Master Payroll Certification

• What is Master Payroll Certification (MPC)?

  Master Payroll Certification (MPC) is a critical step in the payroll process. It is distinct from Absence Management and Time & Labor, which is used to track leave, overtime, and pay for intermittent employees. MPC specifically focuses on reviewing and approving employee payroll data for accuracy prior to paychecks processing at the State Controller’s Office (SCO).

  The Master Payroll Certification process complies with the State Administrative Manual requiring state agencies to maintain records of certification/approval for each salaried employee during each pay period. These records must be approved by authorized department approvers, which indicates fiscal responsibility by the department budget for this payroll activity. Master Payroll Certification may impact the issuance of payroll warrants (paychecks) and is subject to State and local audits. Certification or approvals are required to be completed by the deadlines listed on the Payroll Calendar. If certifications are not completed by the deadline, salaried employee pay may not issue, or may not issue correctly.

  Certification or approval of Master Payroll is the process of approving both attendance (number of days) and job information for each employee by department approvers for each pay period.

  The Master Payroll Certification online page displays a list of active employees during a specific pay period. Current job information is reflective of any changes that have been received and processed by University Personnel since the last MPC cycle. The MPC page is updated twice a month, in two “runs” or snapshots of employee job data during the pay period. These runs are known as the Initial Run and Final Run.

  The Initial and Final Runs capture a snapshot of employee data as of the run date. This includes hires, separations, docks, leaves of absence without pay - any transaction that might affect whether a salaried employee is to be paid and for how many days and/or hours. This will also include approved dock time that has been entered through the Absence Management Self Service.

  Documentation received later than the Initial and Final Run dates and have not been entered will not be reflected on the MPC page. Once the documentation is processed, MPC will not be updated as the results are a snapshot in time and are not dynamically updated.

  Department MPC Reviewers and Approvers must evaluate MPC for accuracy, approving only those rows of information that are correct. Approvers cannot self-certify so they must be moved to another group for their appropriate approver to certify.

• Why It Matters

  Timely and accurate MPC certification is vital to ensure all employees are paid correctly and on time. By reviewing the information for your employees, it gives you the opportunity to let Payroll know if anything is incorrect so that we can make necessary corrections before paychecks are issued.

• Data Verification and Inaccuracies

  Reviewers & Approvers are responsible for verifying the following:

  • Employee status (hired, separated, on leave)
  • Number of days/hours to be paid (if employee not due a full month’s salary)
  • Job details
  • Full-Time Equivalency (FTE)

  If any information is inaccurate, do not approve the record. Instead, immediately contact your assigned Payroll Technician
• Timing of Initial and Final Runs

  Each pay period includes two stages of data capture:

  • Initial Run (Initial MPC period is the 2 days before checks are issued at the SCO)
  • Final Run (The day before payday)

  These “runs” serve as snapshots of employee data and are used to guide verification.

• Navigating MPC

  For assistance navigating MPC, please see our Quick Start Guide

• April MPC for Academic Year Employees

  The April MPC will reflect Spring FTEs for faculty who are teaching in the Spring term. For those not teaching in Spring, their April paycheck—shown on the MPC—will be their fourth and final Winter payment.

  You can find more information regarding the Academic Pay Plan on our Payroll Calendars webpage.

• August MPC for Academic Year Employees

  August is considered the "settlement" month for academic year employees. If the FTE for an employee changed between Winter and Spring, the August paycheck will reflect the Winter FTE, as manually adjusted by the Payroll Office. PeopleSoft and MPC will continue to display the Spring FTE, not the corrected Winter FTE. Do not certify the payroll record if you notice this discrepancy. Instead, contact your Payroll Technician to confirm the expected August amount.

  You can find more information regarding the Academic Pay Plan on our Payroll Calendars webpage.

• Security

  Security for MPC is obtained through security workflow in HR Administration. For assistance submitting a security ticket, please see the ITS help guide.