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| OSPA Hours of Operation |
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Normal Hours
| Monday through Friday (see exceptions) |
7 a.m. to 6 p.m |
| Saturday and Holidays (see exceptions) |
7 a.m. to 3 p.m. |
Exceptions
OSPA will not be available for normal hours under these exceptions:
- Saturdays which immediately follow a Friday payroll final cutoff (pdf)
- Thanksgiving and Christmas observed holidays
Special Request
OSPA can be brought up for special needs by request. Please contact Sharon McKeehan to arrange for this service. Sharon coordinates through the mainframe administrators and arranges access when possible.
Please provide a minimum of two business days' notice so special access can be arranged. Thank you.
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| Manual Payroll Checks |
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OFFICIAL OSPS TIME (for manual check cutoff purposes)
The official OSPS time for purposes of manual check deadlines corresponds to the official U.S. time clock, maintained by NIST & USNO.
Official Time - Pacific
Tips for Manual Check Success
Use this document (pdf) for tips and tricks for success in the production and requestion of manual checks.
If you have more than 20 manual checks in one day,
See the section titled, Bulk Manual Check Requests, for special processing instructions that apply.
This applies to, among other things, seasonal terminations (fair, tax season, fires, etc.) and special payments (a group of missed timesheets, group pay adjustments, etc.).
What is a manual payroll check?
Manual (aka "Special" or "Off-cycle") payroll checks are those checks which are produced outside of the two system runs for the 1st and 15th of the month pay days.
Who can request a manual check?
Oregon Accounting Manual (OAM) Policy 45.25.00.PO and its associated procedure 45.25.00.PR govern the conditions for requesting a manual check.
Designate signature authorities by completing the OAM Form 75.45.01.FO, Authorized OSPA Signatures and sending the original to OSPS. Faxed copies are not acceptable. Changes to authorized signatures require a new completed form.
Once this form has been received by OSPS, the people so designated can simply sign subsequent check requests until or unless an updated form removes their authority to do so.
How do I request a manual payroll check?
To request a manual payroll check, fax the request to us at (503) 378-3518 by noon daily. No cover sheet is necessary. If requesting more than 20 checks per day, please follow the "Bulk Manual Check Requests " guidelines below.
We must practice good audit controls when we prepare manual checks. Because we are accountable for using good control, we need to remind you of some of the requirements when you order a manual check:
- No stamped signatures are accepted on any document ordering a check.
- No initials, no typed signatures, no signatures signed by someone "for" another person.
In other words, the person authorized to sign a request for an issuance of a check must personally sign the request.
The employee´s signature is required on a pay advance request. Telling us why they aren´t available to sign does nothing to help us. No signature - no pay advance. Be certain that the advance request is signed by the manager and the person in your agency who is authorized to approve pay advances.
Be certain to label your manual check requests - "termination", "retirement", "error correction", "timekeeper error". Add something to explain why you are authorizing the payment of funds to the employee, which gives us permission to issue the check. In the case of deceased employees, when requesting the check, please note if the payee is the surviving spouse or dependent child. If the request is to "the estate of" no further explanation is necessary.
How often are manual payroll checks produced?
Manual checks are produced daily and placed in agency lockboxes or in the shuttle pickup area by 3:00pm.
Deadline to request manual checks is NOON. If you´re running close to the deadline, please call us at (503) 378-6777 to see if we can hold the batch for you. Bulk orders of manual checks (seasonal terminations for example) have different criteria. See the section marked "Bulk Manual Check Requests ", below.
Genuine emergencies approved by Sharon McKeehan will be processed as soon as possible based on staff and equipment availability at DAS Publishing & Distribution.
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| Bulk Manual Check Requests |
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As a service to our agency partners, OSPS provides bulk manual check processing in order to meet seasonal or special needs. Bulk, or large-volume, checks mean more than 20 individual check requests in any one daily check run.
Same-day service for bulk checks requires our agency partners to comply with unique criteria. This is necessary in order to maintain normal daily check service to all agencies.
Regulations regarding the timing of final checks are covered in Oregon Revised Statute (ORS) Chapter 652, Section 140. For more information see the BOLI website for an easy-to-read summary.
Compliance Incentives
For following all outlined bulk check criteria, you can choose these additional benefits:
- 11:45 a.m. deadline
- Special fax number for bulk faxing (instead of in-person delivery)
- Manual check “register” (check listing)
- Telephone notification when checks ready for pickup
Bulk Check Criteria
- Notify us before 9:00 a.m. on the same day you intend to submit bulk manual check requests.
- Use the same Employee ID format for all requests; either all EID or all SSN.
