Sask DLC Staff Help Desk Portal

Q:  What were the issues identified in the September pay periods

A: The Sask DLC HR team has worked diligently with our third-party payroll provider ADP to identify and fix the issues identified in the September payroll run.

Errors in the processing of deductions were identified in three main areas:

• Federal Taxes: ADP has confirmed the amount of federal income taxes (FIT on your pay statement) taken off for all employees was incorrect. This was due to certain employee deductions not reducing taxable include at source appropriately. This issue has also been corrected for the October pay periods and all staff are being refunded for these overpayments taken off your September pay cheque. Monthly paid staff can expect to receive two payments on the October 25 pay day, one is their regular monthly pay and the second is the refund for September. Semi-monthly paid employees, who were paid in September will receive two payments on November 6, one is their regular semi-monthly pay and the second is the refund for September. Each payment will have a separate pay stub available in ADP Workforce Now system.   
• The STF Contingency Fee deduction was incorrectly calculated at 0.5% of the employee annual salary instead of 0.05%. This has been corrected moving forward and the difference owed to employees are being paid out on your October pay and will be reflected on your regular October pay stub accordingly. 
• CPP/EI higher than usual – This is typical when starting with a new employer and is mandated by Canada Revenue Agency. Any overpayments will be refunded on your 2023 tax return. 

HR remains committed to working collaboratively with ADP to ensure that all employee pay is accurate and if errors are made, they will be corrected as soon as possible. 

Q: Why were there issues the September pay cheques?

A: For the September pay period, we were using a temporary TeamPay system provided by our third-party payroll system provider, ADP. This system was not properly able to calculate all employee deductions which led to the incorrect deductions being taken off. The Sask DLC has now transitioned to our more permanent payroll system in Workforce Now. Calculations for deductions are being checked and confirmed by the Sask DLC HR team to ensure accuracy moving forward. 

The previous issues have all been fixed for the October payroll run and overpayments from September are being refunded to all impacted staff. 

Thank you for your patience as these issues were thoroughly investigated and fixed. We will always aim to ensure that your pay is accurate, but if an error is made our commitment is to ensure it is fixed as soon as possible. 

Q: If an issue is found, how will it be handled?

A: Any payroll issues identified will be fixed as soon as possible with any over/under payments being reflected in your next pay period. 

Q: How was the amount of Federal Tax being taken off determined?  

A: This amount is calculated based on your salary, base deduction and the TD1 and SK-TD1 forms that each staff member filled out as part of your onboarding. 

ADP has confirmed that the incorrect amount of federal tax was deducted for the August and September pay runs. This was due to certain employee deductions not reducing taxable income at source appropriately.

This has been fixed for October and moving forward. Overpayments are being paid back to employees in a separate payment on October 25 pay for monthly paid employees and November 6 for semi-monthly employees. 

Q: How can I calculate my federal and provincial tax deductions?

A: When you login to your Workforce Now, on the homepage under helpful links you can access a payroll deductions online calculator.   

The Government of Canada also has an online calculator to help you calculate your federal and provincial payroll tax deductions: https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/e-services/digital-services-businesses/payroll-deductions-online-calculator.html

Q: Why is the amount of CPP and EI contributions higher than usual?

A: When starting with a new employer, CRA has mandated that the employer take off the maximum amount. Even if you have reached your max with your previous employer, CRA requires that the new 

employer must start deductions back to zero. If this results in an overpayment this will be refunded on your tax return.

More information on CPP deductions is available here:  https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/tax/businesses/topics/payroll/payroll-deductions-contributions/canada-pension-plan-cpp.html. 

Q: Will I get these contributions back?

A:  Yes, any additional contributions made to CPP and EI will be paid back to you in your 2023 tax return. 

Q: Why was CNF= STF Contingency Fee deduction so high?

A: There was a calculation error on the August and September timecards for teachers. Fees were incorrectly calculated at 0.5% of employee annual salary instead of 0.05% resulting in larger deductions being processed than should have been. 

For example, an employee earning a monthly salary of $6,500 was incorrectly deducted $32.50 in fees and should have only been deducted $3.25. This error has been corrected going forward and refunds will be issued on the October pay. 

Q: Were Group Life insurance for STF members dues paid in August and September?

A: Yes, the dues have been paid by the employer and all employees have coverage with no lapse in coverage. Staff will see this recognized on their October pay stubs. 

Q: For retired teachers now working for the Sask DLC, will pension deductions be reimbursed?

A: Teachers that have superannuated and return to teaching are not eligible to contribute to pension. If you are a superannuated teacher and pension contributions were deducted off your August and/or September pay, please contact [email protected] to make them aware of your situation. 

Any Superannuated teachers who had pension contributions taken off for August or September have been corrected and refunds are being provided on your October pay. 

Q: Why are my August/September and October pay stubs different?

A: The Sask DLC used a temporary process for timecards for August and September and moved to the more permanent Workforce Now system starting October 5. More information on how to submit and approve timecards in Workforce Now is available here. 

Q: What codes are on my paystub from October and moving forward?

A: The Codes on your timecard will be different based on your position. A list of the codes is available here. 

Q: What do the codes/acronyms on my August/September pay stub mean?

A: Please keep in mind that only the codes that apply to your position will be on your paystub: