HRIS Reporting Requirements – Higher Education –
Glossary of Personnel/Payroll Transactions
The definitions below describe the personnel/payroll transactions that higher education agencies and institutions report to HRIS. The reason or entitlement code used to perform each transaction is given in parentheses at the end of the definition. The HRIS staff surveyed higher education agencies and institutions to reach consensus on these definitions.
Augmentation/Special Augmentation
An adjustment in an employee’s total compensation, over and above the base salary rate, generated from the income earned from the clinical activity in the Practice Plans of medical, dental, nursing institutions and allied health units of institutions of higher education. In contrast to salary, augmentation may be paid only from professional income earned or available in accordance with the Practice Plan regulations. Augmentation may be related to clinical productivity; as such, it may rise or fall as clinical productivity changes. The amount may be prorated over the term of the employee’s appointment or may be paid in a lump sum (Entitlement Code SPA).
Award Pay
Lump sum award payment for a consistent and high level of performance. Institutional funds as defined in the Texas Education Code Annotated Section 51.009(b) may only be used for award payments (Entitlement Code AWD).
Car Allowance
Additional pay that is usually awarded to executive staff on a monthly basis for the cost of operating an automobile (Entitlement Code CAR).
Certification/Advanced Degree Pay
Additional pay granted to an employee who has earned certification (for example, CPA) or an advanced degree (for example, Masters or Doctoral) (Entitlement Code CRT).
Compensatory Time Pay
Employees of institutions of higher education who are subject to FLSA may be paid for compensatory time hours on a straight-time basis when taking compensatory time off would be disruptive to normal teaching, research and other critical functions (Entitlement Code CTP) Sections 659.015(f) – (g), 662.007(c) (Vernon Supplemental 2000).
Demotion
A salary reduction and/or title change for a voluntary or involuntary change in duty assignment to a position that has decreased responsibility and a lower salary range or group. Usually an employee who is demoted will have his/her salary reduced at least to a rate one increment below the rate received before demotion (Reason Code 921).
Emergency Family and Medical Leave Expansion
The expanded emergency family and medical leave provides up to an additional 10 weeks of paid family and medical leave to eligible employees who have been employed for at least 30 days. This leave is for an employee who is unable to work due to a bona fide need for leave to care for a child whose school or child care provider is closed or unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19. This entitlement is reported on the Record ID 85/Entitlement or manually on the PRPE screen using Entitlement Code FFL (FFCRA FMLA Paid Leave). COBJ 7013 must be used with the FFL Entitlement Code.
Note: Effective April 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2020.
Emergency Paid Sick Leave
Emergency paid sick leave is two weeks (up to 80 hours) of paid sick leave for all eligible employees, regardless of length of service. A full-time employee is eligible for up to 80 hours of leave, and a part-time employee is eligible for the number of hours of leave that the employee works on average over a two-week period.
The leave is reported as an entitlement using FFS (FFCRA Paid Sick Care) and is reported on the Record ID 85/Entitlement or manually on the PRPE screen. COBJ 7013 must be used with the FFS Entitlement Code.
Note: Effective April 1, 2020, through Dec. 31, 2020.
Enrichment
A salary increase over and above a faculty member’s base salary rate resulting from the awarding of a Named/Endowed Professorship (for example, John Doe Endowed Professor of Nuclear Physics) or a Named/Endowed Chair. Generally the enrichment amount is related to the investment income earned from the endowment of the specific professorship or chair and is awarded to the employee only for the period of time the employee holds the specified professorship or chair (Entitlement Code ENR).
Equity, Market or Scale Adjustment
An increase given to an employee or an employee class in order to compete with comparable outside markets or international salary conditions (for example, equal pay for equal work) (Reason Code 929).
Expense Allowance
Additional pay usually awarded to executive staff on a monthly basis for the anticipated expenses of participating in community activities to accomplish the objectives of the agency or institution (Entitlement Code EXP).
Faculty Development Leave Program
Appointment with pay for a faculty member as defined in Texas Education Code Annotated Sections 51.101(1), (3), 51.103(a), 51.104, 51.105(a), 51.106 (Vernon 1996) for development leave, assignment and/or professional training for the purpose of adding to the knowledge available to the faculty member, the faculty member’s students and institution, and society in general.
The governing board of an institution of higher education may grant a faculty development leave of absence with pay for study, research, writing, field observations or other suitable purpose.
The governing board may grant to a faculty member a faculty development leave either for one academic year at one-half of his or her regular salary or for one-half academic year at his or her full regular salary (Reason Code 044).
