Frequently Asked Questions

UCPath is a project launched by the University of California (UC) to modernize its former 35-year-old payroll system. UCPath introduces new technology to unify and standardize payroll, benefits, and human resources for all UC employees so everyone has access to the same system. With UCPath Online, employees can view personnel and pay information, sign up for direct deposit, update tax withholdings, view or enroll in benefits, see vacation and sick leave balances, and more.

UCPath launched at UCI in January 2020. First paychecks were issued from UCPath are January 2, 2020 for monthly paid employees and January 9, 2020 for bi-weekly employees.

UCPath Online is a portal for UC employees to view pay, benefits, leave balances, and more. Accessible 24/7, employees can log in from mobile devices or computers at work or home to view pay statements and benefits, update personal information, sign up for and manage Direct Deposit, update tax withholdings, see vacation and sick leave balances and more.

Employees will access AYSO to access historical W-2s and earnings statements for 2019 and earlier. Earnings statements for 2020 and beyond will be on UCPath Online, along with pay and benefits information.

Use the timekeeping system you’ve always been using (TRS, Kronos, etc.). It will interface with UCPath. Because UCPath has firm deadlines for payroll processing, employees should submit timesheets on time.

Go to UCPath Online for 24/7 access to view pay statements, view and manage benefits, update personal information, see leave balances, make life event changes (like marriage or the birth of a child), manage Direct Deposit, and more. Managers and supervisors can view job-related information for direct reports.

• At Your Service Online (AYSO): Use AYSO to view historical statements and W-2s (pre-2020).
• Timekeeping: Use your current system to report work time (TRS, Kronos, etc.); it will interface with UCPath.
• Retirement: Go to UCRAYS for retirement information.

Sign up for Direct Deposit through UCPath Online. You can choose up to three accounts for your pay distribution.

You are strongly encouraged to use the direct deposit option. The only two options to receive pay under UCPath are direct deposit or paper paychecks mailed from a bank the day before payday via U.S. mail to your address on file. Paychecks will not be available to pick up on campus; mailed checks may take an 5-7 days for delivery. Make sure your mailing address is up-to-date on UCPath Online at all times.

For pay and benefits questions or help, go to your division payroll or HR rep first if you have one. You can also contact UCI’s local Employee Experience Center at 949-824-0500 or visit eec.hr.uci.edu.

The Employee Experience Center (EEC) offers UCI employees across the enterprise a centralized point to access the most commonly used employee applications, self-service answers, hundreds of knowledge based articles, and a dedicated team to answer all HR, payroll and benefits related inquires and issues. If you need assistance with payroll, UCPath, benefits, leave, or any other employee matters, contact the EEC first at http://eec.hr.uci.edu or at 949.824.0500.

The salary earned by graduate students for employment as Teaching Assistants/Associates, Readers, Tutors, and Graduate Student Researchers/Assistant Researchers, as well as for casual appointments (such as housing assistants, etc.) is paid from UCPath.

Fellowship stipends (i.e. from school/department fellowships, Graduate Division fellowships, external awards such as NSF GRFP, etc.) are not paid from UCPath. Fellowship stipends are paid via Graduate Division’s GradAid system and issued to students through SBS (Student Billing System). Stipends processed by the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships are also paid through SBS.

To view your pay statement online, log on to UCPath Online and enter your UCInetID and password, as well as Duo multi-factor authentication (MFA). For information on how to install and use Duo MFA on your smartphone, visit https://www.oit.uci.edu/mfa

Report any issues with incorrect or missing pay to the staff in your hiring department, as you normally would. The staff person responsible for graduate student employment will troubleshoot the issue and will escalate the issue if necessary. UCI’s local Employee Experience Center (EEC) is also be available for local online at eec.hr.uci.edu and by phone at 949-824-0500.

If an employee has more than one appointment, the paycheck stub only shows the employee’s primary appointment, but includes pay for all appointments held.

Ensure that you are enrolled in units and have paid any remaining fees not covered by remission (for example, campus fees or nonresident supplemental tuition for ASE appointments). You must also pay any past due charges on your SBS account, such as those from Housing, Student Health or UCI Libraries. If you still believe a fee remission is not reflected on your SBS account, contact your hiring department; they will troubleshoot with the Graduate Division employment team as needed.

Sign up for Direct Deposit for employment only through UCPath Online. You can choose up to three accounts for your pay distribution.

You are strongly encouraged to use the direct deposit option. The only two options to receive pay under UCPath are direct deposit or paper paychecks mailed from a bank the day before payday via U.S. mail to your address on file. Paychecks will not be available to pick up on campus, and mailed checks may take an 5-7 days for delivery. Make sure your mailing address is up-to-date on UCPath Online at all times.

If you will receive fellowship stipends (i.e. from school/department fellowships, Graduate Division fellowships, external awards such as NSF GRFP, etc.), you may sign-up for direct deposit via DEFT (Disbursement Electronic Funds Transfer). If you will receive scholarships processed by the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships, you may also use DEFT to sign-up for direct deposit.

Go to UCPath Online to view or update your address and other personal information. You will be able to access UCPath Online through ucpath.uci.edu. It is very important that your address is correct now so that if you choose to receive paper paychecks through the mail, they are sent to the right place. Please note that UCPath will not accept P.O. Box addresses.

You are strongly encouraged to use the direct deposit option. The only two options to receive pay under UCPath are direct deposit or paper paychecks mailed from UCPath via U.S. mail to your address on file. Paychecks will not be available to pick up on campus, and checks sent via U.S. mail may take an additional 5-7 days for delivery. 

To update your address for your academic record (transcripts, etc.) or fellowship/scholarship checks, you may do so via StudentAccess.

