Student Casual Employees
Before you begin working at a new job on campus, work with the departmental administrator to complete all of the new hire paperwork, including tax forms and the Form I-9.
All hiring paperwork, including the Form I-9 must be completed no later than 3 business days of your start date, and generally should be done before you begin. You cannot be paid until all of the paperwork is completed.
If you are appointed as a Student Officer (e.g., Teaching Assistant, Graduate Research Assistant), please contact your Departmental Administrator for relevant information.
On or Before Your First Day
Introduce yourself to the departmental administrator
You need to make sure the department administrator or human resources representative knows you have been hired in order for your assignment to be processed correctly and for you to be paid.
Complete all required new hire paperwork
Your department cannot enter you into payroll, and you will not be paid, until all of your new hire paperwork has been completed and submitted to your department administrator or human resources manager.
The Form I-9 is required for all newly hired employees who will be working in the United States to verify that you are eligible to work in the United States.
The Form I-9 can be completed as soon as you have accepted your new position, and must be done no later than three (3) business days after your start date.
Instructions on completing the Form I-9 can be found on the CUHR I-9 E-Verify website.
- Remember to bring the appropriate unexpired original documents with you, as listed in Section 1 of the I-9 online. The list of acceptable documents can be found on the USCIS website.
- Please confirm with your department manager what your date of hire is. This is required for the Form I-9.
International Students: If you do not have a Social Security Number (SSN), please refer to the International Student and Scholars (ISSO) website for information on how to apply for one.
All new hires must complete the Federal Form W-4 and state tax forms before receiving a paycheck. These forms provide the University payroll system with the required information to set up the appropriate tax withholding from your paycheck.
- Complete your Federal W-4 Form
- Note: If you are an international student, the IRS has special instructions for Form W-4 for nonresident aliens.
- Note: If you are an international student, the IRS has special instructions for Form W-4 for nonresident aliens.
- Complete the appropriate New York State tax withholding forms – IT2104 Form or IT2104.1 Form. Guidance on completing the NY State forms can be found on the New York State Department of Taxation website.
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If you are a Non-Resident Alien, you may be eligible for a tax treaty exemption. See IRS Publication 901 on U.S. Tax Treaties to see if your country is listed for students. Questions on your eligibility for a tax treaty benefit and how to complete Form 8233 may be directed to the Human Resources Processing Center (HRPC).
This will be provided to you by your hiring department. You must review the information, sign and return it to your departmental administrator or human resources representative.
For information on student officer appointments, please refer to the Faculty Handbook.
After You Start Working
All student casual employees are required to submit timesheets to your department at the end of each pay period. Timely submission of your timesheet will ensure that you are paid for the work done in that period. Please discuss the timesheet submission process with your department administrator, human resources representative or supervisor.
Please remember you will not get paid if you do not submit a completed timesheet to the appropriate person in the department in which you are working.
Once your hiring paperwork has been completed and you are entered into the University payroll system—People@Columbia (PAC)—we recommend that you sign up for the free direct deposit service. Your paycheck will then be automatically deposited to your bank account(s) each payday.
Most student casual employees are paid on a bi-weekly basis. Confirmation of your pay frequency was provided on the Casual Employment Form or NYS 195 Form you signed as part of your new hire paperwork.
Once you are hired into the University's system, you will be able to view each of your paychecks via the my.Columbia portal.
Simply log in with your UNI and password, and click on "View Your Paycheck" under Self-Service.