Tue. Nov 17, 2015 11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Register for a webinar

Please contact Human Resources at (920) 465-2390 or payrollandbenefits@uwgb.edu with any questions.

 

The SECC Statewide is Wisconsin’s largest voluntary fundraising campaign.  SECC raises money to support a wide range of charities doing important work such as protecting our natural resources, providing health services and research, defending civil and human rights, and preventing violence.

You decide:

• How you want to give – choose payroll contribution, cash, or check
• Where your dollars go – when you designate your gift to specific charities, only the charities you choose will receive money from you.  Pick from more than 400 state, national and international charities.

To give by payroll contribution go to www.seccstatewide.wi.gov and follow the instructions on the website to complete your pledge.  To give by cash or check, or if you prefer to fill out a paper pledge form, please call (608) 256-1066 for paper materials.

 

 

 

 

 

TIAA-CREF INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING SESSIONS- November 24-25, 2015

TIAA-CREF is offering individual and confidential counseling sessions where you can discuss your financial situation with a TIAA-CREF consultant.  A representative will be available to help you achieve your financial goals by investing in financial solutions.

Please see the attached flyer for more information about TIAA-CREF sessions at UWGB.  To schedule a consultation with representative Chad Stein, call 1-800-732-8353 Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., or register at www.tiaa-cref.org/letstalk1.

 

Benefits Specialists will be on hand to answer any questions regarding hte open enrollment period, 2016 changes and online eBenefits election process.  All sessions will be held in IS 1004.

 

If you are covered under the State of Wisconsin Group Health Insurance program, you are eligible for a financial incentive to complete biometric testing and health risk assessment.  You can learn more information about the benefits available to your by accessing wellwisconsin.wi.gov.

Per guidance from the federal government and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), these benefits are classified as taxable fringe benefits.  This means that any financial incentive you receive from the program is taxable income for state and federal tax purposes.

What this means for you:

• Financial incentives will be reported as taxable wages and will be subject to applicable withholdings and taxes.  You will see withholdings for all incentives issued so far in the current calendar year reflected on your October 1st paycheck.  This will include incentives issued to your eligible family members.
• Withholding will include 7.65% for Social Security and Medicare and may include withholding for federal and state taxes, depending on the number of exemptions you claim on your W4.
• A new earnings code has been created to help distinguish the health wellness taxable fringe from other taxable fringe amounts.  This taxable income pay line wil be processed with the code: XHM (Tax Fr-Health/Wellness)

Please contact Human Resources at x2390 or hr@uwgb.edu if you have any questions.

The Department of Employee Trust Funds (ETF) has just released the 2016 health insurance premium rates. One of the changes for 2016 is adjustments to the health plan names:

The Uniform Dental Benefits for 2016 will be offered by Delta Dental instead of through the health plans.  As a result, you will now have the option to select health insurance with or without uniform dental benefits.

2016 Monthly Health Insurance Premiums

Please see ETF’s news release for additional information regarding premiums.  We will continue to provide more information on the 2016 Open Enrollment Period and benefits changes as they become available.  Please contact Human Resources at x2390 or hr@uwgb.edu if you have any questions.

 

 

Wisconsin Retirement System Presentation for Employees Who Are Nearing Retirement

A representative of the Department of Employee Trust Funds will present retirement benefit information for members who anticipate retiring during the next five years.  Learn about topics that are important to the process and the decisions that need to be made when retiring in the WRS, including:

• Annuity Options/Lump Sum Option
• Beneficiary Designation Forms
• Retirement Benefit Calculations
• Core Trust Fund and Variable Trust Fund
• Purchasing Service
• Annual Annuity Adjustments
• Additional Contributions
• Return-to-Work Rules
• Health Insurance/Life Insurance

Date: Monday, September 14, 2015
Time: 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Location: Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
                 Room SC-128 (Executive Dining Room)
                2740 West Mason Street, Green Bay

No registration is required, visit etf.wi.gov for other learning opportunities.