FAQs: Payroll

If this is your first job on campus, you must complete a form I-9 and submit to the I-9 office at the Atlas Service Center E17-106.  Once that is done, your department administrator can submit the necessary paperwork to get you set up in  Payroll.

If you are an hourly paid student, you will need to submit the hours you’ve worked before payment can be made. Please check with your department to complete time sheets. Tax forms and direct deposit can be done the same way as it is done for an employee via Atlas. Choose About Me from the navigation bar on the top of the page. Then, go to Money Matters on the left and select Direct Deposit Preferences. Next, select Set Up Your Account and follow the on-screen instructions.

Faculty, salaried staff, graduate students and fellows are paid semimonthly, on the 15th of the month and on the last business day of the month. If either falls on a weekend or holiday, the pay date will be the business day that precedes that weekend or holiday.

Hourly paid service, support and student weekly payday is each Friday. If a holiday falls on a Friday, payday will be on Thursday. 

You can change your tax withholding and bank information online via Atlas.

A stop payment needs to be placed on the lost check before we can issue a new one. Send a written request to payroll@mit.edu and be sure to include your name, MIT ID number and the date of the check. Also include a phone number at which you can be contacted when the re-issued check is ready. 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts allows for a tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) and Medicare taxes up to $2,000. The MIT payroll system takes this deduction into account when calculating how much to withhold for your Massachusetts income tax. Once the Social Security and Medicare year-to-date balances reach $2,000, your effective MA tax withholding will be slightly higher. This adjustment occurs each calendar year.