Reporting Your Hours
In order to be paid on time if you are an hourly employee, you must complete your weekly timesheet in the university's time and attendance system by the timesheet deadlines. Timesheet deadlines are published by the Payroll Office and are listed by pay period along with all the paydays for the year.
Review these user training guides to learn how to enter time worked.
Pay Checks
All USC employees, including student employees, are required to participate in direct deposit in order to receive a paycheck. Your direct deposit must be set up in the HR/Payroll System immediately after your hire date.
- Complete your HR/Payroll System Onboarding.
- After you have completed your initial onboarding, you may access paystubs and make your direct deposit changes using Employee Self Service. This Employee Self Service Quick Reference [pdf] provides more information.
Pay Lag
You will be paid on a pay 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 day.
Pay Dates
All USC employees, including students, are paid on the 15th and last day of each month.
Taxes
As a student employee, you may be required to file income taxes each year that you are employed. Review these tax items to ensure you understand how they apply to you.
If you are enrolled as a student and regularly attending class, you may be exempt from FICA.
FICA is a payroll tax that employers are required to deduct and send to the IRS for Social Security and Medicaid.
However, student employees are exempt from FICA if they meet the minimum enrollment hours requirements established by the university. Please note that these criteria are subject to change and exceptions may apply.
You will receive a statement of your earnings produced by USC in January of each year to show how much you earned during the previous calendar year and how much was withheld in taxes from your paycheck.
You will need your W-2 form to file federal and state tax returns.
Your W-2 will be mailed out by University Payroll during the month of January, typically the last week of the month.
You can opt to receive an electronic W-2 through our HR/Payroll system. However, if you do elect to receive the W2 electronically and you are inactive in the system in January, the W-2 will be mailed to the address on file.
You will receive a statement reporting information about the health coverage offered by USC for employees who have been working for one or more months of the calendar year.
Your Form 1095-C will be mailed out by the University’s Benefits Office, typically in early March.
You can opt to receive an electronic 1095-C through our HR/Payroll system. However, if you do elect to receive the 1095-C electronically and you are inactive in the system in January, the 1095-C will be mailed to the address on file.