Welcome to Payroll!

Welcome to the Payroll page! City employees now enjoy unprecedented access to their own pay information through e-CHRIS. If you are a self-service user, please read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below; we are confident that you will find them helpful as you navigate through e-CHRIS. While the Human Resources Department is responsible for the business process and all relevant policies associated with leave, you will find leave information in the Payroll and Compensation folder.

If you are a pay clerk, check back here for pay-related communications, such as longevity processing, holiday schedule adjustments, and major system enhancements and related outages.

Payroll & Compensation Frequently Asked Questions

View Paycheck

Q: Can I view my current paycheck online?

A: Yes. Sign in to e-CHRIS and click on Self Service. Select the Payroll and Compensation module and click on View Paycheck. This view displays your current paycheck information and your year-to-date (YTD) totals.

Q: What information is listed on my online current paycheck?

Similar information that is printed on the advice and paycheck also appear on the online paycheck; however, some differences do exist. For example, leave information does not appear on the online paycheck. Through Self Service, leave balances can be accessed through the Current View Leave panel listed in the Payroll and Compensation section.

The Earnings section on the online paycheck lists different types of compensation; some which are paid to you and others that are administrative in nature. One type of earnings that is listed are wages actually paid to you, such as regular hours, overtime and comp time. It also lists reimbursements paid to you, such as tuition and seminar, and city business expenses, etc. Other types of earnings that are listed are employer paid benefits, such as 457 and 401(A) fringe contributions. These earnings are not included in the total amount at the end of the earnings section or in the gross earnings amount in the paycheck summary section.

The Net Pay Distribution section shows the payment type (direct deposit and/or check), paycheck number, account type (savings or checking), account number and the dollar amount transferred to that particular account.

Paychecks viewed online from previous periods will NOT display your year-to-date totals. Only your online current paycheck shows the year-to-date totals.

Q: Can I print my paycheck?

A: Yes, sign in to e-CHRIS and click on Self Service. Select the Payroll and Compensation module and click on View Paycheck. Click on File and Print.

Q: Can I view paychecks online from previous pay periods?

A: Yes. Sign in to e-CHRIS and click on Self Service. In the Payroll and Compensation module select View Paycheck. Next, click on View a Different Paycheck. The Paycheck Selection displays the pay period end date, company name and net pay. To open a specific paycheck select the pay period end date you want to see and hit enter. Please see the answer to “What information is listed on my online current paycheck?” for a detailed description.

Paychecks viewed online from previous periods will NOT display your year-to-date totals. Only your online current paycheck shows the year-to-date totals.

View Current Leave

Q: Can I verify my sick leave, vacation leave and compensatory time balances in e-CHRIS?
 

A: Yes, your current leave balances are available in e-CHRIS. They are located in the Payroll and Compensation section, under View Current Leave Summary. You will see your leave balances as of your last pay check. Also displayed is any leave accrued and/or processed during that pay period.

Q. Can I view a history of my leave time in e-CHRIS?

A. Yes, your leave history for the last three years is available in e-CHRIS. It is located in the Payroll and Compensation Section, under View Leave History.

Q. What does it mean when I see a negative sign in front of leave hours?

A. A negative sign in front of leave hours means that this leave time was restored and the hours were returned to the applicable leave bank.

Q. Why are my leave balances different on the View Current Leave Summary page then they are on View Leave History?

A. Leave balances located on the View Current Leave Summary page are as of your last pay check. If leave accruals have dropped in since the last pay check, they will be reflected on the View Leave History page only.

Q. Explain how Compensatory Time is processed.

A. When employees earn compensatory time in place of overtime, a leave slip should be completed indicating the number of hours of over-time the employee worked. e-CHRIS will take the number of hours worked and multiply it by 1.5 and add the appropriate number of hours into the employee's compensatory time leave bank. For example, if an employee works 2 hours of over-time, the system will calculate it at one and one-half times and add 3 hours of comp-time into the employee's bank.

Direct Deposit

Q: Can I view my direct deposit information online?

A: Yes. Sign in to e-CHRIS and click on Self Service. In the Payroll and Compensation module, select Direct Deposit. Your current direct deposit information will automatically appear. e-CHRIS allows only ONE direct deposit set-up for all of the different types of City of Phoenix payments (general city, pension, medical expense reimbursement program and long-term disability payments, etc). Your direct deposit set-up can include up to four different bank accounts to which your money can be deposited, or you can allocate a specified amount(s) or percentage(s) of your net pay to be deposited in up to three different account(s) and the remainder paid directly to you as a check. When you have more than one account, you determine the amount deposited into each account by specifying a designated amount or percent.

Q: Can I change my direct deposit payment selections online?

A: Yes. Sign into e-CHRIS and click on Self Service. In the Payroll and Compensation module, select Direct Deposit. You can add, edit or delete accounts to your direct deposit set up. Please click on the Related Link for detailed instructions located in the Self Service panel. Pressing enter on the web link takes you directly to PeopleSoft’s User Productivity Kit software. Click on the Self Service e-Pay folder listed under the Payroll Point of Entry folder. Then click on the Direct Deposit folder. Links to direct deposit instructions appear when you click on the “arrow” icon shown in “Try It.” The topics include: 

• Set up one new direct deposit account - Total net pay deposited to one account.
• Add an additional account- Net pay is deposited into two or more bank accounts.
• Stop Direct Deposit and receive a check- Stop direct deposit and change your total net pay to be issued as a check.
• Re-establish Direct Deposit- Stop issue check and change your total net pay to direct deposit.
• Edit existing Direct Deposit Information- change direct deposit information for an existing set up.
• Receive a Check and Direct Deposit- Designate the amount or percent of your net pay to be issued as a check and set up the remainder to be direct deposit.

