According to the IRS, a graduating student can only stay in a student employee position (student pay group) until the end of the pay period that includes their graduation. Therefore, for a monthly employee who graduates on May 13, the last day of work would be May 31; for a graduating hourly student employee, the final work day would be May 13 (the last day of the bi-weekly pay period.) If you want a graduating student to work beyond those dates, they would need to be hired as a Tech Temp or other staff position.

Students in Student Assistant positions can continue to work and submit hours between the end of Fall semester and the beginning of Spring semester- if they are enrolled in both semesters and have supervisor approval. FWS students, although usually employed for the entire academic year, can only work when classes are in session, not during Winter or Spring break. Student Assistant -PURA students are only employed for a single semester and cannot work during Winter break.

Federal minimum wage (in 2020) is $7.25/hour. However, the starting salary for most Student Assistant positions at Georgia Tech is in the range of $8 to $9/hour. The current median pay for Student Assistants is $10/hour and the average Student Assistant pay is between $11-$12/hour. Job duties should drive compensation; a detailed position description is particularly important if the pay is at above average levels.

Yes. There are currently no USG policies or restrictions on Student Employee pay increases. However, each unit should apply fair and consistent guidelines that apply equally to all of their student employees in similar roles. Generally, increases should be in the range of $.25 to $1 per hour increments. If a student’s job duties change and their responsibilities increase (for example, they are training or supervising other student employees), their pay increase may be greater. Best Practice: due to the burden the high transaction volume places on Position Management, do not routinely give increases each semester; instead, space them out to once per year, or every two semesters. Example: One common practice is to increase Student Assistant’s pay with an additional 50 cent per hour raise after completing two successful semesters working for the same department.

No, you cannot hire a student as a GRA/GTA concurrently because it will over calculate tuition remission. However, you may hire a student concurrently as a GA (i.e. GRA/GA or GTA/GA)

If there is a good chance your student will work for both semesters, you may proceed with hiring them for the entire year rather than each term individually. However, should your student stop working for your department at any time, please terminate them immediately in OneUSG Connect. They will not be able to be hired by another department until their employment is terminated for your department.

No, students taking a half-time+ course load are limited to 20 hours/week because their primary purpose is being a student. If your student is taking a reduced course load (less than half-time), they can work 40 hours. However, their pay code will need to be updated to 03C because they will no longer be eligible for student tax exemptions.

The first day that a newly enrolled student can work in a student paygroup is the first day of the pay period that includes the start of classes. For monthly student employees, that will be the 1st day of the month. For bi-weekly student employees, you will need to check the payroll calendar to see when the pay period begins that includes the start date of classes.

FICA (“Federal Insurance Contributions Act”) refers to payroll taxes withheld from salaries that fund the U.S. Social Security and Medicare programs. If the student is required to pay FICA taxes, the Medicare contribution is identified as “Fed MED/EE” and the Social Security contribution is identified as “Fed OASDI/EE” on their GT paycheck. The Medicare contribution is 1.45% of their taxable income and the student employee’s share of the Social Security payroll tax is currently 6.2% of their taxable income.

GDCP (Georgia Defined Contribution Plan) is 7.5% of gross salary and can be reimbursed by the state after the employee leaves 03C pay group (either by going back to 03T or terminating employment). 

Please submit it via the ASC Portal.