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Commitment Accounting

Commitment Accounting performs payroll accounting within Financial Services. It oversees PeopleSoft payroll distribution, redistribution and encumbrance processes and the resulting Workday payroll journal entries.

When a department overpays an employee, Commitment Accounting works with the employee to recollect excess wages on the university’s behalf. Commitment Accounting completes all payroll remittances and reporting, retirement and benefit deductions, and payroll taxes — federal, state and local.

Commitment Accounting also compiles the W2 forms at year-end, administers taxes for employees living or working outside of Arizona, participates in PeopleSoft system testing and assesses the graduate-level tuition waiver taxation.

View the Commitment Accounting PDF for more information about processes. Email Commitment Accounting with questions.

Payroll earning codes

View the full list of Payroll Earning Codes

Employee-related expenses rates

Employee-related expenses are ASU's cost for benefits provided to employees as part of their total compensation package at the university. These include workers' compensation insurance, unemployment insurance, and the employer's portion of Social Security taxes, retirement plan contributions, health/dental insurance and life/disability insurance.

ERE is budgeted and charged to departmental Worktags based on ASU's Budgeting Office's rates, not individual employees' actual benefit cost. Each Employee Class in PeopleSoft is assigned an ERE rate, and the rates are applied to employee gross pay to determine ERE expense. ERE charges per employee are capped on a fiscal year basis when gross pay exceeds $400,000. See the following table for FY ERE rates in Workday.

 FacultyStaffNon-benefits eligibleStudents, excluding RA/TAResearch assistant/Teaching assistantPost-doctoral
 FacAdmAppt and FacultyAcademicProf, Admin, ACPRFAdmAP and ClassifiedCan include all employee classesStudents and graduate with job codes not equal to 989001, 989002, 989556 or 989557Graduate students with job codes 989001, 989002, 989556 or 989557PostDoc
Workday ERE ledger and Spend category7112SC02327113SC02367117SC02337116SC02377115SC02357114SC0234
FY 2025 rate30.60%35.50%11.10%1.90%7.40%22.30%
FY 2025 rate30.4%36.8%10.9%1.2%8.5%25.3%
FY 2024 rate27.1%34.2%10.2%1.6%11.5%21.7%
FY 2023 rate25.6%34%10.6%2%10.7%21.4%
FY 2022 rate26.5%32.6%10.1%1.7%10.2%22.1%
FY 2021 rate26.3%33%9.4%1.5%10%21%

 

An employee class is assigned to each position and job. An employee with multiple jobs can have multiple employee classes. Each job is charged the applicable ERE rate per class. Look up the employee class in PeopleSoft by navigating to Workforce Administration > Job Data >Job Information.

Regardless of employee class, non-benefits eligible employees are charged a specific ERE rate. The Benefit Program field on the PeopleSoft Job Data screen will determine an employee’s benefit eligibility. Employees in the Limited or Other Benefits Programs are assigned to the Non-Benefits Eligible ERE rate. Employees can have multiple active jobs, each with a different Benefit Program. When the primary job is assigned to the benefits-eligible Benefits Program, the employee is considered benefits-eligible for rate calculation purposes, and all jobs — including non-benefit eligible positions — will be charged ERE based on the Employee Class.

If the primary job is not the Benefits Program, each position is separately charged the applicable ERE rate. This is based on the employee class/benefit program combination, including the non-benefits eligible rate. Look up the employees' Benefits Programs in PeopleSoft by navigating to Workforce Administration > Job Data > Work Location > Benefits Program Participation.

General operating programs are assessed ERE. Departments are not allowed to move general operating ERE budget to either personal services or operations appropriation units.

Earnings codes exempted from ERE charges:

  • AWP — Award/Prize Bonus.
  • BNN — Nondiscretionary Bonus.
  • BNS — Bonus.
  • CAR — Car Allowance.
  • DPA — Danger Pay.
  • FRD — Fee Refund.
  • HNR — Honorarium.
  • HPR — Health Insurance Premium Reimbursement.
  • HSG — Housing.
  • TEC — Technical Subsidy.
  • TSN — Non-taxable technical subsidy.

Payroll earnings redistribution transactions will also transfer the corresponding ERE expense for the selected pay period in equal proportion to the amount of earnings moved.

Vacation and compensatory payouts are centrally funded. The ERE rate includes a component to fund vacation payouts.

ERE transactions originate in PeopleSoft as redistribution entries generated during the payroll distribution process. The purpose of the redistributions is to charge or debit the departmental Worktags for ERE expense while funding or credit ASU’s central ERE account — CC0004, PG00002 — where the actual ERE benefits are paid. These transactions interface from PeopleSoft into Workday and post to the Journal Source: Integration — PSHCM Payroll ERE and PSHCM Payroll ERE — manual integration error corrections — under the following ledgers and spend categories:

LedgerSpend Category
7112: Employee Related Expenses — FacultySC0232 ERE Rate — Faculty
7113: Employee Related Expenses — StaffSC0236 ERE Rate — Staff
7114: Employee Related Expenses — Post-Doctoral ScholarsSC0234 ERE Rate — Post-Doctoral Scholars
7115: Employee Related Expenses — RA/TASC0235 ERE Rate — RA/TA
7116: Employee Related Expenses — StudentSC0237 ERE Rate — Student
7117: Employee Related Expenses — OtherSC0233 ERE Rate — Non-Benefit


The referenced journal sources, ledgers and spend categories can be used as filters for ERE reporting purposes when querying Workday Departmental Reports and the Financial Data Warehouse, Amazon Redshift.

