Student hourly employment is to help meet the needs of the university, provide university students with financial support in pursuit of their academic goals, and provide opportunities for academic or administrative job experience. The job duties and responsibilities of Student Hourly employees vary greatly and may or may not be related to their field of study. This policy outlines employment provisions for all Student Hourly employees at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison).
Student Hourly employee at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
This policy outlines employment provisions for all Student Hourly employees at the University of Wisconsin–Madison (UW–Madison). Student Hourly employees do not have grievance or layoff rights and are non-exempt (hourly) employees under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Student Hourly employees are typically undergraduate students, employed "at-will," have no expectation of continued employment, and do not count toward UW–Madison's full-time equivalent (FTE) count. Under Wis. Stat. § 108.02(15)(i), Student Hourly employees enrolled as UW–Madison students are not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. Under Wis. Stat. §40.02(25)(b), Student Hourly employees are non-benefits eligible for employer-sponsored health insurance coverage through the UW-System. Under Wis. Stat § 102.03, Student Hourly employees are covered by Worker’s Compensation.
To be eligible for employment as a Student Hourly employee at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, an individual must meet the following requirements.
The position is incidental to the individual's purpose or presence at the institution as a student. In other words, the individual's presence on campus is primarily to be a student, not an employee. It is not permissible to hire a person as a Student Hourly employee if they are taking credits merely to be eligible for Student Hourly employment. This is a judgment that needs to be made by the employing unit. Factors to consider when making this decision include whether they are taking courses for credit, whether they are working towards a degree and whether they have a pattern of taking less than a half-time load. The individual must be enrolled for academic credit at an educational institution.
An educational institution is defined as:
The employing unit is responsible for verifying an individual's eligibility and maintaining documentation of verification. This verification must occur every semester in which the student is employed. Suitable methods of verification include: ISIS record (for UW–Madison students), letter from home institution, phone call to home institution's Registrar, copy of current registration and course schedule, current tuition payment receipt, or on-line verification. Graduate students may be employed in Student Hourly positions as long as the work performed is not that of a Teaching Assistant, Project/Program Assistant, or Research Assistant. Note: individuals hired from outside of the UW-System are eligible for unemployment compensation.
Important note regarding F-1 and J-1 international students: special consideration needs to be paid to F-1 and J-1 international students when verifying eligibility. Federal visa regulations specify that F-1 international students and enrolled J-1 international students are eligible for on-campus employment, but only at the school listed on their immigration document. For F-1s, the school is listed in the school information section on the I-20; for J-1s, the school is listed in item #2, the Program Sponsor, of the DS-2019. In these cases, the F-1 student and enrolled J-1 student does not need any special authorization to be employed 20 hours per week when school is in session and/or full-time during breaks. The J-1 student does need special authorization to be employed 20 hours per week when school is in session and/or full-time during breaks. Authorization does not print on the I-20, so an enrolled J-1 student will be issued an on-campus employment authorization letter. J-1 on-campus employment authorization is valid for one year, or the validity of the DS-2019, whichever is less. When processing I-9s, departments will need to verify that the student's I-20/DS-2019 is indeed issued by the University of Wisconsin–Madison. If it is not, an I-20 or DS-2019 alone does not provide sufficient proof of eligibility. Questions should be directed to International Students Services at (608) 262-2044 or their email address.
The individual must be at least 16 years of age. For more information on the employment of minors in the state of Wisconsin, refer to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development: Employment of Minors and Work Permits.
Semester Eligibility. A student may not be employed prior to the first payroll calendar day of the student's first semester of enrollment. Summer eligibility is the only exception (see below). Students who graduate or complete an academic semester and will not be enrolling in the following semester may continue to be employed as a Student Hourly only through the last day of the student hourly pay period of the completed semester. Students who withdraw from school during a semester are no longer eligible for Student Hourly employment as of the date of withdrawal.
Summer Eligibility. Any student who has been accepted for fall enrollment, or is continuing in the fall semester after completion of the spring semester or is enrolled during the summer is eligible for summer employment. For non-UW–Madison students, the unit must confirm the individual’s eligibility as stated above.
Divisions May Have Stricter Eligibility Requirements. More specific provisions (e.g., requiring a greater credit enrollment, or enrollment in the UW–Madison) may be established by a specific college, school, department or other UW–Madison unit.
Divisions have the discretion to establish the starting hourly rate at any point within the range of the level (Basic, Intermediate or Advanced). All salary rates above the maximum of the advanced level must have prior approval of the Dean or Director's office with budget responsibility for the wages. Current wage ranges can be found in the Title Guideline.
