Summer Session Pay Guidelines

General Information

Summer session teaching compensation is based on the number of credit hours taught. The summer salary calculations for teaching and research is based on the faculty member’s salary as of May 9. 

Summer session is identified in three terms: S1, S2, and S3.

• S1 is the first 6-week summer session, May 10 through June 24.
• S2 is the second 6-week summer session, June 25 through Aug. 9.
• S3 is the full 12-week duration of summer session, May 10 through Aug. 9.

The pay date for faculty teaching S1 is July 1. The pay date for S2 is Aug. 16. Pay dates for S3 are July 1 and Aug. 16.

State budgeting constraints require we continue our traditional payment practices for summer teaching appointments. Pay dates for research faculty follow the semi-monthly salary payroll schedule (see additional information below). Pre-payment for Summer Research and Summer Teaching is not permitted. Appointments must be set up to accurately reflect when the work is completed. No employee may be paid over 16.66666 percent of his/her May 9, academic year salary per term and 33.33 percent for summer Sponsored Research or Sponsored Research and Teaching combined. 

Current academic-year faculty members should not receive an offer letter for summer session, as these activities are viewed as a continuation of the academic-year faculty member’s appointment. Non-Virginia Tech faculty should receive an offer letter for summer session activities. Departments should complete a P-160 Part-time Temporary Wage Faculty Appointment letter for any individual holding a summer session appointment who is not currently an academic-year salaried faculty member. 

For any faculty member who is not a current university employee, please ensure that the I-9, criminal background check, and tax forms are completed. 

Summer Session Payroll-Research 

Faculty will be paid on the semi-monthly salary payroll schedule for research. This process provides faculty the ability to better match the periods in which the effort was performed to the pay periods funded by the sponsor, as required by federal regulations. Following are some key points related to summer research appointments: 

• Summer research appointments will be made using BAnner EPAF process using the employee class code of 9B (Non-Inst PT Temp Fac/Sum Res). 
• Summer research effort can be spread over multiple salary pay periods via partial appointments to enhance matching of pay with the period when effort was performed. 
• Departments should ensure that EPAFs are entered and approved by the established entry deadline based on the salary payroll schedule. If the work is being completed and paid over multiple pay periods, the EPAF should be submitted by the deadline of the first pay period the employee should receive payment.
• Salary savings of institutional funds generated during the academic year from effort funded by sponsored projects can be used to fund summer effort for institutional activities not related to sponsored projects (such as writing proposals, course preparation, serving on committees, etc.) during the summer pay periods. 
• Faculty members should not be paid from sponsored funds for 100 percent of any pay period, due to Federal Contract Compliance requirements. In rare circumstances, this may be required, but during this pay period, the faculty member may not be engaged in any other activities (such as writing proposals, course preparation, service on committees, or taking time off.) See Faculty Handbook Section 2.11.4.1 Summer Appointments. 
• Summer session research per pay amounts cannot exceed the academic year per pay amount. For example, if a faculty member’s salary is $45,000 and they are in a nine-month appointment, the summer session per pay may not exceed $2,500 ($45,000/18 pay periods=$2,500). Faculty members in a 10-month appointment have a pay period factor of 20; those in an 11-month appointment have a pay period factor of 22. Faculty members that receive an ES or AS stipend would have those earnings included in his/her calculation for the per pay limit. For example, if a faculty member has a base job of $50,000 and an AS job of $5,000 and is in a nine-month appointment, the summer session per pay may not exceed $3,055.55 ($50,000 + $5,000=$55,000/18=$3,055.55). 

Summer Teaching Session Calculations 

Maximum summer session pay is determined by each college. If a faculty member is paid more than 16.6666 percent during one summer term, the department and college must ensure that the faculty member does not earn more than 33.33333 percent total for both summer sessions. This includes payment from all sources. 

The salary ceiling limit is set by each college. Faculty members earning salaries higher than the established ceiling limit may not receive higher compensation than the college’s ceiling limit allows. No faculty member may teach more than six credits per summer term or nine credits for the entire summer. The salary for those teaching the maximum of nine credits may not exceed the 33.33 percent overall limitation on summer earnings. 

Instructors who are not current employees should be paid at a rate equivalent to the average annual academic year salary for instructors in the discipline. Non-Virginia Tech faculty at other ranks should be paid at rates comparable for faculty of that rank. And colleges and departments may set standard course pay rates that apply for all who are assigned to teach. 

Reminder: Departments will enter summer teaching session appointments through the EPAF process in Banner using the positions established for employee class codes of 8A and 8B. This is the same process that has been used previously and instructions can be found in the HR Banner Enterer Manual–Summer Session Teaching Appointments. Position numbers can be identified on the NBIPORG screen. If you need a position established, contact the HR Service Center at hrservicecenter@vt.edu or 540-231-9331.

Approval Documentation 

Departments are responsible for maintaining approval documentation for Summer Research and Summer Teaching payments. Departments have the option to track summer payments on a spreadsheet. If a department elects to do so, the spreadsheet must contain the same fields, including approvals of specified individuals or designees, as the Summer Session Teaching form for instructional payments or the Summer Session Research Appointment form (P-14) for non-instructional/research payments. The department should be able to produce an approved form or spreadsheet for any summer payment to support the entry of the EPAF. 

If you have any questions regarding summer session payments, contact the HR Service Center at hrservicecenter@vt.edu or 540-231-9331.