Single Payroll

Beginning in July 2021, all UW System employees who are paid monthly—including UW–Madison employees—will be moved to a biweekly pay schedule. For these employees, most deductions for benefits such as health, dental, vision and life insurance will be split evenly over the first two biweekly paychecks each month beginning in August.

The term “Single Payroll” refers to the fact that this change standardizes the payroll schedule for all UW System employees.

Overview: Understanding Single Payroll

Quick Facts for Employees about Single Payroll (PDF)

Video: UW–Madison Transition to Biweekly Pay (11 min.)

Presentation with Q&A: Single Payroll Basics (33 min.)

Summer Contracts Transition to Biweekly Pay

Frequently Asked Questions

Transitioning to a Biweekly Payroll Schedule

The transition to Single Payroll begins in July. Employees are encouraged to review the transition timeline and understand how this will impact their paycheck amounts and payroll schedule.

Single Payroll timeline for employees paid over 12 months

Single Payroll timeline for employees paid over 9 months

Pay schedules and paycheck amounts

2021 Pay Schedule
This schedule shows pay periods, pay dates, and deductions taken from each paycheck. Note that beginning July 18, 2021, all employees are on the same biweekly payroll schedule.

2022 Biweekly Pay Schedule
This schedule show pay periods and pay dates for 2022. Note that three months include a third paycheck (the “C” paycheck): January, July, and December.

Paycheck Estimator
This tool is a downloadable Excel spreadsheet. You can use the Paycheck Estimator to help you with the personal financial planning associated with the change from a monthly to a biweekly payroll schedule.

Pay Date Model for employees with 12-month contracts

Pay Date Model for employees with 9-month contracts
The Pay Date Model displays your gross earnings by pay date. Simply enter your annual salary in the highlighted box in this Excel spreadsheet. (Your gross earnings are your total earnings before taxes and other deductions are taken out.)

Resources to prepare for the transition

Preparing for Biweekly Pay: A checklist for UW–Madison employees paid over 12 months

Preparing for Biweekly Pay: A checklist for UW–Madison employees paid over 9 months

Updating Direct Deposit, Contribution or Withholding of Flat Dollar Amounts

Learning Series: The Switch to Biweekly Pay

The UW–Madison Division of Extension offers the following resources to help employees prepare for the switch to a biweekly payroll schedule.

• Moving to 26 paychecks a year
• Checklist for a successful pay schedule shift
• Planning ahead and making bill payments on time
• Setting aside money for bigger bills
• Using your tax refund to plan ahead

Town Hall Meetings

UW System hosted a series of Town Hall meetings in order to explain the new payroll schedule, describe how benefits deductions will be made, and answer questions from employees. These events have been recorded and are available for viewing on demand, with closed captioning provided. Copies of the slides from each presentation are also available.

Links to selected Town Halls are provided below.