Purpose: 

The purpose of this bulletin is to inform agencies of OSC’s automatic processing of the 2023 PSC three percent (3.00%) and 2024 PSC three percent (3.00%) Salary Increases and to provide instructions for payments not processed automatically.

Affected Employees:

Annual and Hourly PSC employees in the Bargaining Units AJ, CA, CB, CE, GA, PC, T8 or TC who meet the eligibility criteria are impacted.

Background:

Pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement between the City University of New York (CUNY) and PSC for the Term of 2023-2027, retroactive raises for 2023 (3.00%) and 2024 (3.00%) are authorized. The CUNY Board of Trustees approved the agreement during the 01/27/2025 board meeting.

Effective Dates:

The 2023 PSC 3% Retroactive General Salary Increase is effective 03/01/2023 and the 2024 PSC 3% Retroactive General Salary Increase is effective 04/01/2024. Processed in Institution Pay Period 09C, paycheck dated 08/07/2025.

Eligibility Criteria:

Full-Time Employees with a Step Schedule (Group A)

2023 Raise
 All full-time employees with an employee status of Active, Paid Leave or Leave of Absence (Authorized Leave only) in Bargaining Units AJ, GA, PC, TC, T8, CA, CB, and CE on 01/13/2025, will receive the 2023 Retroactive 3% General Salary Increase.

2024 Raise
 All full-time employees with an employee status of Active, Paid Leave or Leave of Absence (Authorized Leave only) in Bargaining Units AJ, GA, PC, TC, T8, CA, CB, and CE on 01/13/2025, will receive the 2024 Retroactive 3% General Salary Increase.

Note: Employees outlined above who are not in an eligible CUNY position on 01/13/2025 (unless they Retired or were Deceased prior to 01/13/2025) but who are appointed to a PSC position after 01/13/2025 will be eligible for the 2023 and 2024 3% increases from the effective date of their appointment forward. They will not be eligible for any increase prior to 01/13/2025. These increases must be processed by CUNY. See Agency Actions.

Full-Time Employees with a Salary Range (Group B)

2023 Raise
All full-time employees with an employee status of Active, Paid Leave or Leave of Absence (Authorized Leave only) in Bargaining Units AJ, GA, PC, TC, T8, CA, CB, and CE on 01/13/2025 and 02/28/2023 will receive the 2023 Retroactive 3% General Salary Increase.

2024 Raise
 All full-time employees with an employee status of Active, Paid Leave or Leave of Absence (Authorized Leave only) in Bargaining Units AJ, GA, PC, TC, T8, CA, CB, and CE on 01/13/2025 and 03/31/2024 will receive the 2024 Retroactive 3% General Salary Increase.

Note: Employees outlined above who are not in an eligible CUNY position on 01/13/2025 (unless they Retired or were Deceased prior to 01/13/2025) but who are appointed to a PSC position after 01/13/2025 whose salary is below the applicable 2024 Salary Minimum will be eligible to be increased to the 2024 Salary Minimum from the effective date of their appointment forward. They will not be eligible for any increase prior to 01/13/2025. These increases must be processed by CUNY. See Agency Actions.

Part-Time Employees with a Step Schedule (Group C)

2023 Raise
All part-time employees with an employee status of Active, Paid Leave or Leave of Absence (Authorized Leave only) in Bargaining Units AJ, GA, PC, TC, T8, CA, CB, and CE on 12/21/2024, 01/25/2025 and 02/28/2023, will receive the 2023 Retroactive 3% General Salary Increase.

2024 Raise
All part-time employees with an employee status of Active, Paid Leave or Leave of Absence (Authorized Leave only) in Bargaining Units AJ, GA, PC, TC, T8, CA, CB, and CE on 12/21/2024, 01/25/2025 and 03/31/2024.

Note: Employees outlined above who are not in an eligible CUNY position on 12/21/2024 and 01/25/2025 (unless they Retired or were Deceased prior to 01/25/2025) but who are appointed to a PSC position after 01/25/2025 will be eligible for the 2023 and 2024 3% increases from the effective date of their appointment forward. They will not be eligible for any increase prior to 01/25/2025. These increases must be processed by CUNY. See Agency Actions.

