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Payroll

The payroll department at Saint Louis University is responsible for the processing of payroll, labor distribution posting to the General Ledger, tax withholding, nonbenefit payroll deductions, and other activities required to generate payroll payments to SLU employees.

The payroll department is also responsible for ensuring the University complies with employer federal, state and local tax regulations, and preparing annual W-2 statements for employees.

Understanding Your W-2

Below are the most common guidelines to help you understand your W-2 Statement and the correlation between the different boxes on the W-2 and your actual gross pay on your check stubs.

The wages listed in box three are your taxable Social Security wages, which for calendar year 2023, had a maximum taxable wage of $160,200. The wages listed in box five are your taxable Medicare wages; no cap applies to these wages. These wages can differ from your actual gross pay due to various benefits and pre-tax deductions. Below is a sample calculation:

 
Gross pay on check stubs (Jan. -Dec. 2023) $45,000
Less pre-tax benefit deductions (Jan. - Dec. 2023)  
Medical insurance $289.59
Dental insurance $196.92
Flexible spending $200
Dependent care $500
Parking $470.04
Social Security and Medicare taxable wages (on W-2) $43,343.45

 


The wages in box one and box 16 are considered your federal and state taxable wages, which you would report on your federal and state tax returns. To arrive at the figures for box one and box 16, you should take the Social Security and Medicare taxable wage total above and subtract your deductions for retirement (403b and 457 Plans). Below is a sample calculation:

 
Social Security and Medicare wages (on W-2) $43,813.49
Less retirement deductions (Jan. -Dec. 2023) $4,500
Federal and state taxable wages (on W-2) $38,843.49

 

The information necessary to make these calculations for your specific history is available by clicking on the Pay Worklet in Workday, you can select in the Payslip section your final payslip of the year to view.

If you have questions about your W-2, please e-mail your question, along with your Employee ID and phone number, to payroll@list.slu.edu.

Payroll Forms