EPAF FAQ

What are some common questions related to entering EPAFs?

Where are common issues in the EPAF process?

1. When can I enter an EPAF for an employee?
   1. EPAFs for temporary employees may be entered year-round and as soon as the necessary information is available.
   2. For permanent or benefit-eligible employees with a start date on or after July 1, please wait until after May 21 to enter the EPAF. Please note that the budget for these positions will not be updated until the new fiscal year.
2. Can I save an EPAF before I have finished entering it?
   1. Yes. If the EPAF establishes a new job record, you must enter the appropriate earn code in Step 5 before saving. Otherwise, an error will occur.
3. What if I need to change the budget information that automatically populates in the EPAF?
   1. You may manually change the budget information, but you must save the EPAF at least once before making changes to the budget information.
   2. Attempting to change the budget information before the initial save will result in an error that cannot be corrected. If this occurs, the EPAF will need to be re-entered.
4. What does the “Time Entry Method” mean in the EPAF?
   1. The Time Entry Method determines how time or earnings are entered for the employee.
      1. Payroll Time Entry: Use for salaried payments that do not require the employee to complete a timesheet, such as Graduate Teaching Assistant positions, overloads, and stipends.
      2. Employee Time Entry: Use when employees are responsible for entering hours worked or leave taken. This includes benefit-eligible salaried and hourly employees, hourly student employees, and temporary hourly employees.
      3. Department Time Entry: This option is no longer used for a department representative to submit hours on an employee's behalf and should not be selected.
5. How do I know I am using the right ID number for an employee?
   1. On the initial screen, search by Social Security number (SSN) to help prevent the creation of duplicate Banner IDs.
      1. Benefit-eligible employees will have an ID created by HR and included on their offer letter.
      2. Students should already have an established ID.
      3. Generally, only new employees or volunteers who are new to the SDBOR system will not already have an ID.
6. What dates should I use for the Query Date, Effective Date, and Personnel Date?
   1. The Query Date and Effective Date should generally reflect the employee's date of hire. For a stipend, these dates should reflect the applicable payroll period, such as 06/22/20XX through 07/21/20XX.
   2. The Personnel Date should reflect the employee's actual first day of work.
      1. For example, a faculty member's contract may begin on 08/22/20XX, but the faculty member may report for work approximately five business days earlier. If the faculty member attends new hire orientation on 08/17/20XX:
         1. Personnel Date: 08/17/20XX
         2. Query/Effective Date: 08/22/20XX
      2. The Personnel Date should also align with the employee's first date of employment reported on the Form I-9, when applicable.
7. For a benefit-eligible employee who qualifies for longevity pay, should I use the employee's hire date as the effective date for the LGE code?
   1. No. For CSA and NFE employees who qualify for longevity pay, the effective date of the Longevity (LGE) code in the Default Earnings section should be the first day of the next pay period, unless the employee is hired on the first day of a pay period.
      1. Example: If an employee is hired on June 28, the LGE effective date should be July 22.
8. How do I know whether to enter hours worked or use the EPF earn code in the Default Earnings section of the EPAF?
   1. The earn code depends on the type of job or payment:
      1. Salaried primary or secondary jobs: Use hours worked, or the REG earn code. The hours should match the employee's hours per pay period.
      2. Hourly jobs: Use the EPF earn code so the EPAF applies correctly in Banner without creating an overpayment.
   2. For overloads and other earn code questions, visit the Earn Code Guide Article. 
9. I entered an EPAF for a payment that is no longer needed. What should I do?
   1. If the EPAF has already been Completed and applied to Banner, contact an HR representative to have the job record deleted in Banner. The EPAF must also be Canceled.
10. When do EPAFs apply to Banner?
    1. Automatic EPAF processing occurs from the 29th of the month through the 18th of the following month at:
       1. 10:00 a.m.
       2. 1:00 p.m.
       3. 4:00 p.m.
    2. EPAFs do not apply to Banner during payroll processing, beginning at 5:00 p.m. on timesheet day through the completion of final payroll.
11. Which termination EPAF should I use: TERMJB or TERMIN?
    1. Use the EPAF that corresponds with whether the employee is ending a specific job or ending employment with the institution.
       1. Use TERMJB (Job Only) when the employee:
          1. Is ending a specific job but will remain employed by the institution; or
          2. Is transferring to another Board of Regents institution.
       2. Use TERMIN when the employee:
          1. Is leaving the institution entirely; or
          2. Is transferring to another South Dakota state agency, such as the Department of Social Services.
          3. Payroll will send the supervisor an Exit Worksheet containing estimated payouts to assist with budget planning.

Please contact the Human Resources if you need further assistance.