Mistakes happen. Don't assume that each of your pay statements is correct. Be to check each statement for errors.
Make sure that you are not underpaid or overpaid. Confirm that all of your deductions are correct and that any additional stipends, payments, etc. you are anticipating to occur during a particular month are accounted for.
Save your pay statements for the year. Saving each pay statement is a good idea should you need to reference something from a previous statement.
If you have any questions regarding your pay statement that cannot be answered through the information on this page or speaking with a building representative, contact the payroll department at district office. Remember, you are responsible for your money!!!
Below are definitions and explanations for most of the abbreviations and terms you will find as you review pay statement.
There are a variety of abbreviations that can be found on your pay statement. Some of the abbreviations vary from week to week and some vary from person to person. For a complete understanding of all the abbreviations found on your pay statement contact the payroll department at the district office. Below are some of the most common abbreviations and what they stand for.
Deduction totals will be broken down separately based on 2 time frames, which are as follows:
Fiscal Year: The fiscal year for the school district ends June 30 and begins July 1 of each year.
Calendar Year: The calendar year for the school district ends December 31 and begins January 1 of each year.
Contract: Your salary based on your current step of the South Colonie Teachers Association (SCTA) contract (includes previously submitted in-service credits between salary schedules).
OPT/ HLT3: Payment for health insurance opt out (buy out).
LONGVTY: A longevity payment for those off step as per the SCTA contract.
Payment for other activities: In-service courses, stipends for coordinator positions, assignment specific duties, coaching, chaperoning, clubs, etc. will also appear in this section. Contact the payroll department at district office you are not sure what the abbreviation is for the stipend you should be receiving.
FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act): FICA tax is the money that is taken out of workers' paychecks to pay Americans their Social Security retirement and Medicare (Hospital Insurance) benefits. It is a mandatory payroll deduction.
FEDERAL (Federal Taxes): Federal Taxes withheld from the current pay period… you guessed it… this one is a mandatory deduction as well.
STATE (State Taxes): State Taxes withheld from the current pay period… 3 for 3… this one is a mandatory deduction too.
MEDI (Medicare Taxes): Medicare Taxes withheld from the current pay period… also a mandatory deduction… they keep taking your money!!!
DUESSCTA (South Colonie Teachers Association Dues): Union dues withheld from the current pay period (this amount includes your dues that go to NYSUT and American Federation of Teachers as well).
VOTECOPE: The contribution amount that you choose to allocate each pay period to NYSUT’s non-partisan action fund that coordinates the voluntary contributions of members and supports NYSUT-endorsed candidates and campaign committees that are pro-public-education and pro-labor (see your SCTA building representative to set up your contribution).
HMHTCH: Health insurance deduction for the current pay period for those with Blue Shield. (Unfortunately the district does not have any sort of indicator set up in the payroll deduction coding to denote individual vs family plans other than the deduction costs. Please refer to the last page of this document for deduction costs associated with each plan.) Separately, the abbreviation HMHTCH stands for: Health, Master Health, Teacher.
HCDTCH: Health insurance deduction for the current pay period for those with CDPHP. (Unfortunately the district does not have any sort of indicator set up in the payroll deduction coding to denote individual vs family plans other than the deduction cost. Please refer to the last page of this document for deduction costs associated with each plan.) Separately, the abbreviation HCDTCH stands for: Health, CDPHP, Teacher.
PESITCH: Prescription drug insurance deduction for the current pay period. Separately, the abbreviation PESITCH stands for: Prescription, ESI, Teacher.
DDLTTCH: Delta Dental deduction for the current pay period. Separately, the abbreviation DDLTTCH stands for: Delta Dental Teacher.
PREMED23: Flexible Spending Account deduction for child care for the current pay period. The recurring deductions will total the amount allocated to your FSA account at the start of each fiscal year.
PREMED24: Flexible Spending Account deduction for medical expenses for the current pay period. The recurring deductions will total the amount allocated to your FSA account at the start of each fiscal year.