Part-Time Employees with a Salary Range (Group D)

2023 Raise
All part-time employees who are not in a Continuing Education Teacher (CET) title with an employee status of Active, Paid Leave or Leave of Absence (Authorized Leave only) in Bargaining Units AJ, GA, PC, TC, T8, CA, CB, and CE on 12/21/2024, 01/25/2025, 02/28/2023 and 03/01/2023 will receive the 2023 Retroactive 3% General Salary Increase if they have received payment between 03/01/2022 – 02/28/2023 in an eligible title (Law School Adjunct Professor, Law School Adjunct Associate Professor, Law School Adjunct Assistant Professor, Law School Non-Teaching Adjunct I, Law School Non-Teaching Adjunct II, Law School Non-Teaching Adjunct III, JEMBA Adjunct Professor, JEMBA Adjunct Associate Professor, JEMBA Adjunct Assistant Professor, JEMBA Adjunct Lecturer, JEMBA Non-Teaching Adjunct I, JEMBA Non-Teaching Adjunct II, JEMBA Non-Teaching Adjunct III, and Adjunct Medical Lecturer).

Employees in a CET title (Continuing Ed Teacher and Continuing Ed Teacher – Credit) who are active on 12/21/2024, 01/25/2025, 02/28/2023 and 03/01/2023 will receive the 2023 Retroactive 3% General Salary Increase. If they are not active on 02/28/2023 but became active in a CET title from 03/01/2023 – 03/31/2024, they may be eligible for a 2023 increase if they have received payment in a Continuing Education Teacher title between 03/01/2022 and 02/28/2023 and meet the 12/21/2024 and 01/25/2025 eligibility dates.

2024 Raise
All part-time employees who are not in a Continuing Education Teacher (CET) title with an employee status of Active, Paid Leave or Leave of Absence (Authorized Leave only) in Bargaining Units AJ, GA, PC, TC, T8, CA, CB, and CE on 12/21/2024, 01/25/2025, 03/31/2024 and 04/01/2024 will receive the 2024 Retroactive 3% General Salary Increase if they have received payment between 03/01/2023 – 03/31/2024 in an eligible title (Law School Adjunct Professor, Law School Adjunct Associate Professor, Law School Adjunct Assistant Professor, Law School Non-Teaching Adjunct I, Law School Non-Teaching Adjunct II, Law School Non-Teaching Adjunct III, JEMBA Adjunct Professor, JEMBA Adjunct Associate Professor, JEMBA Adjunct Assistant Professor, JEMBA Adjunct Lecturer, JEMBA Non-Teaching Adjunct I, JEMBA Non-Teaching Adjunct II, JEMBA Non-Teaching Adjunct III, and Adjunct Medical Lecturer). 

Employees in a CET title (Continuing Ed Teacher and Continuing Ed Teacher – Credit) who are active on 12/21/2024, 01/25/2025, 03/31/2024 and 04/01/2024 will receive the 2024 Retroactive 3% General Salary Increase. If they are not active on 03/31/2024 but became active in a CET title from 04/01/2024 – present, they may be eligible for a 2024 increase if they have received payment in a Continuing Education Teacher title between 03/01/2023 and 03/31/2024 and meet the 12/21/2024 and 01/25/2025 eligibility dates.

Note: Employees outlined above who are not in an eligible CUNY position on 12/21/2024 and 01/25/2025 (unless they Retired or were Deceased prior to 01/25/2025) but who are appointed to a PSC position after 01/25/2025 whose salary is below the applicable 2024 Salary Minimum will be eligible to be increased to the 2024 Salary Minimum from the effective date of their appointment forward. They will not be eligible for any increase prior to 01/25/2025. These increases must be processed by CUNY. See Agency Actions.

OSC Actions:

Employees who meet the eligibility criteria outlined above will be processed as follows:

2023 Raise
       Group A Comp Rate Code ANN With Steps and Group C Comp Rate Code HRY With Steps

• OSC will automatically insert a row on the eligible employee’s Job Data page effective 03/01/2023 using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/SAC (Mass Salary Increase) for eligible employees in Active or Paid Leave status on 03/01/2023 and whose salary is equal to one of the steps on the 11/01/2022 salary chart for the employee’s title. The salary or hourly rate (as applicable) will be updated to the corresponding step on the 03/01/2023 salary chart.
• OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/CSL (Cor Sal) for eligible employees with a Comp Rate Code of ANN and Pay Rate Change/CRT (Chg Rate) for eligible employees with a Comp Rate Code of HRY who are inactive on 03/01/2023 but whose status changes to Active or Paid Leave after 03/01/2023 and whose salary is equal to one of the steps on the 11/01/2022 salary chart for the employee’s title. The salary will be updated to the corresponding step on the 03/01/2023 salary chart. The row will be inserted using the effective date of the change from an inactive (Leave of Absence, Terminated, or Retired) status to active (Active or Paid Leave) status.
• OSC will automatically insert a row on all subsequent Job Data rows using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/CSL (Cor Sal) for eligible employees with a Comp Rate Code of ANN and Pay Rate Change/CRT (Chg Rate) for eligible employees with a Comp Rate Code of HRY with the salary that corresponds to the new step on the 03/01/2023 salary chart if the employee remains in an eligible position and is on a step on the 11/01/2022 salary chart. 

