Purpose:
The purpose of this bulletin is to provide agency instructions for processing the April 2022 Longevity Payment for Long-Term Seasonal Employees.
Affected Employees:
Seasonal hourly employees of the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, in the following bargaining unit who meet the eligibility criteria:
PEF
- Professional, Scientific & Technical Services BU05
Background:
Pursuant to a side letter contained in the 2019-2023 Agreements between the State of New York and the Public Employees Federation (PEF), a lump sum award of $500 effective the first pay period of the fiscal year to employees who have at least 1,500 hours in pay status in seasonal positions during each of the previous five years will be granted.
Effective Dates:
Payments may be submitted for Institution Extra Lag paychecks dated 05/05/2022 or Administration Extra Lag paychecks dated 05/11/2022.
Eligibility Criteria:
Employees who meet the following criteria are eligible to receive the April 2022 Longevity Payment:
- Active on the appropriate payment effective date; and
- In BU05 seasonal hourly position; and
- In the Department of Environmental Conservation (Department ID 09180) or the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (Department ID 49xxx), and
- Has at least 1,500 hours in pay status as a seasonal employee during each of the previous five years in either department.
Employees who otherwise qualify but are not Active on the appropriate payment effective date, become eligible for the payment if they return to the payroll in a seasonal hourly position within the fiscal year.
Agency Actions:
To pay the April 2022 Longevity Payment to eligible employees, agencies must submit the following information on the Additional Pay page using the Earnings Code LPS:
| Earnings Code: | LPS |
|---|---|
| Effective Date: | 03/31/2022 (Deptid 09180) 04/07/2022 (Deptid 49xxx) Or the date the employee returned to the payroll in an eligible seasonal position |
| OT Eff Date: | Same as the Effective Date |
| Annual Addl Earnings: | $500 |
| End Date: | Leave blank* |
| Goal Balance: | Leave blank |
*The End Date field can be left blank since PayServ does not automatically include the earnings in the overtime compensation calculation for hourly employees. Overtime that should include the April 2022 Longevity Payment must be adjusted using the instructions in Overtime Calculation.
Overtime Calculation Information:
The Longevity Payment for Long-Term Seasonal Employees is included as salary for retirement purposes and must be included in the calculation of overtime compensation (refer to the Online Payroll Manual accessed from the PayServ Bulletin Board > Payroll Manuals > Earnings Manual > Time Entry Payments > Overtime Compensation). The April 2022 Longevity Payment must be included from the OT Eff Date on the employee’s Additional Pay page for Earnings Code LPS through the end of the fiscal year, provided the employee remains in an eligible seasonal position. Since PayServ does not include these monies in the overtime compensation calculation for hourly employees, an overtime adjustment is required.
To pay the overtime adjustment to eligible employees, agencies must submit the following information on the Time Entry page or the Time Entry Interface (NPAY502) using Earnings Code LCO for PEF employees:
| Earnings Begin Date: | The first overtime date to include LPS |
|---|---|
| Earnings End Date: | The last overtime date to include LPS |
| Earn Code: | LCO |
| Hours: | The number of overtime hours to include LPS |
The system will multiply the number of hours reported as LCO by $.36 to determine the overtime adjustment amount.
If an eligible seasonal employee is appointed to a non-seasonal position (e.g. Comp Rate Code ANN) and has received the April 2022 Longevity Payment, the payment cannot be included in the compensation calculation of any overtime earned after the appointment date. Therefore, agencies must insert a row on the Additional Pay page at the Effective Date level of Earnings Code LPS and enter the following information:
| Effective Date: | Last date in eligible position (date prior to appointment) |
|---|---|
| OT Eff Date: | Same as original OT Eff Date |
| Annual Addl Earnings: | $500 (populates automatically) |
| End Date: | Same as Effective Date |
| Goal Balance: | $500 (to prevent making another payment) |
Tax Information:
The Longevity Payment for Long-Term Seasonal Employees payment is supplemental taxable income, will be added to the employee’s taxable gross wages for tax withholding purposes, and is subject to employment and income taxes.
Federal, State, and New York City income tax withholding will be calculated using the Aggregate method. Yonkers income tax withholding will be calculated using the Flat Rate method. Yonkers Flat Rate Withholding is 1.95975% for Yonkers residents and 0.50% for Yonkers non-residents.
Payroll Register and Employee’s Paycheck/Advice:
The Earnings Code LPS and LCO (if applicable) and the amount paid will be displayed on the Payroll Register. The Earnings Description Longevity Payment Seasonal and Longevity Adj OT PEF (if applicable) and the amount paid will appear on the employee’s paycheck stub or direct deposit advice (if applicable).
Questions:
Questions regarding eligibility and payment information may be directed to the Payroll Earnings mailbox.