University of Colorado faculty on a contract have the option to choose to update their contract payment schedule for the 2025-26 academic year between May 1 and July 11.

Faculty members have until 5 p.m. MT July 11 to select their new schedule in the employee portal by following this guide. Those who don’t submit a contract payment schedule election will default to the pay schedule they had for the 2024-25 academic year.

Note: Once faculty have chosen their payment schedule, they may not revoke or change their schedule for the academic year.

Two payment schedules are available

Faculty academic year pay schedule (August – May): 

This pay schedule follows the regular academic year, paying out the total contract amount over the 9 months that comprise the fall and spring semesters. Under this pay schedule, contract salary payments will be issued Aug. 31, 2025, to May 31, 2026.

Faculty 12-month pay schedule:

Some faculty choose to have their contract pay distributed in smaller payments over a full 12 months. Under this pay schedule, contract salaries will be paid from August 2025 through August 2026.

Note: Faculty may elect this option only if they do not exceed the IRS’s maximum deferred compensation limit in 2025. Please refer to the employee portal or faculty election page for additional information. More information can also be found in the IRS’s 2025 General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 on page 12 under the heading “Nonqualified deferred compensation plans.”

Find resources to help you choose

• Visit the Employee Services contracts webpage to learn how to choose a contract type.
• The contract proration calculator can help faculty to determine whether combined their 9-pay-12 contract exceeds IRS limits and how it will be distributed over a 12-month period.
• IRS deferred compensation guidelines will walk faculty through the tax implications of selecting a 9-pay-12 contract.
• This quick reference guide will show faculty members how to select their contracts in the employee portal.