Student Payroll System Timekeeper Navigation Guide
What is the Student Payroll System?
The Student Payroll System is a web based interface used by the Payroll Office, Cal Poly departments, student assistant employees and Federal Work Study student assistant employees. Student assistants enter their time worked into the Student Payroll System via an online timesheet. Departments monitor the hours throughout the pay period and approve the time worked during pre-defined approval periods. Payroll collects the online approvals once a month when the approval period ends and issues the paychecks. No paper timesheet is submitted to the Payroll office. Departments may choose to have students print their timesheet from the Student Payroll System, have their direct supervisor sign them, and then turn them into a designated department Timekeeper/Approver to facilitate this process. The Student Payroll System is a Cal Poly San Luis Obispo specific module. This system was created and is maintained by Cal Poly. Please note the Student Payroll System is not used for Instructional Student Assistants (ISA’s).
How do I access the Student Payroll System?
To log into the Student Payroll system you must first log into the my.calpoly portal. If you have Student Timekeeper security you will see the single click link for Student Pay pictured below.
Click the ‘Student Assistant Management link and the main menu of the Student Payroll System will open for you in a new browser window.
How do I use the Student Payroll System?
Add Student Job/Pay Rate/Supervisor – Add new student job rows. This function is used to add brand new student employees and to add new job rows for existing student employees for new position numbers, pay rates, or supervisors. (pg. 3)
Enter/Correct Student Time – Accessing this screen will display all the active student jobs for your department. From this screen you can select individual timesheets to review. You can also enter or correct time on a student employee’s timesheet using this function. (pg. 5)
Enter/Correct Student Time By EmplID/Department – This screen has the same functionality as Enter/Correct Student Time. The only difference is you can narrow your selection by individual using the EmplID or by Department using the Department ID number. This can be useful when a Timekeeper has security to view multiple departments and wants to review them one at a time.
Approve Student Time – Accessing this screen will display all student timesheets for your department(s) that have time entered for the current pay period. Timesheets will appear here for approval even if the job row has been inactivated. This screen should be accessed during the pre-defined approval period to approve time entered by student employees. Without an online approval a student employee’s paycheck will not be issued and a late timesheet will need to be submitted on paper to pay the student. (pg. 8)
Approve Student Time By EmplID/Department – This screen has the same functionality as Approve Student Time. The only difference is you can narrow your selection by individual using the EmplID or by Department using the Department ID number. This can be useful when a Timekeeper has security to view multiple departments and wants to review them one at a time.
Reactivate Student Job – This screen will allow you to view all student jobs that have been inactivated within approximately the last three years. You can reactivate student jobs from this screen if desired unless the rate of pay for that job row is below the current minimum wage or the student is no longer eligible to work. (pg. 10)
Log out – Selecting this button will log you out of the Student Payroll System. This should be done before closing the browser window and anytime a computer is left unattended or is being accessed by someone other than the timekeeper.
To add a new student job row click the link ‘Add Student Job/Pay Rate/Supervisor’. This will take you to the screen where you can add a new student or add a new job row for a current or prior student employee.
When using the ‘Add Student Job’ screen timekeepers may receive error messages for a variety of reasons. Some of these may include, but are not limited to, the following:
-Entering an incorrect or partial employee ID number.
- Please be sure to use the full employee ID number including the leading zeroes. Do not use a student’s social security number as the system will only recognize a valid employee ID number. All students’ have a student/employee ID number assigned to them. Students may find their employee ID number on the my.calpoly portal on their personal information tab. Departments should request potential student employees to provide their employee ID number to them upon hire. The employee ID number is also a required field on the Student Employment Request Form.
-Entering an invalid position number.
- You may select a position number from the drop down or manually enter a position number. Please contact a budget analyst for your department or division if you are unsure what the appropriate position number is to use for your student as this has a direct impact on how their pay is funded.
-Entering a pay rate outside of the current pay range for the student assistant job classification.
- You can find the current pay range for student assistant employees on the Student Employment Request Form. Please make sure you are always using the most current version of the form found on the Payroll website. You can also find the pay range for student assistant employees in the Student Handbook posted on the Payroll website.
-Entering the supervisor name without the proper format.
- Make sure the supervisor name is entered exactly as the example with no spaces.
-The student may not be eligible to work as a student assistant due to the number of units they are enrolled in.
-The student may not be enrolled in an academic program that qualifies them as a matriculated degree seeking student at Cal Poly.
-The student may not have a valid social security number in the People Soft system.
-The position number being used is a Federal Work Study position number and the student either does not have an award or their award has not been finalized.
- Anytime an error message regarding Federal Work Study is received please have the student immediately contact the Financial Aid office to verify their award and any pending documentation they may still need to complete.
If you receive an error message and are unsure how to proceed, need assistance in resolving the issue, or if you have a question regarding a student’s eligibility to work as a student assistant please contact the Payroll Office at 756-2605.
