Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
EHRA stands for exempt from the State Human Resources Act and covers faculty, research and instructional personnel, and senior officers of the University specifically for the UNC campuses and primarily overseen by UNC General Administration.
SHRA stands for subject to the State Human Resources Act. SHRA personnel practices are closely governed by the NC Office of State Human Resources and apply across all agencies of state government.
All permanent employees working 30 hours a week or more are eligible have tuition waived for up to three courses a year at any UNC system school. Eligible employees must apply for tuition assistance through the Office of Human Resources and then follow the normal procedures to enroll in their desired class. Visit the OHR website for the forms and information about the tuition waiver program.
You must first update you name with the Social Security Administration. Once you have a new social security card, please stop by the HR office in Beard Hall or Europa Center. It is recommended that you make an appointment with a member of the HR team in advance. An HR representative will make a copy of your social security card and process a name change in ConnectCarolina.
The UNC registrar’s office, located in SASB (Student and Academic Services) building, is responsible for processing student name-change requests. When visiting their office, make sure you bring your new social security card.
All employees are responsible for updating their contact information in ConnectCarolina. Updating your home address in ConnectCarolina will feed into all of the vendor systems and ensure the University is sending important information to the correct address. To verify/update your home address and emergency contact information, please visit: http://connectcarolina.unc.edu. Under the Self-Service menu, please select “Update Personal Information” to be redirected to the portal to maintain your current contact information.
For a faster, more efficient employment verification process, UNC has contracted with Experian Verify, a leading national provider of employment verification solutions for employers. Experian Verify is free to UNC-Chapel Hill and its employees (though an account is required). Please follow the link here for more information and step by step instructions.
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) form applies to both current and former University employees. The PSLF process depends on whether the period of employment being certified was continuous or contained a break in service (if the period of certification includes a timeframe during which you were not employed by the University). Please follow the link here for more information and step by step instructions.
New Employee Information
A PID is your Person ID Number which is a nine-digit number assigned to all people with a university affiliation. The PID is the primary record keeping key for all departments to identify employees. Employees are assigned a PID once your new hire information is processed in the HR systems. Your HR Consultant will provide your PID to you prior to your start with the University.
Before you can get an email account, you must first have a UNC PID (personal identification number) and you must be actively affiliated with UNC-Chapel Hill. Please follow this link for information on how to set up a UNC email address.
All new SHRA hires receiving initial appointments to permanent or time-limited positions serve a probationary period of twelve months from the date of hire. Except for a layoff priority candidate who is reemployed, a former state employee having a break in service greater than thirty-one days also must serve a probationary period.
To set up your voicemail on your phone, dial 1-919-428-2828 and follow the instructions on the prompt.
Your HR Consultant will also set up an appointment with you on your first day to collect any forms/paperwork and to answer any questions you might have about employment at the School.
No, with the migration to Office 365, all student and employee accounts are now the same. If you need to manage email aliases, etc. you can do so through the Self-Service Tool here.
Please visit the following websites for information about the UNC relocation services and benefits:
https://hr.unc.edu/employees/new-employees/relocation/
You can also discuss your relocation assistance options with your hiring manager as the time of offer.
Vacation leave and bonus leave do not transfer to UNC-Chapel Hill from other State agencies or from other UNC System campuses. Any remaining leave should be paid out by the State agency or UNC campus in accordance with their specific policies.
Note that each State agency or UNC System campus may have different policies with regard to acceptance of leave from other agencies.
Benefits and Pay
SHRA employees are paid twice a month on Fridays. For SHRA employees, you should receive a paycheck two weeks after submitting your first time sheet. View the SHRA pay schedule.
For EHRA employees, you should receive a paycheck on the last working day of the month. If you begin work after the fifteenth of the month, there is a possibility that you will not be paid until the last working day of the following month. View the EHRA pay schedule.
All University employees are required to be paid by direct deposit. You should turn your direct deposit and other payroll forms in to a designated human resources representative your first day of employment. In general, most employees receive their first paycheck via direct deposit. However, depending on the timing of when payroll runs and when they receive your payroll forms, your first check may be a live check that you will need to pick up.
