Returning Faculty and Staff

Welcome back to Carnegie Mellon University! We are excited for your return, and we look forward to seeing you on your first day. Before then, there are some important onboarding tasks for you to review and complete to ensure you will be ready for your first day of work.

On this page:

• Andrew Account
• Form I-9 and E-Verify
• Personal, Payment and Tax Information
• Benefits Enrollment
• Retirement Savings Enrollment
• Time Away from Work
• Help and Resources

We will prepare for your return to CMU by reactivating your Andrew ID. Your Andrew ID provides access to email, network registration and Workday (CMU’s HR system). Access to Workday will allow you to complete your required onboarding tasks.

• Your Andrew ID will be reactivated by Computing Services without a Prior Affiliation Questionnaire.
• Please allow 24 hours after receiving this notification for your Andrew credentials to be reactivated across university systems. If you have trouble logging in to CMU platforms after 24 hours, please email HR Services for assistance.
• DUO Two-Factor Authentication is required to sign in to Workday and other university systems.

If you don't remember the password associated with your Andrew ID, you can reset your password.

Federal law requires employers to verify the employment eligibility and identity of all employees hired to work in the United States through a Form I-9.

• Form I-9 Section 1 must be completed in Workday no later than your first day of employment.
• Form I-9 Section 2 must be completed in person within three days of your employment start date. Employees in Pittsburgh must make an appointment to visit the HR Service Center to complete Section 2. Review the original documents from the Form I-9 List of Acceptable Documents required to complete Section 2.
• Regular I-9 reminders will be sent in the weeks leading up to your start date to ensure compliance with this time sensitive onboarding requirement.
• Employees assigned to work on a federally funded project must also be E-Verified.

If you were rehired within three years of completing your most recent Form I-9, you may not need to complete a new Form I-9. HR Employee Services will contact you if updated work authorization documentation is required.

Emergency and Home Contact Details

It is crucial to have detailed, accurate and up-to-date contact information for regular business transactions, as well as emergencies. This will help to avoid any delays in reaching you or your emergency contact when needed. View the Update Contact Information Guide [pdf] for instructions.

Legal Name

Review the legal name CMU has on file for you. If our information is inaccurate, please update your legal name in Workday. View the Change My Legal Name in Workday Guide [pdf] for instructions.

Preferred Name

To enter a preferred name different from your legal name, uncheck “Use Legal Name as Preferred Name” and add your preferred name. This field is used in the CMU directory and for university-related communications. View the Change Preferred Name Guide [pdf] for instructions.

Payment Elections

CMU's method for paying employees is through direct deposit (of a U.S. Bank account). You will complete payment elections (direct deposit) in Workday. You can add, update, and adjust your payment election (direct deposit) account information. View the Payment Elections Quick Guide [pdf] for instructions.

• If no payment elections are made before payroll processing, your default payment election will be a Wisely ADP Paycard which will be sent to your primary address on file in Workday.
• If your position is hourly, you will be required to submit hours in Workday to receive pay. View the Time Tracking in Workday Guide [pdf] for instructions.

Tax Elections

CMU is required to withhold federal, state and local taxes from each pay you receive and remit to the appropriate taxing authority. You will need to complete your federal and state W-4 forms. Before completing your tax forms, ensure that you have a valid Social Security number (SSN) in Workday. Consult a tax professional if you have any questions regarding your personal financial situation. View the Electronic Tax Forms [pdf] guide for instructions.

• To update your tax elections, you will need to have a Social Security number* entered in Workday (through the Change My Government ID task [pdf]) and an Andrew ID.
• If you do not have a Social Security number, you will need to apply for one as soon as possible.

Select your citizenship status for the steps you need to take:

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents for tax purposes

You will complete your tax elections as one of your onboarding tasks, including your Form W-4 for federal withholding, as well as state and local tax forms.

Non-Resident Aliens for tax purposes

If you are a non-resident alien, also known as a foreign national, you will receive an email to complete a Foreign National Information System (FNIS) application after your Form I-9 is complete. This is to determine whether you are eligible for any tax treaties or exceptions.

