Switch Primary Job

If there are multiple jobs that meet the same conditions, use the following considerations to help determine which job should be primary. 

 Absence Considerations: 

• When possible, ensure that the primary job and additional job with the highest FTE represent the worker’s total time off eligibility groups. 

• If one job is not on leave and all other jobs are on Temporary Reassignment, Short Work Break, or Faculty Backup leaves, the active (not on leave) job should be primary. 

• University or FAASLI jobs that are absence eligible – if multiple jobs are in this category, use the job with the higher FTE  

• If there is a 3rd job and the lowest FTE job is non-exempt and eligible for Comp time, ensure this is one of the top two jobs so the worker has Comp Time eligibility 

Payroll Considerations: 

• If the worker has positions on multiple campuses, the check deductions for the worker are only deducted on the checks for the primary job.  

• • Prioritize jobs with higher FTE/more consistent checks. 

• If an employee has a non-taxed position (i.e., Fellows & other non-service jobs), those positions should be the non-primary position to allow pre-tax benefits (i.e., flexible spending account) to be deducted from taxable income.  

Benefits Considerations: 

Benefit eligibility does not take primary vs non-primary jobs into account. Workday takes a holistic look at an employee to determine which benefit program an employee falls into.  

Rescinding a Switch Primary Job BP 

If you have already processed a Switch Primary Job but you need it rescinded, that can only be done if the pay period that includes the Switch Primary Job effective date has not completed Final Calc.   

Example  

• A Switch Primary Job was completed, effective 02/22/2026.  

• On 3/14/26 you determine it needs to be rescinded.   

• OST can no longer rescind the SPJ because Payroll 6 has already completed (Final Calc 3/12/26).   

Once a Switch Primary Job BP has been completed, corrections to either the prior primary job or the new primary job are now limited by the SPJ effective date. Any change that may impact payroll results, such as FTE, Job Profile, and Start Date may no longer be able to be submitted.  

If you have a transaction that cannot be submitted because of a completed Switch Primary Job, submit a ticket to GetHelpUW for assistance. 

Multiple Switch Primary Jobs 

An employee can only have one Switch Primary Job per day and only one in progress at a time. For a Switch Primary Job to be submitted, the employee cannot: 

• Have an in-progress Switch Primary Job business process 

• Have an in-progress End Job or Termination business process 

• Have a completed End Job business process on the new primary job position that takes effect after to the proposed switch effective date  

• Have a Termination business process that takes effect prior to the proposed effective date 

• Have a Switch Primary Job effective after the effective date of the process you are attempting to submit 

Payroll Conditions 

A Switch Primary Job can only take effect after the employee’s last completed pay result, and all primary jobs must have an active Pay Group. All Universities of Wisconsin employees should have the pay group “UW Biweekly Pay Group.”  

If a position that needs to become the primary job is missing a pay group, the position will need to be assigned a pay group and the Switch Primary Job effective date will need to be after that pay group assignment. If you receive a “Pay Group Missing” error, send a ticket to GetHelpUW for assistance.