Onboarding Student Employees

Before a Student Can Work

Students must be officially hired into a position on Workay before they can begin working. Students must complete all onboarding paperwork including the I-9 Form, Payment Election Form and Federal Tax Withholding Form. All onboarding documents will be in the student’s Workday Inbox about 24 hours after the hire is complete. In addition, students will need to set up a meeting with Student Employment to verify their I-9 documents. Working before the onboarding process is complete will cause delay in compensation.

Onboarding

Each step of the onboarding process plays an essential role in appropriately compensating students. New student employees must complete all onboarding documents in Workday and verify their I-9 in-person with Student Employment to complete the onboarding process. International students should also expect to receive the Foreign National Information System (FNIS) questionnaire upon completion of their hire. Questions about the FNIS process should be directed to Payroll. Though students can complete onboarding in any order, we highly recommend setting up an appointment with Student Employment first. 

Managers are able to monitor student progress toward onboarding completion through Workday. The Onboarding Status Summary Report allows supervisors to view incomplete onboarding tasks of Wellesley College first-time employees. Students only need to complete onboarding tasks once. 

 

Student Employee Onboarding Resources 

I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification

List of I-9 Acceptable Verification Documents

IRS Tax Withholding Estimator

 

Onboarding Tasks

I-9 Form

I-9 Verification Meeting

Federal Tax Withholding

Payment Election

The I-9 Form is used to verify the student’s identity along with their eligibility to work in the United States. Students will complete Section 1 of the I-9 Form in Workday. International students must pay careful attention to the citizenship question on the I-9 Form as this will assist in determining their tax exemptions.

After completing Section 1 of the I-9 Form, students will need to make an appointment with Student Employment to verify their documents in-person. Acceptable documents must be unexpired originals as copies/pictures will not be accepted. Students can find more information about this process in their Workday Inbox.

Students will also need to complete the Federal Tax Withholding Form in Workday. The form serves as the student’s W-4 form and determines the amount of taxes withheld from their paycheck. Student Employment staff members are not able to assist with the completion of this form.

The Payment Election Form asks students for their direct deposit information including their account and routing number. Students must have a bank account in the United States in order to be paid. All students are paid via direct deposit.

Payroll and Time Entry

Payroll 

Students are paid for their work via direct deposit using the information provided on their Payment Election Form. Students are paid weekly and receive payment on the Friday following the week worked. Supervisors are responsible for approving all hours before noon on Monday. To approve hours, a supervisor must be a Hiring Manager or Timekeeper in Workday. These roles can view all time worked by their student employees throughout the semester with the “Time Block by Status” report. We have provided instructions on both approving time and viewing the “Time Block by Status” report below. 

 

Timesheet Common Errors 

There are several reasons why a student may not be able to access their timesheet for a position or are not receiving compensation. Before contacting Student Employment or Payroll regarding timesheet issues, please make sure you: 

  • Complete the hire process for the student in Workday. 
  • Inquire with your student to see if they have completed the following on Workday:
    • I-9 Form (including verification of documents in person with Student Employment). 
    • Payment Election. 
    • Federal Tax Withholding (W-4 Form). 
  • Ask your student if they have been submitting their time in Workday. 

If your student is still experiencing issues, please feel free to contact us and we will do our best to assist.

Contact: Student Employment | Green Hall 141 | studentemployment@wellesley.edu | 781-283-2211