For any ERE-related questions, contact your Financial Services accountant or your Grant and Contract Officer for inquiries specific to sponsored grants.

RA/TA flat rate semester calendar

Departmental accounts are assessed tuition remission based on a flat rate charge for each academic term — fall, spring and summer. The following table indicates the pay period start date and end date tuition remission are assessed for each academic term.

SemesterPay period startPay period endNo. of pay periods
Fall 2025Aug. 18, 2025Jan. 4, 202610
Summer 2025May 12, 2025Aug. 17, 20257
Spring 2025Dec. 23, 2024May 11, 202510
Fall 2024Aug. 8, 2024Dec. 22, 202410
Summer 2024May 13, 2024Aug. 4, 20246
Spring 2024Dec. 25, 2023May 12, 202410
Fall 2023Aug. 7, 2023Dec. 24, 202310
Summer 2023May 15, 2023Aug. 6, 20236
Spring 2023Dec. 26, 2022May 14, 202310
Fall 2022Aug. 8, 2022Dec. 25, 202210
Summer 2022May 16, 2022Aug. 7, 20226
Spring 2022Dec. 27, 2021May 15, 202210
Fall 2021Aug. 9, 2021Dec. 26, 202110
Summer 2021May 17, 2021Aug. 8, 20216
Spring 2021Dec. 28, 2020May 16, 202110

RA/TA tuition remission and rates

RA/TA tuition remission is assessed to departmental Worktags through a flat rate per-semester charge allocated on a per-pay-period basis for each academic term the RA/TA is employed. See the RA/TA calendar for the tuition remission start and end date for the fall, spring and summer semesters.

The semester’s tuition remission flat rate is determined by the RA/TA’s FTE. Simultaneously the amount levied each pay period considers the expected number of pay periods worked within the RA/TA semester calendar. In the instance the RA/TA has multiple positions subject to tuition remission, the RA/TA assessment is allocated between positions based on gross earnings.

Local programs and sponsored grants are subject to the flat rate charge. RATA charges are not allowable on general operating accounts — Fund FD1100 or FD1110 — and are automatically redirected to PG99994: RA and PG99997: TA for grad paid under those accounts. Departments that hire an RA/TA after the seventh pay period of the fall or spring semesters are not assessed tuition remission. The summer session tuition remission is assessed to departments on all summer jobs regardless of the RA/TA's start date or FTE amount.

See the following table for current and prior year RATA rates:

TermJob codeJob code descriptionFTEWorkday Ledger and Spend CategoryFlat rate academic year 2025–2026Flat rate academic year 2024–2025Flat rate academic year 2023–2024Flat rate academic year 2022–2023Flat rate academic year 2021–2022
Fall/Spring989001/989556Teaching Asst/Assoc.50 and greater7111SC0810$10,511.50$9,870.00$9,400.00$8,990.00$8,636.00
Fall/Spring989001/989556Teaching Asst/Assoc.49–.257111SC0810$5,256.00$4,935.00$4,700.00$4,495.00$4,318.00
Fall/Spring989001/989556Teaching Asst/AssocLess than .257111SC0810$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00
Fall/Spring989002/989557Research Asst/Assoc.50 and greater7111SC0808$10,511.50$9,870.00$9,400.00$8,990.00$8,636.00
Fall/Spring989002/989557Research Asst/Assoc.49–.257111SC0808$5,256.00$4,935.00$4,700.00$4,495.00$4,318.00
Fall/Spring989002/989557Research Asst/AssocLess than .257111SC0808$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00$0.00
Summer989001/989556Teaching Asst/AssocAny FTE Amount7111SC0810$1,369.00$1,285.00$1,224.00$1,170.00$1,124.00
Summer989002/989557Research Asst/AssocAny FTE Amount7111SC0808$1,369.00$1,285.00$1,224.00$1,170.00$1,124.00


Tuition Remission Transactions in Workday

Tuition remission transactions originate in PeopleSoft as redistribution entries generated during the payroll distribution process. These transactions interface from PeopleSoft into Workday and post to the Journal Source: Integration — PSHCM RA/TA and PSHCM RA/TA or manual interface error corrections in ledger account 7111: Employee Related Expenses — Graduate Tuition Benefit under spend categories SC0808: Tuition Benefit — RA and SC0810: Tuition Benefit — TA.

You can use the referenced journal sources, ledgers and spend categories as filters for RA/TA reporting purposes when querying Workday Departmental Reports and the Financial Data Warehouse, Amazon Redshift.

RA/TA health insurance

The health insurance benefit for RA/TAs is charged through the Research/Teaching Associate/Assistant ERE rate.

Payroll expense redistributions and RA/TA tuition remission

When a payroll redistribution entry is processed for an RA/TA, the tuition remission amount transferred will be proportionate to the amount of earnings moved.

For any tuition remission-related questions, contact your Financial Services accountant or your Grant and Contract Officer for inquiries specific to sponsored grants.