Important Information for Salaried Employees: Upcoming Changes to Our Payroll Schedule in 2027

Dear Faculty and Administrators,

We are writing to share an important update regarding our payroll schedule that will take effect on January 1, 2027. We know that any adjustment to how and when you are paid directly impacts your personal planning, so we want to share these details well ahead of time, explain the change, and highlight the resources available to you. This is a scheduling change only and does not change your base salary or earnings.  

Why We Are Making This Change
In January 2025, we transitioned salaried Faculty and Administrators from a monthly pay schedule to one that is bi-weekly to align with New York State labor laws. The change created a few payroll challenges, primarily that employees are being significantly prepaid and that the number of pay periods varies in some years under a bi-weekly pay schedule.  

To address the prepayment, and to provide greater consistency and predictability of pay each month, Vassar is planning to transition all salaried Faculty and Administrators to a fixed, semi-monthly (twice-a-month) pay schedule starting in January 2027.

Key Details of the New Schedule

1. Your Ongoing Semi-Monthly Schedule (15th & 30th):
   Starting in January 2027, pay dates will occur twice per month. In most cases the payments will be made on the 15th and the 30th (or the 28th in February). As always, if a pay date falls on a weekend or holiday, you will be paid on the business day immediately prior. This ensures 24 fixed, reliable pay periods every year, rather than 26 pay periods spread bi-weekly throughout the year.
2. No 27th Pay Period in December 2026:
   A previously published pay schedule included a paycheck dated December 30, 2026. However, because our annual salary is based on 26 biweekly payments, a 27th payment on December 30th would exceed your stated annual salary. Therefore, the final paycheck for calendar year 2026 will be issued on December 18th. 
3. First January Pay Date Adjusted to January 8, 2027:
   Because our last bi-weekly paycheck of 2026 will be issued on December 18, 2026, your first paycheck of 2027 will be issued early on Friday, January 8, 2027 – followed by the second January payment on January 30th. After this initial transitional payment variation, payroll will continue on the regular cycle of the 15th and 30th of each month.

You can find the new schedule here.

Planning ahead for the Transition & Personal Planning

• Benefit Deductions:
  Moving from 26 pay periods to 24 pay periods means annual benefit deductions (such as health insurance and retirement) will be split across 24 checks instead of 26. As a result, the per-check deduction will be slightly higher starting in January. This will be at least partially mitigated by your semi-monthly pay being slightly higher than your bi-weekly pay for the same reason. Open enrollment communications will reflect this change to 24 benefit deductions. 

• Transition Support Loans:
  To support anyone who may experience temporary household budget adjustments during this shift, Vassar will be offering no interest transition loans. More information about these loans will be provided in future communications.

Next Steps & Support
We recognize this is an impactful and important change. Over the coming months we will be providing additional information via: HR newsletter, Faculty Meeting and Admin Forum, and additional sessions in the fall.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through this transition to build a smoother, more predictable financial payroll experience.

Best,

Bryan Swarthout
Vice President for Finance and Administration

Carlos L. García
Vice President of Operations for Technology & Human Resources
Chief Information Officer