Student Officers
Students hired as Student Officers of Instruction and Student Officers of Research (e.g., Teaching Assistant, Graduate Research Assistant, Departmental Research Assistant, Reader) are paid a set salary over the period of their appointment. Employment as a Student Officer is different from employment as a student casual (paid hourly) and work-study employment (a form of student financial assistance). Please review your appointment letter for details.
Please note that the University cannot process your appointment and cannot pay you until:
- Have returned all the required hiring paperwork
- Have a completed I-9 on file
- And if applicable, have submitted a copy of the Social Security Number application receipt.
All Student Officers with instructional or research appointments are limited to a total of 20 hours per week of work for the full length of their appointment. If you are appointed as a Student Officer, please contact your department administrator for relevant information before taking on additional work for compensation.
It is important that you properly complete all of your hiring paperwork as soon as possible. Generally, all paperwork should be completed before you begin work. Your appointment cannot be processed, and you cannot be paid, until you have returned all the required hiring paperwork, have a completed I-9 on file, and if applicable, have submitted a copy of the Social Security Number application receipt.
If you are instructed to complete a Form I-9, please note that you must complete both sections of the form no later than three business days after the start date of your appointment. You may complete your I-9 at any time after you receive an appointment letter and indicate acceptance of the appointment.
Please see below for additional hiring paperwork information. If you have questions, please contact your human resources representative or department administrator.
On or Before Your First Day
If you have not received the required hiring paperwork, you must contact your department administrator or human resources representative in order for your appointment to be processed correctly and for you to be paid.
Employment Eligibility: Form I-9
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. If you have previously completed an I-9, please check with your department administrator or human resources representative; you may need to complete another I-9 even if you have completed one previously.
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.
Form I-9 Instructions
If you are a new hire, you are required to complete Section 1 online and Section 2 of your Form I-9 in person at a University I-9 center. Please follow the steps below to complete this process:
- Access this online portal to complete Section 1 of the form.
- Do not provide a placeholder Social Security Number (e.g., 000-00-0000). If you have applied for but not yet received an SSN, please select the "SSN Applied For" checkbox.
- Once Section 1 is finished, visit one of the on-campus I-9 centers to complete Section 2.
I-9 Centers
Specific Schools and Departments
Some schools/departments choose to process I-9s directly. If your hiring department is one of these locations, they will let you know.
- When you go to complete your I-9, 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 your date of hire with your department administrator or human resources representative. This is required for the Form I-9.
Morningside/Manhattanville
CU Human Resources, Studebaker Building
615 West 131st Street
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Note: Open to all new and returning hires; no appointment is necessary.
CUIMC
CUIMC HR, Georgian Building
617 West 168th Street
Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Note: Open to all new and returning hires; no appointment is necessary.
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Climate School HR
Lamont Administration Building, Room 208
Note: Serves all LDEO campus hires, including those from IRI and CIESIN.
Morningside (Students Only)
208 Kent Hall
Schedule an Appointment
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.
- Complete the appropriate New York State tax withholding forms – IT2104 Form, IT2104.1, or IT2104.E Form. Guidance on completing the NY State forms can be found on the New York State Department of Taxation website.
- 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 Service Center.
After You Start 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 pay period.
All Student Officers (including PhD Student Officers appointed at a $0-salary) are strongly encouraged to enroll in direct deposit in PAC.
If you choose to enroll in direct deposit, you must enter your bank account information in PAC even if you have already enrolled in direct deposit in Vergil/SSOL for financial aid and other payments made to your student account. Direct deposit settings in Vergil/SSOL do not carry over to PAC and must be entered in both places.
See Direct Deposit Instructions
Please note that there are specific instructions for student employees.
Student Officer payments are scheduled on the "Semi-Monthly Other" calendar. If you have questions, please review the payment schedule with your departmental administrator or human resources representative.
- Salaried Student Officers: Salaried Student Officers are paid semi-monthly after each pay period closes.
- $0-Salary Student Officers: PhD Student Officers appointed at a $0-salary who receive a stipend are paid each term in lump sums rather than semi-monthly.
- These payments are disbursed within the first few weeks of the term on the first "Semi-Monthly Other" check date following the start of the appointment term (e.g., the first "Semi-Monthly Other" check date after the appointment start date of September 1, January 1, or another agreed-upon start date).
- Student Financial Services also has more information for those who receive a stipend.
If you have questions, contact your school or your department. You can also submit a ticket to the HR Service Center or call the Human Resources and Finance hotline at (212) 854-5000.
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, click on the People@Columbia tile, and click on "View Your Paycheck" under Self-Service.
- My.Columbia: View paychecks and tax forms via the my.Columbia.edu portal using your UNI. Detailed instructions are listed above.
- International Student Questions: Check guidelines through the International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO).
Frequently Asked Questions
Columbia’s Human Resources and Finance divisions have a hotline specifically to assist with student questions related to payroll and stipend payments, including timing of pay.
After you have reached out to your departmental administrator, human resources representative, or school-based Office of Financial Aid and have not been able to achieve a resolution, please submit a ticket to the HR Service Center, or call (212) 854-5000.
For inquiries related to student accounts, tuition and fees, refunds, or transcripts, Student Financial Services remains available to assist.
In the atypical instance of an overpayment, the University has a financial obligation to attempt to recover the excess amount. The recovery process identifies employee and department responsibilities regarding overpayments of wages.
Overpayments are a shared responsibility between the employee, Department, Human Resources, and Payroll to identify and correct the source of the error and subsequently recover the overpayment in as timely a manner as possible, including establishing a payment plan to recover the overpayment. The overpayment recovery process is detailed here.
Employees are expected to promptly report any discrepancies they note in their pay to their department. The department should also reach out to the student to discuss if an overpayment is discovered.
Salaried PhD and DMA students who need an advance on their funding may request an advance of up to $3,000. This advance must be repaid prior to the next semester's pre-registration period. Students with account balances greater than $5,000 are ineligible for this advance.
The advance carries no fees, is interest-free, and is not subject to tax withholding. If these students experience other unexpected one-time emergency expenses, they can contact the Dean’s Office of their school to apply for emergency funds.
International students from countries undergoing hardship as identified by the US State Department and the World Health Organization may also draw on the University International Student Hardship Fund. These funds are intended to support specific emergencies.
If your check was deposited to a wrong (outdated) bank account, it is likely you updated your direct deposit information after payroll was already closed for processing. If the bank account is no longer a valid account, the funds will be returned to Columbia. Once the funds are received by Columbia, they will be redeposited using the updated banking information you have entered.