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Pay and Taxes

 


Tax Withholding

You will need to complete the online W-4 form so that the correct federal and state income tax will be withheld from your pay. You may complete the form on or after your first work day.*

To access the W-4 form:

Visit the Employee Self-Service web page  

Click on My W-4 under the green My Pay banner

Log in using your Outlook username and password and follow the on-screen instructions.

 

* If you are a new employee at the start of the school year, you will find your first work day—listed by position—in the Work Schedule. If you were hired after the first work day of the school year for your position, your first work day is your date of hire.

Direct Deposit

Employees hired after February 1, 2001, are required to participate in direct deposit.

To enroll in direct deposit:

Visit the Employee Self-Service web page

Click on My direct deposit, under the green My Pay banner.

Log in using your Outlook username and password and follow the on-screen instructions.

Summer Pay (optional)

You have the option of withholding a designated amount of your net salary from each paycheck received during the school year in order to receive disbursements during July and August. Although targeted to 9- and 10-month employees, all employees are eligible. Learn more.

Address Change

 If you are newly moving to this area, you have to update your address using the online address change form on or after your first work day.* 

Any employee who does not provide a local address (An address in Maryland, Virginia, Washington DC, Pennsylvania, Delaware, North Carolina or West Virginia) is defaulted to the MCPS address in Maryland to ensure state income taxes are withheld.

To access the Address Change Form:

Visit the Employee Self-Service web page  

Click on My address change option under the orange My Profile banner

Review the information in web page displayed and click the  “Update  Address” at the bottom of the page

Log in using your Outlook username and password and follow the on-screen instructions.

 

* If you are a new employee at the start of the school year, you will find your first work day—listed by position—in the Work Schedule. If you were hired after the first work day of the school year for your position, your first work day is your date of hire.


Leave

Sick Leave Bank

All new employees in the SEIU bargaining unit are automatically enrolled in the Sick Leave Bank. The SEIU Sick Leave Bank is designed to assure that those members in most need during a period of sustained disability have paid leave available after their own sick leave has expired. A new member may submit an Opt-Out Form within 30 days of their start date to withdraw their membership and get the contribution back. Detailed information regarding the benefits, annual contribution can be found here.

Benefits

 

Any Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) employee who is newly hired into a permanent position of .5 FTE or more (20 hours or more per week) is eligible for employee benefits. An MCPS employee whose FTE is increased to .5 or more also is eligible for benefits.

Review Your Benefit Options

As a benefits-eligible employee, you have the option of enrolling in health benefits, including medical, prescription, dental, and vision plans; optional employee term life insurance; optional dependent term life insurance; and flexible spending accounts (medical and/or dependent care). You will find detailed information about your benefit options in the Employee Benefit Summary. The Employee Benefits Web Page provides additional information. Both resources can help you make the benefit choices that are best for you and your family.

Enrolling in Benefits

MCPS employees enroll in their benefit plans online on or after their first work day. On your first work day, the Employee and Retiree Service Center will send a message to your MCPS Outlook e-mail account with a link to the online Benefits Enrollment System and instructions for logging in to the system. Once you are logged in, follow the on-screen instructions for enrolling in benefits and submitting any required supporting documents. If you choose not to enroll in benefits, you still must log in to the system to indicate your decision to decline coverage (insurances) or participation (FSAs).

When Benefit Coverage Begins

You must enroll in your benefit plans online on or after your first work day but within 60 days of that date**.

  • In general, if you enroll by the 20th of the month, your benefits will be effective the 1st of the following month. If you enroll after the 20th of the month, you will need to wait an additional month for coverage to take effect. For example: If you enroll by March 20, your benefits will be effective on April 1. If you enroll between March 21 and March 31, coverage will not begin until May 1.
  • Coverage for 9-, 10-, or 11-month employees reporting for the school year in August begins on October 1, provided you enroll by September 20. If you enroll between September 21 and September 30, your coverage will begin on November 1.
  • If you do not enroll in benefits within your initial enrollment period, you must wait until the next fall Open Enrollment unless you experience a qualifying life event.

* If you are a new employee at the start of the school year, you will find your first work day—listed by position—in the Work Schedule. If you were hired after the first work day of the school year for your position, your first work day is your date of hire.

** Special enrollment rules are currently in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Details regarding the special provisions can be reviewed by clicking this link .


Retirement and Pension

All permanent MCPS employees who are hired to work more than 500 hours in their first fiscal year are required to enroll in a pension plan. Once enrolled, membership will continue even if an employee’s work hours decrease to below 500 hours per year. 

