Purpose: 

The purpose of this bulletin is to provide instructions to agencies for processing the PSC full-time Ratification Bonus Payments.

Affected Employees:

Full-time employees in one of the below bargaining units who meet the eligibility criteria are impacted:

Background:

Pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement between the City University of New York (CUNY) and the PSC for the Term of 2023-2027, full-time employees may be eligible for a one-time Ratification Bonus Payment.

This one-time Ratification Bonus Payment is pensionable, not subject to across-the-board increases, and is not included in the calculation of overtime.

Effective Dates:

The Ratification Bonus Payment is effective as outlined below:

Eligibility Criteria:

To be eligible for the Ratification Bonus, employees must: 

• Be a full-time employee at any CUNY campus in an eligible Bargaining Unit listed above in the Affected Employees section and
• Have an Employee Status of Active (A) , Leave With Pay (P) or Leave without Pay (L) Authorized Leave* on 01/25/2025  and 12/21/2024.

*CUNY to determine if a Leave without Pay (L) status is Authorized or not.

OSC Actions 

OSC has provided the following Time Entry Earnings Code to process the Ratification Bonus Payment:

Agency Actions 

Agencies can begin submitting transactions to process the Ratification Bonus Payments for full-time eligible employees in the Institution 03C Pay Period.

Submitting Payment

To process the Ratification Bonus Payment for eligible employees, agencies must submit the following information on the Time Entry page or the Time Entry Interface (NPAY502):

*Employees in the title of Graduate Assistant D will receive $1,500 or a prorated payment amount as determined by CUNY. 

Tax Information:

The Ratification Bonus Payment is supplemental taxable income, will be added to the employee’s taxable gross wages, and is subject to employment and income taxes. 

Federal, State and New York City income tax withholding will be calculated using the Aggregate method. Yonkers income tax withholding will be calculated using the Flat Rate method (1.95975% for Yonkers residents and 0.50% for Yonkers non-residents).

Special Wage Payments for Individuals Who Filed for Retirement Social Security Benefits:

Per Internal Revenue Service Publication 957, OSC will be reporting retroactive payments made to individuals who have filed for Social Security benefits to the Social Security Administration (SSA).

As PayServ does not include this information, OSC will be mailing a Request for Special Wage Payment Report to inactive individuals who are 62 or older in the calendar year and to active employees with the New York Retiree Indicator checked in Modify a Person who receive the retroactive payment. Recipients of this mailing will be asked to fill out the request and return it to OSC for inclusion on the Special Wage Payment Report to SSA. This report will be submitted to SSA after the close of the 2024 tax year.

It is important that agencies ensure the New York Retiree Indicator box is checked for rehired retirees. Please see Payroll Bulletin No. 1728 – New York Retiree Indicator for further details on the New York Retiree Indicator box.

Payroll Register and Employee’s Paycheck/Advice:

The Earnings Code and the amount paid will be displayed on the Payroll Register. The Earnings Description and the amount paid will appear on the employee’s paycheck stub or direct deposit advice. If the number of earnings codes exceeds 13, agencies should utilize Locked Query LQ_PCD_PAYCHECK_EARNINGS_BY_ID to identify a complete list of earnings.

Undeliverable Checks:

When a valid payroll check is undeliverable due to the agency’s inability to locate the employee, the agency should follow the Agency Actions identified in Payroll Bulletin No. 1786 – Non-Negotiated and/or Undeliverable New York State Payroll Checks.

Checks issued to eligible employees who are now deceased should be submitted as a stop payment request with a reason of Exchange in PayServ. The Report of Check Exchange (AC 1476-P), Next of Kin Affidavit (AC 934-P) and original death certificate should be submitted to the Payroll Reversal and Exchange mailbox at the same time as the stop payment request. If a Next of Kin Affidavit has been previously submitted for a deceased employee’s payroll check, OSC will accept a photocopy of this form along with a new Report of Check Exchange.

Questions:

Questions regarding this bulletin may be directed to the Payroll Earnings mailbox.

Questions regarding payment eligibility may be directed to the University Manager of Payroll Systems and Operations at CUNY Central Office.