Hourly
Payments made to temporary hourly employees. The percent of time worked is also reported on these payment records. These payments must be reported with job number 000, with Pay-Trans-Type of TP (Entitlement Code HLY).
Increase After Probationary Hiring Period
A salary increase given to an employee after the successful completion of a probationary performance period (Reason Code 923).
Increase After Successful Completion of Certification or Advanced Degree
An increase that may be granted to an employee who has earned certification (for example, CPA) or an advanced degree (for example, Master’s or Doctoral) (Reason Code 924).
Institutional Across-the-Board Increase
An institutionally awarded salary increase for all institutional employees or for a specific class of institutional employees. This increase becomes part of the employee’s base salary rate and is spread over the term of the appointment (Reason Code 930).
Institutional Across-the-Board Lump Sum Payment
An institutionally awarded salary payment for all institutional employees or for a specific class of institutional employees given in a lump sum payment (Reason Code 018).
Interagency Transfer (Receiving Agency)
| 1 | Classified employee of a state agency included in Articles I, II, IV and the Central Education Agency and Schools for the Deaf and Blind in Article III of the General Appropriations Act, moving to a higher education agency or institution (Reason Code 015). |
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| 2 | Unclassified employee of a state agency included in Articles I, II, IV, VI, the Central Education Agency and Schools for the Deaf and Blind in Article III of the General Appropriations Act (GAA), or an employee of a locally funded agency not named in the GAA, moving to a higher education agency or institution (Reason Code 017). |
| 3 | Any employee of a higher education institution or higher education agency moving to another higher education institution agency or institution (Reason Code 017). |
Lateral Transfer
A move from one budgetary unit to another budgetary unit of the institution (interdepartmental or intradepartmental) at the same salary rate and remaining in the same or equivalent job classification or title (Reason Code 926).
Leave Without Pay (LWOP)
Leave of absence without pay or without loss of prior creditable service for reasonable lengths of time and for good cause may be granted to eligible employees based on individual consideration and the effect of the leave on the employee’s department. The individual remains on the payroll as an employee of the institution but receives no pay (Reason Code 043).
Examples of LWOP include:
- An employee called to active military duty (except a state emergency called by the Governor).
- FMLA – Eligible employees are entitled to a total of 12 weeks of unpaid leave during any 12-month period for one of the following reasons: for the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child; for the placement of a child for adoption or foster care; to care for an employee’s spouse, child or parent who has a serious health condition, or for a serious health condition that prevents the employee from performing his or her job duties.
- Continued graduate study.
- Public service.
- Disability.
- Workers’ Compensation Insurance (WCI).
- Suspension without pay.
Legislatively Mandated Across-the-Board Increase (Statutory)
An increase mandated by the Legislature for all employees or for a specific class of employees (Reason Code 931).
Location Differential Pay
Additional pay based on the location of the work (for example, offsite location, emergency room duty, intensive care unit duty or on-call duty) (Entitlement Code LDP).
Meals
Certain types of employees are entitled to be paid for their meals. (Entitlement Code MLS.)
Merit Raise
A salary increase given to an employee whose job performance and productivity is consistently above that normally expected or required (Reason Code 925).
Newly Hired or Rehired Employee
An individual who has never worked at the institution or agency before (Reason Code 010) or who has a break in service of one full day or more and is not a direct transfer from another state agency or university.
On-Call Pay
Additional pay to an employee on a monthly basis based on the requirement to be available for work outside of the normal work schedule (Entitlement Code OCP).
One-Time Merit Payment
A one-time salary payment given to an employee whose job performance and productivity is consistently above what is normally expected or required. (Entitlement Code 1XM). The system will generate a reason code 935 personnel transaction when a 1XM payroll transaction posts.
Overtime Pay
An employee who is subject to the overtime provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, U.S.C. Section 201 et seq. (FLSA), is entitled to compensation for overtime. At the discretion of the employing agency, in cases in which granting compensatory time off is impractical, an employee who is required to work in excess of 40 hours in a work week is entitled to compensation for the excess hours at the rate equal to 1 1/2 times the employee’s regular rate of pay (Entitlement Code OTP).
Promotion
A salary increase and/or title change as a result of a change in duty assignment of an employee within an agency from a position with one title, academic rank or classification to a position with another title, academic rank or classification that may or may not include a higher minimum pay rate and that involves a higher level of responsibility (Reason Code 920).
