Use the resources and tips below to complete the following contract-related tasks:

  • Setting up a new contract on an active job record (reappointment)
  • Reviewing contract payment details
  • Changing pay rates 
Step-by-step Guides
Tips and Tricks

 Working with Contracts

Pay Rate Change
  • To access updated contract types, an effective date must be entered first 
  • The effective date must be equal to payment begin date
  • A school schedule is entered only when setting up 9-pay-9, 9-pay-10, and 9-pay-12 contracts

Related Guides and Resources

Step-by-step:  Hiring and Rehiring

Step-by-step: Approving Transactions

Quick Reference Guide: View Completed ePAR Transactions and Track their Status

Recorded Webinar: HCM Faculty Contracts

Faculty Election Forms

Campus-specific Forms HR Department Email Address
University of Colorado Denver Human.Resources@ucdenver.edu
University of Colorado Boulder hrsc@colorado.edu
University of Colorado Colorado Springs rkipling@uccs.edu, sraney@uccs.edu or rmenkhus@uccs.edu

 

Contract Information and Policies

Contracts at a Glance

Contract Setup: 

In general, academic-year appointments are made on a contract basis for the academic year. Faculty may select a nine-month (9/9) or, if eligible, a (9/12) month payment option. If faculty do not indicate a preference, their pay defaults to the 9/9 plan. 

Choosing a plan:

A faculty member must choose their payment plan by the the start of the academic year (September through May). The election is irrevocable once the academic year has begun, and the contract remains in effect for the entire academic year. You may only change contracts at the beginning of each new academic year.

To comply with IRS regulations regarding deferred compensation, the university cannot allow any changes between 9/9 and 9/12 contract types once the contract period has begun. IRS regulations also provide a limit on the amount of compensation for 9-pay-12 contracts where the Earnings Not Paid (ENP) amounts move from one tax year to the next. These limits and an explanation of the IRS 409a regulation can be found here or on the Faculty Election Page of the employee portal. 

Pay Dates:

Faculty are paid on the last working day of each month. 

Pay Disbursements

Paid over 9 months (9/9 schedule)

9/9 contract payments will be disbursed throughout the academic year ending in May. 

Paid over 12 months (9/12 schedule selected before September)

If a faculty member selects the 12-month pay option, they will receive payments from the beginning of the academic year through the summer months ending in August.

Contract Amount Adjustments

Contract Amount and Pay Adjustments

Contracts for academic-year faculty are generally updated in August. Any midyear changes to contract compensation will affect the remaining payments. Any change made to the full contract amount during the contract period will change future payments so the total contract amount is paid correctly.

Vacation and Sick Leave

Leave
Both contract types (9/9 or 9/12 pay options) do not accrue vacation leave. However, faculty may be eligible for sick leave under certain circumstances. See the  Faculty Handbook for guidelines.

Multiple Components of Pay

By federal law, the university must document the effort expended by employees paid by grants and contracts (  OMB Circular A-21 Cost Principles for Educational Institutions).

The Personnel Effort Report System (PERS) is an after-the-fact certification system that accurately documents these employees' effort on projects for sponsoring agencies. The Personnel Effort Report (PER) certifies the level of effort expended on the sponsored project(s) during a particular timeframe. This provides sponsoring agencies reasonable assurance that the labor costs charged to a sponsored project reflect the actual effort expended on the project.

The PER can be generated on a quarterly, semester, or monthly basis, based upon campus needs. Reports are generated for any employee paid on any sponsored project.

The employing campus-sponsored programs office distributes the PER Form to the employing department for confirmation of accuracy by the employee and/or the designated responsible official. Once the form is certified as correct, and any needed changes have been made, the employing department notifies the campus-sponsored program office. The PER system is then used to track the receipt of the forms, so any missing forms can be identified and located.

For additional information, contact the specific campus-sponsored program offices and the following websites:

Support faculty with correct contracts.

New faculty contracts

For new faculty contracts, you'll enter a hire transaction and a pay rate change transaction. 

Job Aid: Working with Contracts 

Step-by-step: Pay Rate Change

Returning faculty member contracts

To prepare for contract renewals and contract amount changes:

  • Update employees' statuses (active or inactive)
  • Validate report of employees whose contracts will be renewed for fall
  • Update a provided template with contract amount changes
  • Each year, faculty will be able to change their payment schedule in the employee portal on the Contract Faculty Election page

Campus-specific questions

If you have campus-specific questions, please contact: