Purpose:
The purpose of this bulletin is to provide agency instructions for processing the 2025 SUNY M/C three percent (3.00%) Salary Increase.
Affected Employees:
Employees designated Management or Confidential in SUNY (Bargaining Unit 13) who meet the eligibility criteria and are selected by the campus president are affected.
Background:
Chapter 190 of the Laws of 2023 provides for a salary increase of three percent (3.00%) for all eligible SUNY M/C employees who are included in BU13. Payment of the increase is at the discretion of the campus president and is effective 04/01/2025.
This payment is authorized in the 09/12/2023 Memorandum from the SUNY Board of Trustees. SUNY System Administration will provide campuses with details regarding the calculation and funding of this payment.
Effective Dates:
The April 2025 SUNY M/C Salary Increase should be processed in Administration Pay Period 6L for the paycheck dated 07/02/2025 with an effective date of 03/27/2025.
Eligibility Criteria:
Employees selected by the campus president who meet the following criteria are eligible for the April 2025 Salary Increase:
| Bargaining Unit | 13 |
|---|---|
| Salary Grade | 980 |
| Comp Rate Code | ANN, CAL, CYF, BIW, HRY, FEE |
| Payroll Status | Active or Leave With Pay on 03/31/2025, the Payment Effective Date of 03/27/2025, and on the Pay Period End Date of 06/18/2025 |
Agency Actions:
Prior to processing the payment, agencies are required to complete a roster identifying eligible employees who will receive an April 2025 Salary Increase. The roster must include the increased salary, the amount of the increase, must be signed by the campus president, and forwarded to SUNY System Administration by 10:00 AM on 06/10/2025. In addition, SUNY System Administration will provide a copy of this roster in Excel format to OSC.
To pay the April 2025 Salary Increase, agencies must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page using the Reason Code SIC (Sal Incr) with the effective date as indicated above. The Pay Rate field should be populated based on the information on the approved roster.
Subsequent Rows
If the employee remains eligible and has rows on the Job Data page subsequent to the row inserted above, the agency must submit a Pay Change on the Job Action Requests page as follows:
- Reason Code CSL (Correct Salary) – if the employee’s Comp Rate Code is ANN, CAL or CYF
- Reason Code CRT (Change Rate) – if the employee’s Comp Rate Code is HRY or BIW
Processing Employees with a Comp Rate Code of FEE
For eligible employees with a Comp Rate Code of FEE who will receive the April 2025 Salary Increase, no pay change is required on the Job Action Requests page. However, the agency must calculate the monies submitted on the Time Entry page using the increased rate of pay beginning on the raise effective date of 03/27/2025.
Military Leave Stipend:
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 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 Earnings Code AMS (Adjust Military Stipend).
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 (Earnings Codes RXX) 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 File 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 Retire 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:
All retroactive adjustments will be displayed on the Payroll Register using the appropriate Earnings Code and the amount paid and will be displayed on the employee’s paycheck stub or direct deposit advice using the appropriate Earnings Description and the amount paid unless the number of earnings codes exceeds 13. Agencies should utilize Locked Query LQ_PCD_PAYCHECK_EARNINGS_BY_ID to identify a complete list of regular earnings and retroactive adjustments if there are more than 13 earnings codes.
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 eligibility for the salary increases may be directed to the SUNY System Administration.
Questions regarding this bulletin may be directed to the Payroll Earnings mailbox.