Once you have entered the information for the job you wish to add click the SAVE button. If you have not already saved and you wish to cancel the job action click the MENU button and you will be returned to the main menu. All information entered will be lost. Saving a new job may take several minutes depending on current system load. Peak user times for the People Soft system will affect the speed of adding new student jobs through the Student Payroll System. If you receive the error message “Cannot connect to People Soft” click the SAVE button again. Contact the Payroll office at 756-2605 if your browser continually times out and you are unable to save a new job row.
After saving a new job row you will receive one of the following messages;
‘Bear,Yogi T is now hired but may not begin working until they have completed an I-9 form. Please send this student to Payroll Services, building 1, room 107 to complete the
I-9 form.’
If you receive this message the student must go to the Payroll office to complete a new student employee intake before commencing work. It is required that all employees, including students, have an I9 on file no later than the first day of employment for pay. Above and beyond providing documents to satisfy Federal I9 requirements all state employees must be able to present a valid social security card.
‘Bear,YogiTis now hired and may now enter time.’
If you receive this message the student has already been hired previously as a student employee and does not need to complete an intake in the Payroll office. No additional action or paperwork is required.
Select the MENU button and you will be returned to the main menu of the Student Payroll System.
This screen will display all active student job rows a timekeeper has security to view.
Student jobs will display on this screen regardless of whether any hours have been entered for the current pay period. Timekeepers should note that when a student is no longer eligible to work the Student Payroll System will stop them from accessing their timesheet. However, the job row will still be viewable by the timekeeper until it is inactivated.
To access a student timesheet select the GO button next to the job row.
This page may be printed for approval purposes within the department.
The printed online timesheet is never submitted to the Payroll office. Approvals for pay are sent to the Payroll office electronically via the Student Payroll System. See the section on Approve Student Time for more detail. As browser settings may vary from computer to computer the timesheet may sometimes print on more than one page. If the timesheet is printing on more than one page please adjust your web browsers print options. Go to the browser menu and select File > Page Setup. Under the section labeled ‘Margins’ adjust the top and bottom margins until the timesheet prints on one page.
To enter or correct time for a specific day click the desired date.
From the Student Time Entry page a timekeeper may view, enter, or correct a student employee’s time in and out.
To inactivate a student job row click the minus (-) button.
Student job rows can be inactivated from both the Enter/Correct Student Time and the Enter/Correct Student Time by EmplID/Department screens. Inactivating a job will NOT erase hours entered for the current pay period. A job row with hours will continue to appear on the Approve Student Time screen even if it has been inactivated.
To add a new student job row for an existing active student employee click the plus (+) button.
This will take you to the Add Student Job/Pay Rate/Supervisor Screen. The only information which will auto populate is the supervisor and position number. Rate of pay and employee ID number must still be entered.
From this screen timekeepers can view all student positions, active and inactive, that have hours entered for the current pay period. This is the screen where you will submit the online approval for pay during the designated approval period. Approval dates are posted on the student assistant pay calendar on the payroll website.
To approve a timesheet check the box under the ‘Approved’ section. It is recommended that timekeepers exit the approval screen and re-enter the screen to double check that approvals have saved. It is also recommended that timekeepers make a print screen of their saved approvals for their records. Once a pay period has closed the information is no longer available in the Student Payroll System.
Once a timesheet has been approved it cannot be edited. To un-approve a student timesheet simply un-check the approval box and click SAVE. This will allow the timesheet to be edited.
Student timesheets may be approved from both the ‘Approve Student Time’ screen and the ‘Approve Student Time by EmplID/Department’ screen.
Approvals submitted prior to the designated approval period are not guaranteed. If a timekeeper will be unavailable during the approval period prior arrangements should be made within the department for a back up approver to take care of submitting the online approvals for pay. All timekeepers are required to have a back up for approving student payroll in case of planned or unplanned absence of the primary student timekeeper. If a timekeeper will be out of the office, but intends to approve their student payroll from off campus please notify the Payroll office ahead of time. Please contact Payroll Services at 756-2605 if you have any questions.
Timekeepers will be reminded of the approval period the morning of the first approval day via email notification. Students who are not approved before the close of the approval period will need to submit a late student timesheet in order to be paid. Late timesheets are due by approximately the 15th of the month and are paid on approximately the 25th. See the Payroll Calendar for specific Late Student Pay Dates and Form due dates. For more information regarding late student pay please see the following link to our website.
From this screen student timekeepers can view their inactive student positions for approximately the last three years.
To reactivate a student job row click the REACTIVATE button.
Please note that student positions with a rate of pay below the current minimum wage cannot be reactivated. Please add a new job row for your student with a pay rate at or above the current minimum wage.
For more information…
For more information, including the Student Payroll FAQ, please see our website at;
Or stop by our office located at;
Payroll Services
AdministrationBuilding 1, Room 107
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
You may also contact us by phone at;
(805) 756-2605
Administration & Finance Division - Cal Poly SLO