Student Employment Office: News

NEWS! updated 12/27/07

The current state minimum wage is $8.07 per hour as of January 1, 2008 and will be increasing again on 1/1/2009.

All students who are below the new minimum will be automatically raised to the new minimum wage per hour, effective January 1. Supervisors do NOT need to send in an Update Request form to raise students to the new minimum, it is automatic.

IMPORTANT CHANGE: Work Study Personnel Action forms for the academic year are now mailed directly to eligible students who have applied for financial aid and have received an award notice showing financial aid need. THE WEB REQUEST PROCESS HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED.

NEW! Students who are attending CWU Centers and looking for work outside the Ellensburg area now have a special listing of vacant jobs in your area! No more combing through all the vacancies to find those in your area!

Use our easy step-by-step tutorial to help you figure out how many hours per week a student can work, either in summer or during the academic year.

CWU Payroll department requires verification of Social Security information for all employees. They have had problems with IRS reporting if the name used on the W-4 form is different than the name on the SS card. The university is subject to IRS fines if we pay someone under a name that does not match the name on their card, so your name on your paycheck must be the same as the name on your SS card.

If you work on campus, or plan to in the future, please make sure to bring your original Social Security card if you intend to use it for completing your I-9 form. You may use a copy of your SS card for your W-4 form. You can order a replacement card from the Social Security Administration by mail or in person. The nearest SS office is located in Yakima, SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION District Office 717 Fruitvale Boulevard Yakima, WA 98902 1-800-772-1213. Or, visit www.ssa.gov/replace_sscard.html to find information about how to apply.

While your SS number is not used for identification in your student information records, when you work on campus, you are in an employment relationship with CWU in addition to your academic relationship. Employers are required by federal law to collect the SS# of all employees, and the SS# is used for income reporting purposes to the IRS and state. This is why your SS# is requested when you work for the university.

If you need to change your address on your W-4 form, please go to the CWU Payroll web site and print the form & complete and submit to Payroll. You do not need to complete a new W-4 form to change this type of information. You may also complete this form at Student Employment and we will forward it to Payroll. Make sure you keep your address up to date so you will receive your W-2 forms promptly, and if a check is mailed to you, it will arrive at the correct address.

If you are changing your name, please be prepared to show your new SS Card that bears your new name. Now you only need to complete a new W-4 form if your marital status or exemptions change. If you have claimed "Exempt" on your W-4,be aware that per IRS law, you need to renew it at the beginning of each calendar year or it expires and will default to "single" and "0" exemptions.

Students, please visit our Work Study information page and find out how to receive a Work Study award through the Work-Study Personnel Action Form (WSPAF), which is your "hunting license" for obtaining a Work-Study job. Use this form when you are hired to request funding through the Work Study program for that job. Awards will continue to be made until funding is exhausted. If you have questions, you may ask them on line, or feel free to call or visit Student Employment or Financial Aid. We will be happy to assist you!

All students enrolled at least half-time are eligible to work as regular student employees, so even if Work Study funding is exhausted, you can still obtain work on campus!

Students: Search our online Job Board for openings on and off campus. Please do not limit your job search to what is posted. Many departments hire students without posting their jobs, so feel free to inquire directly at departments where you wish to work. There are over 3000 student jobs on campus, and most of the hiring takes place in September. You should start looking for work as soon as you arrive on campus for the best chance of getting hired quickly.

If you see a job on our board which has been filled, please let Student Employment know so we can take it down. Thank you!

Supervisors: Make sure you check the Time Sheet for each student carefully to ensure it is accurate, completely filled out, and that the student worked all the hours claimed. When you sign it, draw a line down under the last day worked to block out unused lines. To protect the student, NEVER allow the student to handle the Time Sheet after you have approved it. Students who submit late Time Sheets should expect to have the pay for those late hours delayed until the next regular payday, and should NOT expect a special payroll request for that reason. Time for back hours should be submitted to the Payroll office according to their policy regarding these special conditions.