USDA - APHIS

Human Resources Division (HRD) - Pay, Leave & Tours of Duty - Pay - Non-Receipt of Salary Checks

Printable Version

If an employee WAS NOT PAID through the National Finance Center (NFC) Automated System
If an employee WAS PAID through the automated system
How long will it take?
Should the field offices call NFC directly?
What about direct deposit?
What if an employee gets both checks?
How much time does someone have to cash a check?
When can we tell whether an employee will be paid?
So what does all this mean?

If an employee WAS NOT PAID through the National Finance Center (NFC) Automated System

If we are notified an employee is unpaid the Monday after pay runs, we communicate a request for another salary payment (quick service request) to NFC. When an employee is expected to be paid during the next normal pay period, we are required to make an advanced payment. The advanced payment can be sent to the employee by check or direct deposit (up to 70% of the employee's gross pay for an 80-hour pay period). The Time and Attendance report is then sent a second time electronically. The remaining money due to the employee is received with the next normal salary payment.

In some circumstances, (such as newly separated employees or lengthy cancellations of personnel actions), we can make a request to pay the employee in full. Such a request is faxed to NFC.

We will always request that a printout of the Time and Attendance Report for that particular pay period be scanned and emailed to us, or faxed to us at 612-336-3544.

If an employee WAS PAID through the automated system

Payday is every other Thursday, although unusual circumstances may prevent the employee from receiving a salary payment on that day. The computer will tell us that a check has been issued. We can also look up the check mailing address. A recertified check can be issued if an employee does not receive the original one OR if it was received but destroyed, lost, stolen, mutilated or defaced badly enough to be nonnegotiable.

NFC cannot reissue paper checks until the following Tuesday, (at the earliest), after payday. For example, the official pay date for pp 01/00 is 01/27/2000. A recertification could not be processed until Tuesday, February 1, 2000. Tuesday is when they get the check information tapes back from Treasury that will tell where and when Treasury sent the paychecks. If you need to recertify a check, please contact us (PDF;14Kb).

The Leave and Compensation Team (LCT) takes immediate action to research the problem and sends a request for a check recertification to NFC.

How long will it take?

After NFC gets the request, it will take 7-10 working days for the employee to get the check. We always ask if the second check should be sent to the same address as the first (NFC prefers that another address be used). This will not result in a permanent address change.

Should the field offices call NFC directly?

No. NFC prefers that offices go through their servicing office. Let us do the work for you.

What about direct deposit?

The banks, (meaning all the types of financial institutions), usually get Electronic Fund Transfers (EFT) on Monday before payday. There are typically very few problems with EFT. When problems occur with direct deposits, our office will handle the recertification to direct deposit.

What if an employee gets both checks?

This frequently happens. If both checks are received, the replacement should be deposited. The original check, (or the uncashed recertified check if the original was deposited), should be returned to NFC by way of MBS LCT. We will send the uncashed check to NFC, on an AD-343, thus creating a paper trail for the fate of the second check.

How much time does someone have to cash a check?

Employees have one year from the issue date to cash/deposit checks.

When can we tell whether an employee will be paid?

We can look up an employee on Monday, of pay week, 3 days before payday. If we are aware of the unusual circumstances, we can begin checking then.

So what does all this mean?

This whole process takes time, and the employee may get the next regular pay check before he/she receives the reissued check. Sometimes, changing the check mailing address or establishing a direct deposit may prevent future problems.