- If using more than one pay period, separate requests by period.
- Alphabetize all check requests within each pay period.
- Group requests into batches of 100 or less and deliver them in person* each hour.
- Earlier deadline—see Deadline Schedule.
* Alternate fax service available; see Compliance Incentives
Deadline Schedule
Later deadline available; see Compliance Incentives
| Number of Check Requests |
Deadline for Same-Day Delivery |
| 21 to 75 requests |
11 a.m. |
| 76 to 150 requests |
10:30 a.m. |
| 150 + requests |
10 a.m. |
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| OSPA Training Available |
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Training is available through our formal classroom training, monthly user forums, and by appointment on a one-on-one basis for any special needs.
OSPA Training
We offer a varity of hands-on and seminar classes. See our training page for more details and registration information.
OSPA User Forums
OSPA User Forums, held monthly, provide in-depth training opportunities on a variety of subjects.
Specialized One-on-One Training
Specialized training is available by appointment based on staff availability on a one-on-one basis for any special needs. Contact Sharon McKeehan to make arrangements for this training.
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| Payroll Report Distribution |
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Following each final payroll cutoff, many payroll reports are printed for OSPS to distribute.
The distribution room is located on the first floor of our building (155 Cottage St NE) across from the elevators. This room has secure access. Please contact OSPS to complete the authorization form to receive the access code for this room.
Unforeseen circumstances may in rare instances cause a delay in the distribution schedule. Watch PMSG for notification of delays.
Distribution Dates
Distribution dates are always the two days following a payroll final cutoff. Specific dates are noted on the OSPS Processing Calendar (pdf).
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| Newsletters by E-mail |
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OSPS E-News
Along with the PMSG screen, this is our primary method of communication. All payroll staff members and related stakeholders should subscribe to this list.
OSPS-News is designed for agency payroll staff for their use and information, allowing OSPS staff the ability to distribute important information in a timely, paperless format.
To subscribe to this list, visit the subscription screen for osps-news. Subscription is open to all interested parties.
Archives of past notices are also accessible from the osps-news screen. The archives are unrestricted; simply click on the archives link and browse through the listed information.
Other State Controller's Division Newsgroups
Other newsgroups administered by members of the State Controller's Division include DataMart groups, fiscal groups, and fiscal association groups. Please visit the newsgroups page of the State Controller's Division for more details.
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| Corrected W-2s |
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When would I need to request a Corrected W-2?
When information pertaining to a prior year´s wage, identity or tax data is changed, you may have to work with OSPS to submit a corrected W-2 (IRS Form W-2c) to your employee.
You will need to submit a Corrected W-2 if:
- The name of your employee needs to be corrected
- Should be a hyphenated name
- Incorrect spelling of name
- Your employee´s social security number (SSN) is incorrect
- Wrong SSN given
- SSN entry error
- Prior year incorrect FICA/MEDR wages or withholdings reported
- Example: In 2003, employee was paid for an entire pay period but a portion was LWOP - wages were overstated; employee repaid these wages in 2004.
You will not need to submit a Corrected W-2 if:
- In a prior year, employee was overpaid, but has not repaid agency
- Correction is for a current year
- Overstated wages for Federal or State Wages, and/or Federal or State Withholdings
How do I request a Corrected W-2?
After determining that a Corrected W-2 is necessary, assemble the following information and submit to the OSPS Accountant:
- Completed Request for Corrected W-2 ( IRS Form W-2c) (xls)
- Certification statement from the employee stating they will not ask IRS for a refund of FICA/MEDR tax overpayment (because they´ll be getting one from us)
- Documentation on the circumstances warranting the need for the Corrected W-2
- If this request is because of an overpayment in a prior year which has been repaid, send proof of repayment by the employee
OSPS will process the request for a Corrected W-2 as needed, which will include a check to both the agency and the employee for overpayment of FICA/MEDR taxes as necessary. OSPS will send the appropriate forms to the Social Security Administration through the IRS.
If you have any questions regarding this process, or if you need help determining whether or not you need to submit a Corrected W-2, please contact the OSPS Accountant. You can also view the IRS instructions directly.
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| Statewide P/R Advisory Council |
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The Statewide Payroll Advisory Council members meet on an ad hoc basis whenever the need to discuss system issues arises. If there is an issue you would like to see the Council discuss, please call or e-mail one of the council members with that request.
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| OSPA Modifications |
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From time to time, you may find it necessary to request a modification to the way OSPA performs a task. An example for this would be implementing a change to union dues amounts or calculation method.
Requests of this nature require OSPA modification. To request an OSPA modification, contact our OSPS Application Development Analyst for time and price estimates.
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