Group B Comp Rate Code ANN With Salary Ranges and Group D Comp Rate Code HRY With No Steps

• OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective 03/01/2023 using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/SAC (Mass Salary Increase) for all eligible employees who are in Active or Paid Leave status on 03/01/2023. The new salary or hourly rate (as applicable) will be calculated by increasing the existing salary on 02/28/2023 by the 3% salary increase and rounding to the nearest dollar (employees with a Comp Rate Code of ANN) and the nearest cent (employees with a Comp Rate Code of HRY).
• OSC will increase the annual salary or hourly rate (as applicable) on all subsequent Job Data rows using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/CSL (Cor Sal) for employees with a Comp Rate Code of ANN and Pay Rate Change/CRT (Chg Rate) for employees with a Comp Rate Code of HRY if the employee remains in an eligible position.

2024 Raise
Group A Comp Rate Code ANN With Steps and Group C Comp Rate Code HRY With Steps

• OSC will automatically insert a row on the eligible employee’s Job Data page effective 04/01/2024 using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/SAC (Mass Salary Increase) for eligible employees in Active or Paid Leave status on 04/01/2024 and whose salary is equal to one of the steps on the 03/01/2023 salary chart for the employee’s title. The salary or hourly rate (as applicable) will be updated to the corresponding step on the 04/01/2024 salary chart.
• OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/CSL (Cor Sal) for eligible employees with a Comp Rate Code of ANN and Pay Rate Change/CRT (Chg Rate) for eligible employees with a Comp Rate Code of HRY who are inactive on 04/01/2024 but whose status changes to Active or Paid Leave after 04/01/2024 and whose salary is equal to one of the steps on the 03/01/2023 salary chart for the employee’s title. The salary will be updated to the corresponding step on the 04/01/2024 salary chart. The row will be inserted using the effective date of the change from an inactive (Leave of Absence, Terminated, or Retired) status to active (Active or Paid Leave) status.
• OSC will automatically insert a row on all subsequent Job Data rows using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/CSL (Cor Sal) for eligible employees with a Comp Rate Code of ANN and Pay Rate Change/CRT (Chg Rate) for eligible employees with a Comp Rate Code of HRY with the salary that corresponds to the new step on the 04/01/2024 salary chart if the employee remains in an eligible position and is on a step on the 03/01/2023 salary chart. 

Group B Comp Rate Code ANN With Salary Ranges and Group D Comp Rate Code HRY With No Steps

• OSC will automatically insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective 04/01/2024 using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/SAC (Mass Salary Increase) for all eligible employees who are in Active or Paid Leave status on 04/01/2024. The new salary or hourly rate (as applicable) will be calculated by increasing the existing salary on 03/31/2024 by the 3% salary increase and rounding to the nearest dollar (employees with a Comp Rate Code of ANN) and the nearest cent (employees with a Comp Rate Code of HRY).
• OSC will increase the annual salary or hourly rate (as applicable) on all subsequent Job Data rows using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/CSL (Cor Sal) for employees with a Comp Rate Code of ANN and Pay Rate Change/CRT (Chg Rate) for employees with a Comp Rate Code of HRY if the employee remains in an eligible position.