You can view an electronic paystub for each pay period through Employee Self-Service in ConnectCarolina.
As a current employee, you can now make changes to your direct deposit using Self Service in ConnectCarolina. Managing your direct deposit account online uses Duo two-step verification in order to verify your identity before accessing direct deposit.
This quick reference card details the steps for setting up Duo two-step verification and editing your direct deposit.
You also have the option to split your direct payroll deposit into multiple accounts online. This process is more complex than making a change to a single direct deposit account. Please review and carefully follow, these step-by-step instructions. Have your bank routing numbers ready before you log in to Self Service.
If you need additional help, please reference UNC Payroll Services webpage.
Each January the University produces and distributes the paper W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) forms to all employees. In addition, employees may view and download current and past copies of their W-2 forms via Self-Service in ConnectCarolina.
Please consider opting out of receiving a paper W-2 form to help the University go green while increasing our efficiency.
No. Temporary employees are not eligible for any University sponsored benefits and are not eligible for paid leave.
Permanent University employees are eligible to enroll in a number of benefit programs to include: health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life insurance, disability coverage, etc. Permanent employees are also required to participate in a State/University-sponsored retirement program. Other non-programmatic benefits for permanent employees include (but are not limited to): paid leave, discounted access to the UNC campus recreation center, free admittance to many UNC sporting events, and tuition waiver for classes at UNC system schools. Visit the OHR website for a comprehensive guide to University benefits.
Permanent employees may add/remove dependents from their health insurance plan annually during open enrollment. They may also add or remove a dependent from their plan anytime throughout the year as long as a qualifying life event has occurred. Examples of qualifying life events include: birth, marriage, dependent gaining/losing coverage on another plan, etc.
Employees can add/remove a dependent through the self-service menu of ConnectCarolina under “Enroll or Change Benefits.” To add/remove a dependent outside of open enrollment, documentation will need to be provided to verify the qualifying life event. For questions, contact OHR Benefits at 962-3071.
Coverage for most benefit programs begins the first of the month following your hire date or appointment date or change in family status. Permanent full-time employees who are required to participate in a retirement program begin participation effective the date of hire or appointment date.
You have 30-days from your start date to set up your retirement plan. Please visit https://new.unc.edu/unc-benefits/ for additional information.
New employees should receive their insurance card at the home address provided on their enrollment paperwork within forty-five days of enrollment. If you have not received your card within forty-five days please contact the Human Resources Consultant assigned to your department.
Permanent University employees accrue 8 hours of sick leave each month. They also accrue vacation leave and the amount depends on the position type/years of service with the State of North Carolina.
Other types of leave are available to permanent employees as well for special circumstances, including community service leave, civil leave (jury duty), military leave, and Family Medical leave.
The University designates certain days as paid holidays for permanent employees.
Visit the OHR website for information on the University’s official policy regarding leave and holidays.
Active employees can request family and medical-related leave through ConnectCarolina Self Service for one of the following reasons:
- Employee’s own serious health condition
- To care for a child, spouse or parent with a serious health condition
- Birth of a child and to bond with a newborn within 12 months
- Placement of a child with the employee for adoption or foster care and to bond with a newly placed child within 12 months
- A qualifying exigency arising out of the foreign deployment of the employee’s spouse, child or parent
- Military caregiver leave to care for a family member who is a current service member or a covered veteran with a serious injury or illness
To access the new online Leave Request Form:
- Log in to ConnectCarolina Self Service
- Click on the My Benefits tile
- Click on Leave in the left menu
- Click Submit a Leave Request from the dropdown menu on the left
If you need to request time off for medical or dental appointments or for a minor illness (i.e., cold or flu) that does not require continuing treatment, you do not need to submit a leave request online. Discuss these types of Sick Leave requests, along with requests to use Vacation Leave, with your supervisor, then enter the leave type and hours directly into your timecard (TIM) in ConnectCarolina Self Service.
If you need to request Community Service Leave, Military Leave, Faculty Professional Leave or other types of leave not family or medical-related please reach out to your departmental HR Representative. If you do not know who your HR Rep is, you can contact your school/division’s HR Officer using the directory on the School/Division HR Offices page.
