Transition to a Bi-Weekly Pay Cycle

As part of the transition from exempt (salaried) to non-exempt (hourly)status, employees transition to a biweekly pay cycle.

Overview

• Frequency: Bi-weekly employees receive paychecks every two weeks versus monthly.
  • Will receive 26 paychecks per year versus 12 paychecks
• Timing: Bi-weekly employees receive paychecks one week after the pay period ends.
  • Instead of being paid on the last day of the monthly pay period, bi-weekly employees are paid a week after the pay period ends.
  • The additional week provides necessary time to allow for time entry and approvals, overtime calculations, and payroll processing.

Pay Cycle Transition Dates

As shown above, transitioning employees will receive two paychecks in January:

• January 17 and January 31, for days worked January 1 - 24
• January 25 – 31 are included in the bi-weekly pay period that pays on February 14.
• These two paychecks account for fewer workdays than the exempt, monthly paycheck on January 31 would have.

This change in timing results in employees receiving less pay in the month of January than they would be accustomed to receiving as exempt employees.

Voluntary Leave Conversion Opportunity

To address the financial impact of the bi-weekly payroll transition, UNM is providing an opportunity for employees to opt-in to convert their accrued paid leave (annual and/or sick) into earnings.

Here are the main details:

• Employees can elect to convert up to 40 hours of their accrued annual and/or sick leave
• Any converted leave will be paid on the January 31, 2025 paycheck.
• Any converted leave will be deducted from an employee’s available leave balances.
• This voluntary opportunity gives employees the choice about how much of their leave, if any, they would like to convert.
• We encourage employees to evaluate their current leave balances as they consider this program, and to take this into account as they plan their leave in the coming months.

Key Dates for Transition

• December 13, 2024: Leave reporting and Leave Conversion election forms become available.
• January 8, 2025: Deadline for December Leave Reporting and Leave Conversion Program request.
• January 10, 2025: Confirmation email sent to Employees and Supervisors for December leave entries.
• January 31, 2025: Employees who elected to convert leave into earnings will see the converted amount deposited with their second bi-weekly paycheck for January.

FAQs: Transitioning to a Bi-Weekly Pay Cycle at UNM