Salary and Tax Info

Your Salary

September Advance

As of May 1, 2020, individuals covered under GEO’s contract are eligible to receive a paycheck advance for the month of September at either the beginning or middle of the month. If you opt for this, you will receive your whole September paycheck early and therefore will not receive your next paycheck until the end of October. 

To receive this benefit, you must fill out the “GEO September Paycheck Form,” which can be downloaded as a DOCX file or as a PDF file here. You must then return your form to the Payroll office either by email (payroll@umich.edu) or by fax (734-647-3983) by the following dates:

Fall 2024

1. Receive forms by Friday 8/23/24, to be processed in weekly payroll on Thursday 8/29/24, for payment date Friday 8/30/24 (one business day early due to Labor Day). Or,
2. Receive forms by Friday 8/30/24, to be processed in weekly payroll on Thursday 9/5/24, for payment date Monday, 9/9/24.

Fall 2025

1. Receive forms by Friday 8/22/25, to be processed in weekly payroll on Thursday 8/28/25, for payment date Friday 8/29/25 (one business day early due to Labor Day). Or,
2. Receive forms by Friday 8/29/25, to be processed in weekly payroll on Thursday 9/4/25, for payment date Monday, 9/8/25.

For questions regarding this payment, please call the University Payroll Office at 734-615-2000, option 2. 

Payroll Taxes

You are required to file federal and state taxes every year. Most GSIs are eligible for FreeFile tax prep software for their federal taxes! Check this out before you pay for TurboTax or an equivalent. 

For more information regarding payroll taxes, contact the following:

• University Payroll Service Center
  payroll@umich.edu, 734-615-2000, option 2
• Payroll Tax Information
• GEO International Students Information
• Academic Human Resources (for information on tuition waivers)
• Internal Revenue Service (for federal taxes)
• The Michigan Department of Revenue (state taxes)

FICA EXEMPTION FOR THE SPRING/SUMMER TERMS

Ph.D. students who are actively working on their dissertation during the spring/summer term, are registered less than half-time (2 credit hours), and are working as a GSI, GSRA, GSSA or a temporary appointment are eligible to apply for an exemption from the FICA withholding on those wages. The FICA tax, under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act, is currently 7.65% of an employee’s earned income (6.2% for Social Security plus 1.45% for Medicare) and is automatically withheld from the employee’s paycheck.

The student’s faculty advisor will need to certify to the student’s summer plans. A “Request for Exemption from FICA Tax While Working on Ph.D. Dissertation” form is available on the Payroll website.

All graduate students are exempt from the FICA withholding during the Fall and Winter terms on wages as a GSI, GSRA, GSSA or a temporary appointment, assuming they are enrolled for 4 or more credit hours (considered to be a half-time or greater enrollment). For Ann Arbor students, the payroll system will review the students’ enrollment status continually throughout the year. For Flint and Dearborn students, a periodic list from the campus Registrars’ offices will be used to determine student status.

For questions about the FICA exemption, contact the University Payroll Service Center (payroll@umich.edu or 734-615-2000, option 2).