 
MCPS Pension Enrollment

MCPS provides a supplemental pension plan for its employees, whether they are enrolled in the MCPS core pension plan or the state teachers’ pension system. To be properly enrolled in the MCPS pension plan, all benefits-eligible employees must complete MCPS Form 455-3, Membership Information Montgomery County Public Schools Employee Pension System. Please print, complete, and sign this form and either drop it off or send it to the Employee and Retiree Service Center. You must include a photocopy of your birth certificate or valid driver’s license as proof of your birth date.

Maryland State Pension Enrollment

As a condition of employment with MCPS, you are required to properly enroll in the Maryland State Teachers’ Reformed Pension Plan (State core plan). State law requires that you complete the enrollment within 30 days of employment. If you fail to complete your enrollment in a timely manner, the State will fine MCPS $100, which will be deducted from your pay.

To enroll in the Maryland State Teachers’ Reformed Pension Plan, complete the following steps. To avoid processing delays, be sure to read State Pension Enrollment Dos and Don’ts before completing the required forms.

  1. Complete MSRA Form 1: Application for Membership (no cross outs, overwrites, or white outs)
  2. Complete MSRA Form 4: Designation of Beneficiary (no cross outs, overwrites, or white outs; this form requires notarization
  3. Attach a legible copy of your valid driver’s license, birth certificate, or passport as proof of your birth date.

 

Send completed, original State pension enrollment forms and a copy of your current driver’s license or birth certificate to the Employee and Retiree Service Center via Pony mail or US mail. DO NOT send the forms directly to the MSRA. Employee and Retiree Service Center (ERSC) staff will submit the forms to MSRA on your behalf.

Enrollment is mandatory and protects your pension and death benefits.

MCPS Designation of Beneficiaries

MCPS Form 455-5, Designation of Beneficiary/Beneficiariesis used to name the person or persons (beneficiaries) you wish to receive any accumulated retirement contributions and death benefits (from the MCPS Pension System) in the event of your death while employed. Please print, complete, and sign this form and either drop it off or send it to the Employee and Retiree Service Center.

Defined Contribution Plans: Important Tools for Retirement Savings

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) offers employees two optional defined contribution plans through Fidelity Investments: a 403(b) Tax Sheltered Savings Plan and a 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan. You may enroll in one or both plans to help you save money to supplement your retirement goals while also reducing your current taxable income.  Please view the MCPS 403(b) & 457(b) Retirement Savings Plans video for more information.

Please visit the MCPS/Fidelity website at www.netbenefits.com/mcps to learn more and to set up your account after your start date. Need assistance? Contact Fidelity at 1-800-343-0860.


Compliance Training

Annual Districtwide Compliance Training  

Montgomery County Public Schools is committed to providing a safe and welcoming learning and working environment for students and staff across our district. To fulfill this commitment, all staff are required to complete the annual Districtwide Compliance Training for the 2023–2024 school year. This training is designed to ensure that every employee has the necessary information to establish and maintain a positive, safe, healthy, and lawful climate and culture in which all adults and students are able to thrive and do their best work.

This year, new modules have been developed and organized around three important areas of focus; a) Student Safety, b) Respecting Student Differences, and c) Workplace Expectations. The mandatory training consists of these three online modules, which are designed to be completed in one sitting. In addition to the new content, employees now also have the option to take the training in Spanish. Topics from these modules include preventing, recognizing, and reporting child abuse and neglect, employee code of conduct, bullying, harassment (including sexual harassment) and intimidation prevention, recognizing and reporting incidents of hate-bias, religious diversity, and many other important issues. 

To sign-up for the training:

  • Launch the Chrome browser
  • Navigate to Professional Development Online (PDO) HERE
  • Register for course #91807.

When registering on PDO, if a course section is full, scroll down to “view more sections”.
There are more than 30 sections with 999 seats in each section.   

To verify your completion:

  • You must complete all three modules to receive credit
  • Check the “Grade Tab” to ensure you have a score of 100% for each module
  • Within 24-48 hours after you complete your final module, you will receive credit in PDO
  • A green check mark next to the title of the course verifies you met your requirement

Training Module Support GuideClick Here

Online Resources for the module training - Click Here

Experiencing login or technical issues, contact the Help Desk:

  • Email Help_Desk@mcpsmd.org
  • Call 301-517-5800

Compliance training information and requirements can be accessed on the Student Welfare and Compliance homepage linked Here.  Questions regarding the compliance training can be addressed at SWC@mcpsmd.org.

 


 

Consolidated with Summer Pay onboarding workflows

Service Employees International Union, Local 500 (SEIU) is the employee association which represents MCPS supporting services staff. 
Information about membership and benefits can be found at SEIU.
Information about the current contract can be found at  Office of Employee Engagement and Labor Relations.