Rate Reduction for Disciplinary Reasons
Salary rate reduction. If an employee’s performance so warrants, the chief executive officer may reduce the employee’s salary for disciplinary reasons to a lower step rate in the same salary group (Reason Code 927).
Rate Restored After Disciplinary Reduction
Salary rate increase. An employee’s pay may be restored to any rate in the applicable pay range for the designated salary group up to and including his/her prior rate as such employee’s performance improves (Reason Code 928).
Reappointment
| 1 | An appointment to a new fiscal year (Sept. 1) for an employee who had an appointment in the previous year. |
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| 2 | 2 An additional appointment for an employee who has had at least one appointment during the current fiscal year. |
| 3 | 3 A reappointment during the current fiscal year resulting from a change in source of funds with no change in title or salary rate. Changes in percentage of time are only accommodated on the Payment Information record (Record ID 83) and not on the Employee Job/Appt Information record (Record ID 67) (Reason Codes 900-932). |
Reclassification
A change in an employee’s title due to a change in the official classification of a position within the same budgetary unit resulting from a job analysis or audit; this change does not necessarily reflect a change in salary. Reclassification does not mean a change in the employee’s duty assignment, but rather the proper definition of duties and title of the position based upon duties actually performed by the employee. That is, the position is evaluated rather than the person performing the job (Reason Code 922).
Rehired Employee
An individual who returns to employment at the institution or agency after having terminated all employment with the institution or agency. The employee must have a break in service from the institution or agency of at least one workday (Reason Code 010).
Retention Bonus – (Not Allowed after 8/31/2005)
A lump-sum bonus of up to $3,000 paid to employees who are deemed necessary to the operation of the agency or institution by the chief administrator. The employee must have completed 12 months of employment with the contracting agency or institution before the execution of a bonus contract and must remain there in a classified position for 12 months after the date of execution. The need to retain the employee must be adequately documented by letter from the chief administrator of the agency or institution to the Comptroller (Entitlement Code SRB).
Salary Supplementation (For Presidents and Chancellors Only)
Applicable only to employees reported to HRIS with Category Code Attribute (Cat-Code-Attr) LP or LC. The salary supplementation is an increase in salary received in addition to the General Revenue appropriated amount for presidents and chancellors as defined in the General Appropriation Act (GAA).
Scholarship Allowance
Additional pay usually awarded to executive staff on a monthly basis for the cost of tuition and fees while attending a university (Entitlement Code SCH).
Severance Pay
Lump-sum pay amount awarded at the time of termination or resignation. The attorney general has stated that severance pay violates various provisions of the Texas Constitution if the severance pay is not a term or condition of employment at the time the person receiving the pay terminates employment. See Opinion Texas Attorney General Number H-786 (1976), (Entitlement Code SEV).
Shift Hours Differential Pay
Additional pay based on the time of day worked (for example, night, early morning, weekend or float) (Entitlement Code SHD).
Specialty Differential Pay
Additional pay in areas where specialized skills are required (for example, RN or LVN) (Entitlement Code SDP).
Stipend/Extra Duty Pay
A salary adjustment for a temporary addition to an employee’s salary, in the form of a stipend, for the performance of an additional assignment, duty or responsibility that is applicable only for the duration of the special assignment and therefore does not become part of the base salary rate.
The amount may be prorated over the term of the employee’s appointment or may be paid in a lump sum.
Extra duty pay includes the payment for consulting, extension and/or other activities within the institution considered an addition to regularly assigned duties for which additional compensation may be paid (Entitlement Code STI).
Student Status Payment
Student Status Payment identifies payments made to college work study and student status employees. The percent of time worked will also be reported on these payments. These payments must be made on job number 000 with Pay-Trans-Type of TP (Entitlement Code SSP).
Task
Task will identify payments made to casual employees. The employees are reported on payroll transactions assigned to job number 000 with Pay-Trans-Type of TP. All task payments will be reported only on payroll transactions, even if the employee also happens to be a regular employee. The task payment, however, must be disassociated from the employee’s regular job (Entitlement Code TSK).
Teaching Overload
A temporary salary increase for courses taught over and above those defined as a full load by the board-approved institutional faculty workload policy (Entitlement Code TOP).
Termination
Termination codes should be used only when the employee has been removed from all employment at the institution. Do not use termination codes when an employee transfers within the institution to another job, department or account number, or for an employee who is on leave without pay (LWOP) (Reason Codes 051 – 059, 063 – 069).