Direct Deposit will be de-activated as a security precaution 60 days after employment ends.  If you later are re-hired then you will need to set up direct deposit again even if your bank account did not change, as the previous direct deposit is no longer valid. 

You must be in the UCPath system to start work and get paid. If you’ve completed your onboarding appointment and new-hire paperwork, and are cleared by your supervisor to begin, you may start work (ask if you are hired in the UCPath system). If there’s a short time between your onboarding appointment and your start date, your job record and employee ID may not be setup in UCPath yet, so double-check with your supervisor. If it isn’t in UCPath yet, there may be delays in your access to the UCPath Online Portal and online timekeeping systems.

There is no paycheck pickup on campus. Now that UCPath is live at UCI, there are two options to receive pay: Direct Deposit or paper paycheck. We encourage you to enroll in Direct Deposit to avoid any pay delays since paper paychecks are now mailed the day before payday from a facility in Arizona to your home address on record and may take several days to arrive. If you're already enrolled in Direct Deposit, you can make changes in UCPath online portal.

Inform your supervisor as soon as possible. Your supervisor will follow up on the issue and discuss options to correct the payment. You can also contact the Employee Experience Center, UCI’s local support, at 949-824-0500 or online at eec.hr.uci.edu.

Your paycheck is mailed from a facility in Arizona the day before payday and may take several days to arrive to your home address on record. If you haven't received it in 4-5 days, talk to your direct supervisor. You can also open a case with 'Ask UCPath' at UCPath Online. All employees are encouraged to enroll in Direct Deposit to ensure payment on payday. That can be done in the UCPath online portal.

Contact your supervisor first. Your supervisor will work with timekeeping and payroll to determine the next steps. The deadlines for employees to submit their timesheets have not changed but are stricter with UCPath, so it’s important to submit them on time. Supervisors and time administrators have new deadlines to approve timecards in time for the UCPath Center to process pay.

If you choose to receive paper paychecks, use a local home address, since paper paychecks are mailed the day before pay day and may take 4-6 days for delivery through the U.S. Postal Service. Local addresses mean less delivery time. PO Boxes will not be accepted. Enroll in Direct Deposit to avoid delays in accessing your pay.

No. The UCPath system will not accept PO Box’s.

Supervisors/Managers will have access to information like leave and vacation balance, home address, emergency contact information and compensation history. They will not have access to demographic information, such as gender identity or sexual orientation.

Yes, local HR can change most information; however, there is an approval process to do so and it will take longer. It is best if the employee makes the changes via UCPath Online.

Yes, your ID card will continue to work at those places where it can be used today.

Can you make up your own Security questions?

• No, you must use the questions in the system.

Since UCPath is UC systemwide, is there a greater chance of being hacked?

• DUO is implemented system-wide to ensure a deeper layer of security.

For the Medical Center, is the NetID the same as HS ID?

• For Medical Center employees, your Login ID is equivalent to your HS ID. There will also be a separate instance of the DUO in order to log into UCPath.

Will the system ask a security question every time you login?

• The system will ask a security question when the transaction is sensitive, such as viewing pay statements.

Are the answers to the security questions case sensitive?

• No, they are not case sensitive.

Go to your current department contact (CPO, MAABO, Payroll etc.) and/or contact UCI’s local Employee Experience Center (EEC) at 949-824-0500 or visit eec.hr.uci.edu.

There are ‘Ask Us’ buttons on UCPath Online, but recommend you not use them as the first point of contact since they go to the central UCPath Center in Riverside. UCI contacts may provide faster help.

Go to your current department contact (CPO, MAABO, Payroll etc.) and/or contact UCI’s local Employee Experience Center (EEC) at 949-824-0500 or visit eec.hr.uci.edu.

Benefits will be shown on UCPath Online. Retirement information will be in UCPath and AYSO; there is a link on UCPath Online to take you there.

No, these will continue through Student Billing Systems or financial systems.

Each different job with a different pay rate will be listed separately on the paystub.

Yes, there will be training on Direct Retro transactions in February and Commitment accounting overview is an e-learning course available on UCLC.

Yes, managers and supervisors will be able to see those balances and accrual rates for all employees that report to them directly or in their supervisory line.

Balances will be updated based on timekeeping schedule.

Paper paychecks will be mailed to home addresses the day before payday and may take 4-6 days to arrive through the U.S. Postal Service. Sign up for Direct Deposit for access to pay without any delays.

1. Campus employees should contact Local Point of Contact (POC) as the first step.
2. Health Sciences and Medical Center should contact UCI’s Employee Experience Center at eec.hr.uci.edu or 949-824-0500.

The list is published on the UCI UCPath website ucpath.uci.edu

The Employee Experience Center (EEC) offers UCI employees across the enterprise a centralized point to access the most commonly used employee applications, self-service answers, hundreds of knowledge based articles, and a dedicated team to answer all HR, payroll and benefits related inquires and issues. If you need assistance with payroll, UCPath, benefits, leave, or any other employee matters, contact the EEC first at http://eec.hr.uci.edu or at 949.824.0500.

HR will have the ability to access historical information in HR Connect.

No. Monthly employees will continue to be paid on a monthly basis.

Time sheets will remain in the current system (TRS, Kronos, API, etc.). The dates they are due may change. Payroll will notify when the new deadlines are available. The schedule will be tighter and there will be an auto approve when required to accommodate the tighter deadlines.

No, but you can submit timesheets earlier than the Sunday deadlines.

Managers should continue to work with the Human resources team within their Division to process new hires. Note that this will take longer due to new processes, so notify HR as soon as possible, at least two to three weeks before expected starting date.

There will be a negative to the regular earnings for the vacation hours, and then the vacation hours are added in.