University of Wisconsin–Madison

Payment Elections (Direct Deposit)

The University requires all employees to have direct deposit. Direct deposit of your paycheck into your financial institution means no lost or stolen paper checks and no special trip to your bank or credit union. Direct deposit of your check is available in any financial institution throughout the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

Payment elections and paycheck date

Payment will be direct deposited at your financial institution on the date according to the pay schedule. When the normal pay date falls on a Federal Reserve (bank) holiday, the date that payment is available to you will be the day prior to that day.

Submitting your payment elections information

You can enter and update your direct deposit information using the Payroll Information module in Workday.

Detailed instructions can be found online in English and other languages.

If you require a paper form, please contact OHR Payroll at Payroll@ohr.wisc.edu. You can submit the payment election form in person to your department Payroll/HR office, or to the Office of Human Resources at 21 N. Park Street, Suite 5101, Madison WI. You must present a valid photo ID when you submit the paper form.

For security purposes, UW-Madison will not accept payment election forms via email.

Effective date

Changes impact your paycheck based on the date the entry was made. To make a change for a biweekly payroll, enter the change in the second week of the pay period and it will be effective for the paycheck for that pay period. Use the payroll schedule to determine dates.

Once you submit a payment election update, we encourage you to monitor your Payslip to verify your payment was direct deposited. Learn more about understanding your Earnings Statement.

Changing your financial institution

If you have direct deposit and change your financial institution, you must update your payment election information with UW–Madison. You can make an update through Workday or submit a new Direct Deposit Authorization form.

Detailed instructions can be found online in English and other languages.

If your account is closed and you fail to notify us, receipt of your paycheck may be delayed until the monies are received back from the financial institution.

Direct depositing into multiple accounts

You are able to direct deposit in up to five accounts, and can designate this in Workday or on your Payment Election form. You will need to designate one account as a primary account.

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