No, the University does not offer bereavement leave for employees. Employees may use sick leave if the death is an immediate family member. Otherwise they must use an alternate form of leave (vacation, bonus, etc.).
- Flexible Spending Accounts– A convenience card is mailed to first time users (for those that have both HCFSA and DDFSA, only 1 card is issued) and only re-issued if reported lost or stolen, or once it expires after 3 years (Valid Thru date is listed on the card). Additional cards can be requested by logging onto ncflex or by calling 1-866-916-3475. Additionally, a claims kit is mailed yearly to participants and can also be found in the FSA section of ncflex.org
- Dental– Cards are no longer issued for participants but can be printed after logging onto mybenefits.metlife.com. A generic card can also be found in the dental section of ncflex.org. ID cards are not required to visit a provider.
- Vision– Cards are mailed to new participants. Additional cards can be found by logging onto www.eyemedvision.com/NCFlex or by calling 1-866-248-1939. ID cards are not required to visit a provider.
- Accident, AD&D, and Group Term Life– No mailings for these plans, however certificates and other information can be found in each plan’s section of ncflex.org. Allstate also has a portal where you can view your personal coverage and claim information: login to your account. ID cards are not provided for these plans and are not required.
- Cancer and Critical Illness– Welcome letters are mailed to new participants and to anyone who makes a change to their coverage during annual enrollment. Certificates, claim forms, and other information about these plans can be found at ncflex.org. Allstate also has a portal where you can view your personal coverage and claim information: login to your account. ID cards are not provided for these plans and are not required.
To find your explanation of benefits you go to Blue Cross Blue Shield and login. If you do not have a User ID and password, you will need to use your State Health Plan North Carolina (SHPNC) to create them. Once created, use the ID and password to login and access your EOB.
Visa Questions
Contact:
Kelly Redd, HR/Immigration Specialist
919-966-9774
***it is critical that foreign nationals check in with ISSS upon their first day
Postdoc Questions
New Postdoc Orientation is generally offered once a month by the Postdoctoral Affairs Office and is mandatory for all new postdocs at the University. View the postdoc orientation calendar for information on the next orientation date and to sign up.
Dental Insurance is a voluntary plan offered to all Postdocs at UNC. Postdocs can choose an individual plan, a plan for their children, or a plan for their entire family. Receive a free, no-obligation quote from Dental Blue.
Postdocs have the option to waive out of the Postdoc Insurance plan if they can provide proof of other coverage. However, the employee’s portion of the postdoc plan is covered by his/her department so there is no cost to the employee to participate.
The department covers both monthly premium and required student health fee for postdoctoral scholars. Postdocs are required to pay the monthly premiums for any dependents they wish to cover.
Postdoc insurance begins the first of the month following the postdoc’s appointment date. For example, if a postdoc begins his/her appointment on May 1, their insurance coverage will begin June 1. If a postdoc begins his/her appointment on February 20, insurance coverage will begin March 1.
Coverage begins the first of the month following the postdoc’s start date. However, due to the process of communicating new employee information from the department to central Human Resources to Blue Cross Blue Shield, it may take 6-8 weeks for new postdocs to receive their insurance card in the mail. Postdocs can pay for any services required after coverage starts and before their card arrives and submit those claims for reimbursement.
International Scholars may be able to purchase gap insurance coverage through UNC Risk Management Services to cover them until their postdoc health coverage begins. For information, please contact Janet Hoernke in UNC Risk Management Services at Janet_Hoernke@unc.edu.
Campus Health Services is available to postdocs and their spouses and most services are provided at no cost through the postdoc health plan.
Postdocs at Carolina are offered a variety of benefits such as paid leave and holidays, access to UNC gym facilities and sporting events, access to workshops, seminars, and other professional development opportunities, and the services of an on-site, full-time career counselor to help prepare postdocs for the next stage of their careers. Visit the UNC Research office of postdoctoral affairs website for more information on the variety of benefits available to postdocs at UNC.