Faculty and Contract Employees

A faculty member is an individual who holds and academic appointment, either full-time or part-time, and performs a combination of teaching, research, clinical, and/or service functions. These appointments typically fall in three broad categories: tenured/tenure-track, renewable term and temporary. Regular tenured/tenure-track and renewable term appointments will be twelve-month or nine-month faculty as outlined below.

Twelve-month faculty provide services year-round, during both the academic year and non-academic year periods. These employees are paid on the biweekly payroll schedule over a period of 12 months or 26 biweekly pay periods.

Nine-month faculty provide services during the academic year period (August 16 – May 15). These employees are paid on a biweekly payroll schedule. There are two payment options in which nine-month faculty can be paid: non-deferred pay (9-over-9 or 20 biweekly pay periods) and deferred pay (9-over-12 or 26 biweekly pay periods).

Non-Deferred Pay Option (20 biweekly pay periods/9-over-9)
Nine-month faculty members have the option of receiving the nine months of pay over the 20 academic-year biweekly pay periods. With this option, salary is fully disbursed as it is earned during the nine-month appointment.

Deferred Pay Option (26 biweekly pay periods/9-over-12)
Nine-month faculty members also have the option of receiving nine months of pay over a twelve-month period (26 biweekly pay periods). With the deferred pay (9-over-12 option), salary is not fully disbursed as it is earned. That is, a portion of the salary is held back or “deferred” from the payments made during the academic year period and paid during the non-academic year period. The term “deferred compensation” is used to distinguish between the amount earned versus the amount paid.

4.5 contracts are distributed over a single academic semester (Fall or Spring) and are paid through a total of 10 biweekly paychecks. Please see the academic payroll calendar for a complete list of pay days.

Nine month faculty members in regular tenured/tenure-track and renewable contract appointments will have the option to elect their pay distribution cycle per the guidelines below. The option to elect the payment option is not available to faculty members in temporary appointments as they are paid in full during the terms of their appointment.

• NEW Nine Month Faculty: Beginning Fall 2024, there is no longer a default payment option for new nine month faculty. Departments completing ePAFs will be required to attach the Faculty Payment Option Form to the hire ePAF.
  • New faculty members must complete the Faculty Payment Option Form and turn in to their department payroll/HR coordinator by August 1^st (for fall start dates) or by the first day of their appointment for midyear start dates. New faculty hires should have an ePAF effective date that is the first day of the first biweekly pay period for the semester they are starting in. Please see the Academic Payroll Calendar for reference.
  • Hire ePAFs for nine month faculty that do not have the Faculty Payment Option Form attached will be recycled/denied.
     
• EXISTING Nine Month Faculty: Existing faculty members who would like to change their payment option, must complete the Faculty Payment Option Form and the forms are due to their department payroll/HR coordinator by August 1^st.
  • Academic Year 2024-2025: Departments will email completed Faculty Payment Option forms for EXISTING nine month faculty to payroll@ou.edu.
  • Future Years: Departments will be required to submit a job change ePAF to update the payment option with an ePAF effective date that is the first day of the first biweekly pay period for the academic year. Please see the Academic Payroll Calendar for reference. The job change ePAF must be submitted prior to the start of the academic year.
  • ePAFs that do not have the signed Faculty Payment Option Form attached will be recycled/denied.
     
• Faculty Stepping Down from Twelve Month Appointments: Beginning Summer 2024, faculty stepping down from twelve month positions to nine month positions must complete the Faculty Payment Option Form and the forms are due to their department payroll/HR coordinator prior to the first day of the effective date of their step down. Departments completing ePAFs will be required to attach the Faculty Payment Option Form to the job change ePAF.
  • Job change ePAFs for faculty stepping down from a twelve month appointment to a nine month appointment that do not have the Faculty Payment Option Form attached will be recycled/denied.

For questions about the Faculty Payment Option form please email payroll@ou.edu.

Nine month faculty members in benefits eligible positions are eligible to participate in benefits throughout the entire calendar year. Participation is not limited to the nine month service period. Your payment election will have no impact on your benefits coverage, if enrolled, but will change the amount of premiums deducted from your paychecks:

• Nine month faculty paid over 12 months (26 biweekly paychecks) will have benefits deducted over 26 paychecks, if enrolled.
• Nine month faculty paid over 9 months (20 biweekly paychecks) will have benefits deducted over 16 paychecks (September – April), if enrolled.
   

Premiums for benefits deducted over the 20 paychecks will be higher to allow for the value of the full calendar year premium to be deducted over the academic year. The higher premiums collected during the academic year will be used to maintain employee benefit coverage during the non-academic year period.