Agency Actions:

Reports Available Prior to Processing

OSC will provide CUNY with a list of employees who may not be processed automatically. This report includes:

1. Employees in Groups A, B, C and D who do not have an Employee Status of Active or Leave With Pay on any of the applicable eligibility dates for the 2023 and 2024 increases referenced above. CUNY must review these employees to determine if any are eligible for automatic OSC processing of the 2023 and/or 2024 raises. If they are not eligible for automatic processing, CUNY must submit any 2023 or 2024 increases manually to OSC that the employee may be entitled to.
2. Employees in Groups A or C who have a salary or hourly rate (as applicable) that does not match a rate on the 11/01/2022 salary chart. CUNY must review these employees to determine if any must be moved to a rate on the 11/01/2022 chart prior to OSC processing the 2023 and/or 2024 increases.
   1. Employees whose salary includes Recruitment/Retention Initiative (RRI), Salary Above Base (SAB) and/or Distinguished Stipend monies are eligible only for an increase to the base salary of their position. These employees must remain off-step and CUNY must manually calculate their 2023 and 2024 increases.
   2. Employees in REM positions (HEO/Asst Admin (016855)) are eligible only for an increase to the base salary of their position. These employees must remain off-step and CUNY must manually calculate their 2023 and 2024 increases.
3. For both scenarios above, OSC will provide a spreadsheet of all history rows from 11/01/2022 forward for employees who must be processed manually by CUNY.

CUNY returned these spreadsheets to OSC by 07/23/2025 using the following Action/Reason codes to report the increases:

Employees with a Comp Rate Code of ANN:

• To report increases effective 03/01/2023 or 04/01/2024, the Action/Reason code of PAY/SIC (Sal Incr) must be used.
• To report increases on subsequent rows, the Action/Reason code of PAY/CSL (Cor Sal) must be used.

Employees with a Comp Rate Code of HRY:

• To report increases effective 03/01/2023 or 04/01/2024, the Action/Reason code of PAY/SIC (Sal Incr) must be used.
• To report increases on subsequent rows, the Action/Reason code of PAY/CRT (Chg Rate) must be used.

Reporting Retroactive Adjustments for Miscellaneous Earnings Not Automatically Adjusted

Increases to miscellaneous earnings, such as Earnings Code AJT (adjunct payments such as Spring or Summer session payments not paid as a contract) must be manually calculated and reported by the agency using Earnings Code AJR in Time Entry. Adjustments for non-resident aliens (NRA) should be made using Earnings Codes XAR, YAR, or ZAR as applicable.

The Time Entry Earnings Code AJR, XAR, YAR, or ZAR must be used to report the combined retroactive adjustment for all miscellaneous earnings, excluding overtime. When an adjustment is needed to COVID-19 overtime such as CVO (Covid-19 OT Override), ARC must be used. When an adjustment is needed to non-COVID-19 related overtime, ARO must be entered. Please refer to Payroll Bulletin No. 1893 for more information. Agencies must continue to use AJR, XAR, YAR, or ZAR for all other override Time Entry Earnings Codes requiring a manual adjustment as a result of a retro salary increase. The agency must provide an explanation of the adjustment in the General Comments page or on a separate worksheet.

The Earnings Codes must be submitted in Time Entry or on the Time Entry Interface (NPAY502) as follows:

Military Stipend Leave:

OSC will recalculate the military stipend amount for employees who were placed on a Paid or Unpaid Military Stipend Leave on or after the effective date of the payment as the result of new military orders.

• If the employee received a stipend, OSC will insert a row on the employee’s Job Data page effective the date the employee is entitled to the increase using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/MSC (Military Stipend Change) and will increase the employee’s biweekly stipend amount. In addition, updates will be made to all subsequent rows requiring an increased biweekly stipend amount.
• If the employee did not receive a stipend but becomes eligible for a stipend as a result of the payment, OSC will insert the following in PayServ:
  • A row on the employee’s Job Data page effective the date the employee is entitled to a stipend using the Action/Reason Code of Paid Leave of Absence/MLS (Mil Stip) and the new biweekly stipend amount.
  • A row on the employee’s Job Data page for each affected subsequent row using the Action/Reason Code of Pay Rate Change/MSC (Military Stipend Change) and the new biweekly stipend amount.
  • A row on the Time Entry page using the Earnings Code MSP (Military Stipend Payment) to pay the stipend for each pay period the employee is eligible.
  • Any additional adjustment that is required due to the increased biweekly stipend amount that will not be calculated automatically will be reported by OSC on the Time Entry page using the Earnings Code AMS (Adjust Military Stipend).

Deductions:

All deductions for employees whose Payroll Status is Terminated, Retired, or Deceased will be automatically canceled by OSC with the exception of percentage-based dues and deductions marked “No” on the Deduction Codes list published on the OSC website. 

Tax Information:

These monies are taxable income subject to all employment taxes and income taxes, will be included in the employee’s taxable gross, and reported on the employee’s Form W-2.

The retroactive payments are supplemental taxable income and will be included in the employee’s taxable gross subject to all 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.