Note: You must have a U.S. Social Security number (SSN) before taking the following steps to complete your tax elections.

1. Log into Workday and open My Tasks.
2. Find the Update Tax Elections task and select Update Tax Elections.
3. Confirm your personal information and address are correct.
   • Note: This cannot be a CMU student mailbox or P.O. box.
4. Select Continue.
5. Answer “Yes” to being a Non-Resident Alien (NRA).
6. Answer “No” to Filling out Form 8233.
   • Note: Tax Treaties are applied for outside of Workday with FNIS.
7. Select Submit to Employer and then OK.
8. Select Create for your Federal Form W-4.
   • Note: As an NRA, the W-4 is pre-populated to work with FNIS.
9. Select Submit to Employer and then OK.
10. Select Create for your state and local tax forms.
11. Complete your contact information.
12. Select Submit to Employer and then OK.
13. You will receive the message "All Forms Complete."
14. When all forms are submitted, select Log Out to exit the system.

Returning employees, if eligible, will be re-enrolled in benefits with coverage active and effective the first of the month following their hire date. If applicable, eligible employees must enroll in benefits within 30 days of their rehire date (or the day they become eligible). Benefit elections will be effective for the remainder of the calendar year unless the employee experiences a qualified life or family status change midyear. Please review this task in your Workday inbox, as action may be required.

Many of your benefits elections are time sensitive. The Benefits Guide is the best resource to learn about election deadlines and the health and welfare benefits offered at CMU.

• If you plan to add dependents to your benefit elections, you will need to provide supporting documentation [pdf] verifying their relationship to you.

AFL-CIO Local 95 — International Union of Operating Engineers are covered under their own contract, which specifies their benefits coverage options.

You can manage your retirement contributions, investments and beneficiaries through TIAA. If you already have a CMU account at TIAA, you can make new contribution elections once onboarding is completed and TIAA has received your data. Please allow at least one week from the completion of onboarding.

If you made contributions with a previous employer in the current tax year, please be aware of the IRS annual contribution limits. 

• Retirement Guides and Forms:
  • Complete the Prior Service Credit Request [pdf] if you have worked at another non-profit college or university.
  • Learn how to roll over assets from an outside institution to CMU [pdf].
• TIAA Account: Create a user account with TIAA to make your contribution elections, designate/update your beneficiaries or change investment options.
• Retirement Education: View retirement savings education opportunities, including one-on-one counseling sessions, webinars and on-campus workshops.
• AFL-CIO Local 95 — International Union of Operating Engineers are covered under their own contract, which specifies their retirement program options.

Carnegie Mellon provides paid time off for eligible employees, including:

• Eleven official holidays and up to three floating holidays, depending on your start date
• Paid Time Off according to the program's guidelines and accrual schedule
• AFL-CIO Local 95 — International Union of Operating Engineers are covered under their own contract, which specifies their time off options.

Connect With Employee Services

The HR Faculty and Staff Services team supports the onboarding process by leading weekly onboarding sessions with new employees. If you would like to attend one of the sessions to review Workday and benefit information, please reach out to the HR Services team for more information. In addition, HR Services can assist with your requests or route the request to the applicable department.

Parking and Transportation        

If you are part-time or full-time benefits eligible, you can ride the bus for free with a valid CMU ID. CMU faculty, staff and students may also apply for annual parking permits for our Pittsburgh campus. Please review the Transportation Services site for more commuting options.

Disability Services

Carnegie Mellon University provides reasonable accommodations to staff and faculty members with disabilities to enable them to perform the essential functions or duties of their positions.         

Obtain Your CMU ID Card           

If you've had an ID card in the past, you'll need to get a new one when you return to employment at CMU. It is recommended to take a new photo every four years. Your new CMU ID card is issued by ID Services. Submit your photo online or visit The HUB on the Pittsburgh campus during walk-in hours. Your CMU ID Card will be available for pickup on your first day.