Prince William County Public Schools

Payroll Office

The Payroll Office is responsible for the final payroll process that issues payment advices via direct deposit and payroll checks (if applicable) to all regular full-time, part-time, and temporary employees of the Prince William County School Board.

All payroll is processed and paid on a semi-monthly pay period schedule. Pay dates are the last workday on or before the 15th and on or before the last day of each month. The Prince William County School Board has determined that direct deposit of payroll is the most efficient and effective means of paying employees. Therefore, all employees are required to enroll in direct deposit. Payroll checks will be issued for an employee's first scheduled payroll to perform an electronic test to verify the employee's bank account information. Payroll checks will also be issued when employees change bank accounts or in some unusual circumstances.

All employees, except 10-month hourly employees and temporary employees, are compensated on a semi-monthly basis in 24 equal installments. These installments are paid on a current pay period basis. Ten-month hourly employees are compensated semi-monthly in 19 equal installments. These installments are paid on a previous pay period, or pay lag, basis. All leave, additional hourly pay, overtime, and non-standard supplemental pay are paid or processed on a previous pay period, or pay lag, basis.

The Payroll Office employs Payroll Specialists who process and verify payroll, input specifications from employee W-4, VA-4, and direct deposit forms, input one-time and most regular payroll deductions, set up many employee fringe benefits, and determine correct payments to be made to Payroll vendors. The office is also responsible for annually issuing W-2 Forms. Requests for specific payroll records from outside sources are also processed in Payroll.

The Supervisor of Payroll is directly responsible for all the activities of the Payroll Office. The Supervisor controls the setup of most pay events, deductions, and benefit plans as they impact the payroll process.

Virginia Retirement System Employee Contributions and Your Summer Pay Statements

Employees who don't work over the summer months may notice that Virginia Retirement System (VRS) Retirement and Group Life Insurance Fringe Benefits does not appear on their summer pay statements. PWCS will have already reported your entire salary for this school year to VRS. Also, employee contributions for VRS are suspended over the summer for 10- and 11-month employees, Bus Drivers and Bus Attendants, and Food Service workers paid from September through June. All benefits payable to VRS will be paid with our June report to that agency. Your VRS fringe benefits and employee contributions for the new fiscal year will start again when you return to work for the new school year. Please contact the Benefits and Compensation Department at [email protected] or the Payroll Office [email protected] if you have questions.

W-4 Tax Withholding Estimator

The IRS has posted a helpful tool on its webpage that can assist with determining the correct federal income tax withholding amount. Access the IRS tax withholding estimator.

For payroll-related inquiries, you can contact the payroll office. Please note that we are unable to provide tax advice. You will need to contact a tax accountant or refer to the IRS website for tax-related inquiries.

Announcements

Do It Yourself With ESS

PWCS provides access for all regular employees from any school division computer to Employee Self Service (ESS). The link to ESS is found by visiting the Staff in the top right-hand corner of the website. Directions are provided if you are a first-time user for login, navigation, and access to documents. Payroll services available include viewing and printing previously issued pay statements and W-2 forms. Please use ESS to update your address if you move so your mail arrives promptly from school division offices.

Trying to Access Your Paystub?

Follow these instructions to access your paystub on ESS:

• Instructions for Accessing Pay Stubs from the Employee Self Service (ESS) Website