Employee Frequently Asked Payroll Questions

1. Visit http://accounts.maine.edu/ to activate your account.

1. Employee Self-Service is available once your job has been set up, however, the Pay tile may not be available to you until your actual hire date (for new faculty, this is the beginning of the semester). You will receive an email from payroll with further instructions on how to update your information in Employee Self-Service.

1. Form I-9 is required to be completed on your first day of work. Once your HR record has been created, you will receive an email from payroll with further instructions on how to update your information in Employee Self-Service. If you wish to complete paper forms, visit our Forms site or visit your nearest HR/payroll office.

1. Bring a copy of your new Social Security Card to your campus payroll office to change your legal name. Your legal name will show in the HR system.
2. Fill out and submit an Individual Data Sheet with your preferred name. The preferred name will only show in non-HR systems such as Gmail, Blackboard and PeopleSearch.
3. To change your username or email address, visit accounts.maine.edu.

See How to Change a Name for additional information.

1. You will receive an email from payroll@maine.edu after your record has been set up. A copy of the email will also be sent to your supervisor.

1. Visit MaineStreet Employee Self-Service (https://mainestreet.maine.edu) to review/update the following:

   1. Home & Mailing Address

   2. Phone Numbers

   3. Email Addresses

   4. Emergency Contacts

   5. Ethnic Groups

   6. Gender

   7. Veteran Status

   8. Disability Status

   1. Set up Direct Deposit

   2. Set up Tax Withholding Status

   3. Viewing & Printing Pay Statement

   4. Voluntary Deductions

1. Personal Details

2. Pay

3. Benefits

   1. Enroll in Benefits

Resources on how to complete the Federal Form W-4 can be found here:

• Read IRS News Release 2018-36 to learn more about the Updated IRS Withholding Calculator, Revised Form W-4 and how to avoid the under- and over-withholding of tax.

• Use the IRS Withholding Calculator to help make sure you have the correct amount of tax withheld from your paycheck.

• Please use our new Employee Self-Service Quick Guide to adjust your withholding if a change is needed.

• Due to recent legislation (2018 Tax Cuts & Jobs Act), new 2018 federal tax rates have gone into effect.  For more information, please consult IRS.gov (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/updated-2018-withholding-tables-now-available-taxpayers-could-see-paycheck-changes-by-february).  Notice 1036 is available here.  New 2018 Maine state tax rates have also gone into effect.  

Resources on how to complete the Maine Form W-4ME can be found here: https://www.maine.gov/revenue/forms/with/2018.htm

1. Hourly paid employees including students are paid on a biweekly payroll schedule.

2. Salaried employees including faculty are paid on a monthly payroll schedule. Paydays are the last business day of each month for work performed that month. For example, if you work in September, you will be paid on September 30. If September 30 is on a Saturday or Sunday, you will be paid on the preceding Friday.

1. If you don't sign up for direct deposit before payroll processing, a paper paycheck will be issued and mailed to your mailing or home address.  You may change where your paycheck should be delivered by submitting a signed Individual Data Sheet. For details visit 1050.20 Paycheck Distribution Methods - Paper Check.

1. Visit How to View and Print Paycheck for step-by-step instructions.

Also see: How to read an off-cycle check

There are several reasons you may not have been paid.  Here are a few of the most common reasons:

1. If you are new or you started a new appointment, you'll be notified when your job is set up.  If you have not received an email from payroll or HR stating your job has been set up, first check with your supervisor to see if there's a delay in the submission of the paperwork.
2. If your job has been set up and you're an hourly-paid employee or student worker, did you enter your time on your timesheet?  How to Enter Time Guides
3. Verify your time was approved by a  supervisor; see Q/A below for further details.  Was it approved after the deadline?  1020.00 Off-Cycle Payroll
4. Verify if a check was issued:  How to View and Print Paycheck
5. Was your paycheck received and/or is it lost or destroyed?  1050.30 Replacement or Reissue of Lost Payroll Checks

1. Visit How to get Form W-2 Electronic Delivery via Employee Self-Service for step-by-step instructions

1. Once your manager/supervisor has submitted a rehire authorization in MaineStreet, you will receive an automated email notification to accept your job. Follow these instructions to accept the job. After you accept your job, first Student Employment and then Payroll will approve the authorization which will set up your Job record. Once your record has been set up, you will receive another notification from payroll@maine.edu.

Employees must enter time on a daily basis after each shift worked.

1. See the following guides for Entering Time in MaineSreet Employee Self-Service:

1. Hourly Staff

   1. Administrative Leave

   2. Compensatory Leave 

   3. Holiday (Regular): Columbus Day, Veterans’ Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day and Patriots’ Day

   4. Holiday (Family): Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, and Memorial Day

   5. 0580.50 Time Reporting Codes

2. Salaried Staff

3. Student Time Entry

Yes, you can always use administrative leave when it's been declared for your work location regardless if you had a preplanned vacation or sick day.

If you do not have sick, vacation and/or compensatory time to get paid during an absence, it will be unpaid. In other words, you will not be paid for that absence.

There are 2 ways you can see if your time has been approved:

1. On your Timesheet, go to the date(s) in question and click Payable Time tab where you can see the Payable Status.
2. From the Pay tile, click Payable Time Detail, enter the date(s) in question and click the Refresh icon.

Status:

• Approved: time has been approved and is pending payroll processing
• Closed: time has been processed in a paycheck
• Needs Approval: time has not been approved
• Denied: time has been denied; and must be resubmitted for approval

If a per diem employee needs to leave early or can’t make a shift that they signed up for or that they are called in for, then they should be able to use their accrued Earned Paid Leave.

Some 2021 summer students were set up with Elapsed Timesheets where they would just report their hours; however, going forward, students will enter punches as normal with the only change being that they will have a time reporting code.  Visit for details:  How-to Report Time for Student Employees Eligible for Maine Paid Personal Leave

If you have access to prior weeks, change the date on your timesheet and update accordingly.  If you cannot access prior weeks' timesheets, ask your manager to fix the time for you.  To make changes, simply remove the incorrect information and input correct information.  Adjustments will be generated and once approved, the adjustments will be included on your next paycheck.