Payroll - Procedure 20319a

Procedure 20319a: Pay Periods, Pay Days, and Status Changes

Contacts and revision dates:

Date: 03/09/2017
Status: Final
Last Revised: 11/13/2025

Last Reviewed: 11/13/2025
Department: Payroll
Procedure Owner: Payroll Director

Pay Periods and Pay Days
1. Salaried Employees
2. Wage Employees
Status Changes
References

Pay Periods and Pay Days

Virginia Tech follows the Commonwealth of Virginia Pay and Holiday Calendar, issuing salary and wage payments twice a month (24 times each year). Paydays typically fall on or about the 1st and 16th of the month. If a payday falls on a weekend or state holiday, payment will be issued on the closest preceding business day. For specific dates, see the payroll schedules.

Salaried Employees

Salaried employee pay periods run 10th – 24th and 25th – 9th.

Pay for the 10th-24th is issued on or about the 1st of the following month.

Pay for the 25th – 9th is issued on or about the 16th of the same month.

Salaried employees typically have a one-week delay between the end of a pay period and payday.

Wage Employees

Wage employee pay periods run 1st – 15th and 16th – end of month.

Pay for the 1st-15th period is issued on or about the 1st of the following month.

Pay for the 16th-end of the month period is issued on or about the 16th of the following month.

Wage employees typically have a two-week delay between the end of a pay period and payday.

A complete list of pay periods, timecard deadlines, and paydays is posted on the payroll website. Payroll schedules are published on the Controller's Office website prior to the first pay period of each new calendar year.

Status Changes

Keeping your payroll information current ensures correct pay, deductions, and timely tax reporting. This section will discuss address changes, name changes, changes in marital status and deductions, federal and state tax withholding, and direct deposit updates.

Address Updates

You can view and update your address information in the Employee Dashboard under your Employee Profile. As an employee, your name, email, office phone, and office address are automatically classified as directory information and are displayed by default. Most other contact details can be managed by adjusting their visibility through the instructions in Displaying or Concealing Personal Information. Avoid entering overlapping date ranges, as this will prevent your update from processing correctly.

Name Change Updates

All name change requests must be submitted in person at the appropriate university office. For employees, federal law requires that the name on university records match exactly with the name on the employee’s Social Security card for tax reporting purposes. Faculty and staff should present their updated Social Security card to their departmental HR representative.

Students must submit a name change request through the Registrar’s Office website and include the required documentation.

If the change has not yet been updated with the Social Security Administration (SSA), individuals must first apply for a new Social Security card at their local SSA office by presenting an original legal document such as a birth certificate, marriage license, or divorce decree. After receiving the updated Social Security card, it must be provided to the appropriate university office to complete the process.

Marital Status or Dependent Updates

Contact Human Resources to update your current marital status or number of eligible dependents for benefits.

Federal and State Withholding Updates

For U.S. citizens and permanent residents, federal (W-4) and Virginia (VA-4) tax withholding elections are completed online on the Employee Dashboard in Hokie SPA. Residents of other states complete the appropriate state specific forms and submit them via the secure Payroll Drop Box. If no form or system update is received, Payroll, consistent with IRS guidelines, will withhold at the default single with zero exemptions rate for federal taxes and the highest single rate for the applicable state. Employees must select the state tax form for the state where they will perform most of their work (>50% of work hours). Changes to federal and Virginia withholding for U.S. citizens and U.S. tax residents are made in Hokie SPA.

Exempt status expires annually. To maintain exemption, employees must submit new federal, and state forms each calendar year through the Payroll Drop Box. Failure to renew will result in default maximum withholding amount, which is single with zero exemptions, beginning with the next pay period. Payroll Department will not issue refunds due to failure to update tax documents in a timely manner.

International employees complete federal and state withholding forms with the International Tax Team. The International Tax Team contacts international employees with Foreign National Information System (FNIS) login credentials and submission instructions. Employees complete FNIS data entry and upload required documents via the FNIS drop box provided by the team. Based on its review of the submitted information, the International Tax Team issues tax forms in FNIS. Employees review, sign, and upload the completed forms via the secure FNIS drop box. These forms supersede any previously submitted forms. To claim tax treaty benefits, the employee schedules an appointment and provides the required documentation during that time. The International Tax Team may suspend or terminate positions if FNIS requirements or follow-up requests are not completed in a timely manner. For FNIS process questions, contact fnisadmin@vt.edu.

Direct Deposit Updates

Per Policy 3615 Electronic Delivery of Wages, Salaries, Reimbursements, and Refunds, Virginia Tech requires direct deposit to ensure secure and efficient payments. Employees can enroll in or make changes to their direct deposit information on the Employee Dashboard. Instructions can be found on the Bursar’s Office website.

Updates to direct deposit are typically processed overnight, depending on payroll deadlines. You will receive an email to your Virginia Tech email address confirming the effective date of your enrollment or change. If you miss the deadline to enroll for the next pay date because of processing deadlines, the payment for the following pay date will be processed for direct deposit.