Student Hourly employees are subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Therefore, Student Hourly employees who are employed for more than 40 hours in a week within the University System will receive premium pay for the hours worked beyond 40 at the rate of one and one-half times the regular hourly rate. Student Hourly employees often hold more than one active job in the University System. If this is the case, the 40 hours per week limit is calculated by combining hours worked for all active jobs in the University System. Note: Student Hourly employees are eligible to work more than 40 hours per week and receive premium pay, but all hours worked (including hours over 40) count toward the calculation of total hours for purposes of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and must be monitored by the division(s).
All Student Hourly employees shall be paid on an hourly basis and hours of service shall be tracked accordingly in HRS. Any exceptions must be approved by the division Human Resources representative.
All Student Hourly employees must average below 30 hours per week (they can work 40 hours one week and 20 the next as long as the overall average is not greater than 30 hours per week). Overtime hours are counted toward the total hours calculation. For ACA purposes, UW System is a single employer. Therefore, the restricted hours pertain to any hours worked at all UW–Madison divisions or any other UW System institution statewide. If an employee works for multiple divisions or at another institution, all hours worked/reported must be combined and stay below the 30-hour weekly average.
Student employees paid on a lump sum basis are considered to be non-hourly employees for purposes of the ACA. UW System uses one of two methods to track hours for non-hourly employees: (1) actual hours: (2) days-worked equivalency (each workday of service – 8 hours credited). Failure to identify the expected hours worked will result in application of the days-worked equivalency method for the period they are paid which may result in fines for failure to offer the individual health insurance. If services are compensated on a lump sum basis, the hiring unit must document the hours spent working on the assignment or the Student employee will be credited with eight (8) hours of service (for ACA purposes) for each day the lump sum is paid in the HR/payroll system.
Divisions must report hours worked by student employees on a lump sum pay basis appointment using either a timesheet or a method determined by division to track and record hours in HRS.
Hours credited due to a Federal Work Study program do not count toward the calculation of hours of service earned for purposes of the ACA.
All Student Hourly employee jobs are placed in one of three position classifications to assist in determining the appropriate rate of pay: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. The following are descriptions of the general types of work to be included in each level. The examples are not all-inclusive but rather are general indications of the types of jobs included in the levels. These general descriptions provide a framework for classifying jobs not enumerated below.
Work is done under close supervision; procedures are well established; employees are not usually required to make decisions which are not enumerated in well-defined policies and procedures
Examples of this type of work:
Work that requires, for a major portion of the time, some independent judgment or initiative; and/or requires special knowledge, skills or abilities; and/or requires a major amount of heavy physical exertion; and/or involves adverse hours or working conditions; and/or involves supervisory responsibilities for an activity of limited size.
Examples of this type of work:
Work that requires, for a major portion of the time, advanced specialized knowledge, skills, or abilities; or involves supervisory responsibilities for large or complex activities, usually involving a number of concurrent activities.
Examples of this type of work:
To be eligible for an exemption for FICA withholding, a student hourly must be taking a minimum of a half-time course load at any UW System institution (6 credits for undergraduates; 4 credits for non-dissertator graduate students; and 3 credits for dissertators.) This process is monitored by the UW Service Center.
All other student hourly employees must have FICA taxes withheld from their paychecks. This includes:
Summer Breaks. Student Hourly employees who work during the summer break and who are not enrolled and attending classes during the summer session are not exempt from FICA. However, the FICA exemption will continue to apply as long as the break is five weeks or less, and provided that the student qualified for the exemption on the last day of classes preceding the break and is eligible to enroll in classes for the academic term that follows the break.
Student hourly employees who are enrolled at UW–Madison are eligible to obtain a UW ID card as a student. Individuals who are enrolled at a campus other than UW-Madison are also eligible for a WisCard (type: Visitor) after their appointment is entered into the HR system and their NetID is activated.
This document outlines the UWS policies that specifically apply to Student Hourly employment and includes related policies for treatment of Student Hourly employees for purposes of the ACA. The ACA was enacted in 2010 with phased-in requirements. Two of the primary requirements effective beginning in 2015 are the Employer Shared Responsibility Mandate (the “Employer Mandate”) and Sections 6055 and 6056 reporting. The ACA requires large employers (50 or more full-time and full-time equivalent employees) to offer affordable minimum essential health coverage to a sufficient number (i.e., to at least 95% in 2016 and following years thereafter) of employees working full time as defined by the ACA, that is 30 or more hours per week coverage, in order to avoid penalties under the Employer Mandate, and to report on the offerings and results. Section 6055 requires employers providing Minimum Essential Coverage to report to the IRS about the coverage provided and to whom it is provided.
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07-05-2019, 11-18-2022, 03-21-2003