NOTE: When you change the banking information, the account(s) will go through a prenotification process.  The system creates a prenote status file for the first time that it processes direct deposits to verify that the transit and account numbers are valid with the financial institution. You will receive checks until the prenotification period has passed, which generally lasts one pay period.

Q: When will my direct deposit changes take effect?

A: After you enter Save, a "Save Confirmation" message will appear letting you know it was successful. The changes will be take effect immediately; however, due to the timing of payroll processing, your change may not be reflected on the next paycheck.

Q: How many direct deposit accounts can I set up?

A: Your direct deposit set-up can include up to four different bank accounts to which your money can be deposited, or you can allocate a specified amount(s) or percentage(s) of your net pay to be deposited in up to three different account(s) and the remainder paid directly to you as a check.

Compensation History

Q: Can I see a history of my different pay rates in e-CHRIS?

A: Yes, employees have the ability to view their Compensation History in e-CHRIS. This information is located in the Payroll and Compensation section, under Compensation History. e-CHRIS has historical pay rates from 1996 to present. If you worked for the City prior to 1996, you will see a conversion record with your hire date on it and no compensation rate because that information predates e-CHRIS. Your actual compensation history will begin with 1996 data and end with your current rate of pay.

Q: Can you explain why the percentage of increase on the Compensation History page for the across-the-board wage increase does not exactly match what my employee group/union negotiated?

A: Negotiated increases are applied as an across-the-board percentage of increase. For example, a 1.8% across the board increase is applied to all employees pay rates in a particular employee group. The increase percentage is applied to the existing hourly rate. Then the new hourly rate is rounded to the nearest penny in accordance with the practice of rounding of fractional cents as prescribed in accepted mathematical and accounting principles. The percentage of increase displayed on the Compensation History page displays the actual percentage change including the rounding calculation. This amount may vary slightly from the actual across-the-board increase percentage.

Example 1 - Current hourly rate $18.45 x 1.8% increase = $18.7821 rounded to $18.78. This is an actual increase of 1.79% due to rounding.

Example 2 - Current hourly rate of $17.56 x 1.8% increase = $17.876 rounded to $17.88. This is an actual increase of 1.82% due to rounding

W-4 Tax Information

Q: Can I access and make changes to my W-4 tax information through e-CHRIS?

A: Yes. Sign in to e-CHRIS and click on Self Service. In the Payroll and Compensation module, select the W-4 Tax Information. Either the mandated federal and state default tax set ups or your current federal and state tax rates will appear. Enter your changes in the applicable fields. When you are finished updating your tax information, click on Submit. e-CHRIS will ask you to verify your identity by requesting you to enter your password. Click on Continue. If the password is valid, you will receive a “Submit Confirmation” message acknowledging that your change has been accepted. Click OK to view your new W-4 tax set up. Please click on the Related Link located in the Self Service panel for detailed instructions on making changes to your W-4 tax information.

Q: When will my W-4 tax changes take effect?

A: After you submitted your changes and verified your identity a "Submit Confirmation" message will appear letting you know it was successful. In a payroll period that is not affected by holidays, W-4s entered by 5:00 PM Tuesday of pay week should be reflected on the pay check issued that Friday. In a payroll period that is affected by holidays, W-4 changes should be entered by 5:00PM on the Friday before pay week to ensure that the change is effective on the upcoming pay. For example, during some Thanksgiving holidays, your pay date is on the Wednesday before the Thanksgiving holidays; W-4 changes should be entered by the previous Friday by 5:00 pm.

Q: What are Arizona State’s allowable tax percentages?

A: Arizona state withholding tax is a percentage of your Federal withholding tax. The state designates the percentages that are used to calculate its withholding taxes. The allowable percentages are displayed in Self Service. To access the state’s percentages, click on the Payroll and Compensation module and select W-4 Tax Information. Under the Arizona State Tax Data section click on the magnify glass to display the current Arizona percentage withholding tax rates.

W-2 Reprint Request

Q: Can I request a copy of my W-2 online?

A: Yes. Sign in to e-CHRIS and click on Self Service. In the Payroll and Compensation module, select W-2 Reissue Request. Enter the year of the W-2 reprint you wish to request. Indicate where to deliver your W-2 by clicking on the drop down box and selecting Mailing Address, Home Address or Central Payroll. Hit Submit at the bottom of the page. You will receive a “Submit Confirmation” message acknowledging that your request has been accepted. You can expect to receive your W-2 within two weeks. If you want to pick up the W-2 reprint at Central Payroll, you need to bring photo identification with you.  Please call Central Payroll at 602-262-6555 to verify that your W-2 is ready for pick up. Please click on the web link for detailed instructions on requesting  a copy of your W-2.