***NOTE: The term “FLEX” that appears in Box 14 of your W-2 Wage and Tax Statement form is not associated with a Flexible Spending Account. Instead, this amount is informational and includes several items that you may or may not have. They include: Pre-Tax Health Premiums, Pre-Tax Prescription Premiums, Pre-Tax Dental Premiums, and Pre-Medical Contributions. ***
TRS: The amount deducted from the current pay period for your contribution to the Teachers Retirement System. Make sure you are aware of the details specific to your tier (contribution amount, duration of membership, etc.) as there are significant differences between tiers.
403(b), Roth IRA, and other savings / investment funds you elect to contribute to will also appear under this section with an abbreviation specific to each account. Make sure you know what funds you have established, your contribution amounts, and the frequency of each contribution. Contact the payroll department if you are not sure what the abbreviation is for your elected fund.
The banking institutions you elect to have your payment electronically deposited into each pay period will appear under this section. Again, each institution will have a specific abbreviation. Contact the payroll department if you are not sure what the abbreviation is for your elected institution.
Your attendance record is now reported via SchoolFront > Time & Attendance.
Any additional amounts you are electing to have deducted from your paycheck for Federal and State withholding tax. Some people choose to have more withheld so that come tax season, they do not end up owing money on their taxes.
You can set up to have additional withholdings deducted from your paycheck by completing either of the forms below and then submit them to the payroll department at district office. These forms can be found via SchoolFront > Available Forms > Payroll Forms.
For Federal: Form W-4 Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate
For State: IT-2104 Employee Withholding Allowance Certificate
Your salary for the current school year as per the corresponding SCTA salary schedule. The amount shown represents your current step and any additional in-service or graduate credits used for further salary advancement.
Your Teachers Retirement System (TRS) number and what Tier you are.
Below are some suggestions to help you review and confirm your salary notification agreement is accurate before signing it.
Confirm that your Step, Level (salary schedule) and FTE% (Full Time Equivalency) are accurate. You are responsible for knowing this information about your position... not your building representative.
Confirm that your FTE Amount and Entitlement amount are accurate. Confirm that this figure matches that on the salary table of the corresponding year in your contract.
Confirm that the number of inservice and graduate credits you have listed between salary schedules is accurate.
Note: Credits submitted over the summer and following the start of the school year will not be reflected on your salary notification agreement for the current year. Such credits will become part of your next year's annual salary and will be reflected on the salary notification agreement for your next year as well. You will be paid for these credits as per the contract at a later time during the year.
Confirm that the number inservice and graduate credits you have listed between salary schedules X (multiplied by) the payment amount per credit in your contract, equals the amount shown on this line. That amount plus your entitlement amount should equal your Total Earnings for the current school year. This amount and your Pay Period Amount should match those amounts shown on the pay statements you've received in the current school year s far.
If you participate in the district's health insurance opt-out, confirm that it is listed in the first line of Employee Benefits on the bottom section of your salary notification agreement. It is also important to confirm that the Coverage Type (individual, two-person, or family) and the Employer Cost (your opt-out payment amount) associated with each Coverage Type is accurate based on what you selected when completing your Health Insurance Opt-Out Form. Confirm this matches the opt-out payment amount for each coverage type in your contract.
Always make a copy of your agreement after you have signed it and keep a copy for your records. Keep a copy for each year. If you do not want to keep physical copies for every year, store the copies digitally.
If you need help understanding something on your salary notification agreement or need help confirming an error was made, contact your building representative.
If you identify an error on your salary notification agreement, contact the district office as indicated for help to correct and resolve the error.
Below are the months when you can expect to receive specific payments. Payment for inservice and graduate credits will happen once the processing of submissions is complete. If you do not receive payments for the items during the corresponding months or within a reasonable time frame thereafter, please contact the payroll department for questions and to help resolve your issues.
As with all things related to your salary, always keep records of credits and forms you have submitted should you need them for future reference.
Payments for in-service credits submitted in the current year usually occur in November and May.
Payments for graduate credits submitted in the current year usually occur in January and June.
Payments for the health insurance opt out/ buyout occur in December and May.