Student Payroll Guidelines

Student payroll occurs every two weeks based on the annual student payroll calendar.  The weekly student work period runs from Monday to Sunday and student web time sheets must be submitted for approval every other Sunday by 12 midnight.  On the following Friday, students will either receive a check picked up in Student Accounts, or if they have signed up for Direct Deposit, the money will be deposited into the designated bank account. Click here for Student TimesheetX Instructions.

If a student forgets to submit a time sheet for approval, he/she will be able to complete the time sheet, have the supervisor approve it, and it will be paid in the next pay cycle.  Please note that all student employees are expected to submit their time sheet(s) online by the deadline.  This allows employers to approve time sheets prior to the deadline in order for students to get paid on time.  Courtesy reminder emails are sent out prior to all payroll deadlines.     

For students with a student employment allowance in their financial aid package, the total annual earnings may not exceed the allotted award. 

The Saremi Center will be monitoring student earnings throughout the year and will contact the student and employer if the guidelines are not followed.  For more information related to payroll guidelines, please see this section in the AIC Work Study Handbook.

Unless there is an approved waiver on file, students may not work more than 10 hours a week during instructional periods and not more than 18 hours a week during college breaks. Graduate Assistants may not work more than 20 hours a week during instructional periods and 35 hours a week during periods for which they are not registered for classes.

All employees must take a break of at least 30 minutes when they work more than 6 consecutive hours.

We strongly encourage students to sign up for direct deposit. You will avoid misplacing checks, having to go to the bank to cash a check, filling out forms with the Post Office to have mail sent elsewhere during break etc.  To sign up for direct deposit, complete the Direct Deposit Form, and bring the form along with a voided personal check from the bank you will be using or your bank routing number and account number to the Saremi Center.  Direct deposit will take effect on the second pay cycle after you turn in the required forms.

The W-4 is used to determine how much (if any) tax should be withheld from a student’s pay. W-4 forms are available at the SEO.  AIC also withholds Massachusetts State income taxes based on the W-4.  Students are not automatically exempt from having income taxes withheld. Even federal work-study wages are taxable income. International students should check their country’s tax treaty status to determine if their earnings are exempt from U.S. taxes.  Students should direct questions regarding the W-4 and taxes to their parents, a tax professional, or the IRS. The tax assistance hotline is 1-800-423-1040.

In accordance with the Internal Revenue Code, the college provides all students with a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) at year-end.  This is sent by January 31 for the preceding calendar year’s earnings and is mailed to the student’s permanent home address.  W-2 forms from AIC should be used to file federal and state tax returns.  A copy of the W-2 for current international students will also be mailed to their campus box.   It is the responsibility of the taxpayer to file the appropriate income tax forms annually.