Pay & Payroll for Student Employees
This page serves as a hub for all topics that fall under wages, time, pay, and taxes. If you have questions about your wage, please contact your manager or our office. For questions about your paychecks, please contact the Payroll Office.
Jump to section...
Payroll Information and Schedules
Pay Check Mailing/Distribution
Student Wage Structure and Wage Changes
Payroll Information & Schedules
Students are paid on a bi-weekly basis. The two week pay period begins on a Sunday and ends on the second Saturday. Student employees must check in and out for every shift, correct "unmatched timeclock events," fix time entered under wrong job, and submit their timesheets by 10 a.m. the Monday of the pay week, with payday on Friday. Failure to submit your timesheet by 10 a.m. on the Monday of the pay week may result in you not getting paid for your time. Visit the Payroll website to view the pay periods for Student Employees.
A step-by-step guide on entering time through the Workday app or website can be found under the time entry section of this page.
The manager/timekeeper is also able to assist the student employee in editing their time until 2 p.m. on the Monday of the pay week. Managers must approve student timesheets no later than 4 p.m. on the Monday of the pay week.
Complete the Payment Election Enrollment Event task in Workday. Visit the Direct Deposit section on this page.
Please contact Payroll at payroll@richmond.edu for timekeeping and pay related questions.
Time Entry
Student Employees should enter their time on Workday. For step-by-step instructions, follow the following Job Aids and/or videos:
JOB AID: Enter/Edit Time (Clock In/Out) on a Desktop Computer
VIDEO: Enter/Edit Time (Clock In/Out) on Desktop
JOB AID: Enter/Edit Time (Clock In/Out) on Mobile App
VIDEO: Enter/Edit Time (Clock In/Out) on Mobile App
Late Time Submittal
Student employees must submit their workday time sheet before 10 a.m. on the Monday following the end of a pay period. After that deadline the time sheet is no longer available to update. Manager/time-keepers can enter "retro-hours" for hours missed. The student will then need to contact the manager and/or time-keeper to submit hours after missed deadline. Contact the Payroll Office for any questions or concerns about late time submittal.
Direct Deposit Option
The convenience of direct deposit of your pay check electronically into your banking account is now available to student employees. We encourage all student employees to participate. Generally, your funds can be directly deposited to any U.S. bank of the student’s choice. To participate in direct deposit, you can follow the step-by-step instructions in the Onboarding for Student Employees video (Direct Deposit Elections starts at 2:19–2:45) or through the Payment Elections Enrollment Job Aid. Please contact Payroll at payroll@richmond.edu for pay-related questions.
Pay Check Mailing/Distribution
If students do not have direct deposit, Payroll uses the addresses on record in the Banner system for mailing purposes. They use a hierarchy to determine where to send the check. During the school year it is sent to students’ campus address. If none exists, it is then sent to students’ local address and finally the students’ permanent address. During other times of the year (as well as holidays), contact Payroll for their current mailing hierarchy. Direct Deposit is a perfect way of avoiding misdirected checks.
If a student’s address changes, contact registrar@richmond.edu or call 804-289-8639 to change it. If students are unsure where their checks will be or were sent, they should contact Payroll at 804-289-8171.
Payroll Issues
Payroll Department
Maryland Hall, G12
804-289-8171
Payroll handles all aspects of time entry, late time submittals, check distribution, direct deposit, W-2s and any issues with missing or lost checks. Lost or misplaced checks should be reported to Payroll immediately so a stop payment order can be placed and a replacement check generated.
Student Wage Structure and Wage Changes
Basic Wage Rate Structure
The University of Richmond uses a structured student pay grade system to help ensure fairness and consistency across departments. This system includes five pay grades aligned with position complexity and experience, as well as a step progression model that rewards students for their time in position. The rate of pay for each job is determined by the specific responsibilities of the job, as stipulated in the job description.
Effective August 2, 2026, the minimum wage for student employees is $13.75 per hour.
If you have any questions about the pay rate for a specific job, please contact us.
-
Pay Grade Movement and Promotions
Step Progression (SP) by Academic Year
Pay for each grade is based on the academic year a student began working in their role. Below is the pay progression chart.
Academic Year Started SP Student 1 SP Student 2 SP Student 3 SP Student 4 SP Student 5 2026–2027 (step 1) $13.75 $14.10 $14.45 $14.80 $15.15 2025–2026 (step 2) $13.90 $14.25 $14.60 $14.95 $15.30 2024–2025 (step 3) $14.05 $14.40 $14.75 $15.10 $15.45 2023–2024 (step 4) $14.20 $14.55 $14.90 $15.25 $15.60 2022–2023 (step 5) $14.35 $14.70 $15.05 $15.40 $15.75 What is step progression and how does it work?
Most student jobs are set up in Step-Progression (SP) pay grades. Although student employees do not receive merit-based increases, we do reward longevity in a role. Before the start of the fall semester, the Student Employment Program Manager will review the jobs that were opened since the previous academic year and progress all eligible student employees to the next step within the pay grade. Managers do not need to take any action for their employees to receive the progression to the next step in the grade.
For example, if a student is hired as an entry-level Office Assistant role in pay grade SP Student 1 in September of 2025, then when they return to that job the next year their pay will progress to step 2 of the SP Student 1 pay grade at the start of the 2026-27 academic year.
See the ‘Promotions’ section below for more information about how step progression applies when a student gets promoted within a department.
Exceptions to Step Progression
In rare cases, a hiring department may request an exception to the standard step progression
model. When approved, these positions use a static pay rate that does not increase based on
time in position. Because these roles are not eligible for annual step increases, exceptions
should only be considered for short-term positions lasting one academic year or less. These
positions must be assigned one of the following job profiles:- SE Special Event
- SE Hourly Student Work
- SE Grant-Funded (for external grants only)
Promotions
Student employees may move to a higher pay grade when promoted within a department. The general framework for promotions is as follows:
- Promotion to a lead or senior position on a team typically results in a one-grade increase (a $0.35/hour raise).
- Promotion to a manager or supervisor role over peer student employees typically results in a two-grade increase (a $0.70/hour raise).
Importantly, the step progression model allows a student’s prior time in a position to carry forward when they are promoted within the same organization. For example, a student who worked as a café assistant during Academic Year (AY) 2024–2025 at Step 3 of SP Student 2 ($14.40/hour) would advance to Step 3 of SP Student 4 ($15.10/hour) when promoted to café manager.
-
Pay Grades 1 & 2
These grades are typically assigned to entry-level roles that require minimal prior experience or training. Examples include general office assistants, café staff, or program support roles. -
Pay Grades 3 & 4
These grades are intended for intermediate-level positions or roles requiring a higher degree of responsibility and prior experience. Common examples include digital content creators, lab assistants, or student managers.
-
Pay Grade 5
This highest grade is reserved for specialized or advanced roles, such as internships, technical or creative positions (e.g., student artists or data analysts), and roles requiring specific skillsets. These are limited in number and typically make up a small percentage of total student positions.
Taxes
FICA Exemption (Social Security and Medicare)
Student employees are exempt from paying FICA taxes during the academic year. This is approximately an additional 7.65% that the student brings home compared to an off-campus job. Students do, however, pay FICA taxes during the summer.
State and Federal Taxes
State and federal taxes are withheld according to the tax forms students completed during their onboarding tasks in Workday.
If a student feels that their tax situation has changed since they completed their pre-employment paperwork and would like to change their withholdings, they can complete new forms by completing Witholding Elections in Workday. You can navigate there by searching "withholding elections" in Workday.