Electronic Requests
Extra Compensation FAQs
Getting Started
1. How do I start an Electronic Extra Compensation Payment Authorization?
Look for the Electronic Requests folder under Manager Self Service in Access.SMU.
2. Can I submit a payment request for myself?
No you may not initiate an extra compensation payment authorization for yourself.
Access.SMU has built-in controls to prevent this.
3. How early can I start an extra compensation payment authorization?
You may start an extra comp record as soon as you have the details of the payment
that is to be made. You may also start the record and simply save it, in case you need
to confirm some of the details of that payment before submitting it for approval.
The payment will not be processed earlier than the date specified on the record,
regardless of when you submit the request.
4. Who should I talk to if I have questions about a payment that I need to
submit?
Each school and administrative area has a Financial Officer who is responsible for the
financial activities in that school or area. You should discuss the details of any
payment you intend to submit with your Financial Officer, before generating the
payment record.
5. Is there a way to be notified in Outlook so I don't accidentally delete an
email?
The handout from OIT's Outlook Productivity training shows how to be notified in
Outlook, so you don't accidentally delete an email.
PC Users: You have the options to set alerts on these notifications and/or use
conditional formatting. See the handout for step-by-step instructions and screen shot
examples on these items. Note: These instructions apply to both Outlook 2010 &
2013.
Mac Users: Though conditional formatting is not available for Outlook 2011, we
recommend setting alerts on workflow emails.
Approvals
1. Who are the “special” approvers that need to be included on each extra
compensation payment authorization?
Answer:
Type of Approval
Financial Officer (FO)
Principal Investigator
Grant Accounting
Associate Provost
Human Resources
What does this person do?
The person in your school or
area who approves all payroll
papers
The person responsible for the
oversight and management of
a grant
The person responsible for
monitoring the permissibility of
the charge, availability of
funds, and period of
performance
The person at SMU who
approves all pay papers for
faculty members
A member of the HR
compensation team who
reviews all extra comp
payments for non-exempt
(biweekly-paid) employees
Specifically, who is this?
Varies by school or
administrative area
Specific to each grant
James Barrett
Linda Eads
Rhiannon Roark
2. Can others be listed as Approvers on an extra compensation record?
Yes. In addition to the “special” approvers indicated on the page (for certain types of
employees, or certain types of pay), other approvers may also be specified on an
extra comp record. Refer to your school or administrative area’s operational
guidelines for internal approval of payroll papers.
3. In what order should I list the approvers on an extra compensation record?
You should list the approvers for each record in the order that the email notifications
should be generated to the approvers. Internal approvers for your school or
administrative area (e.g. department chair, area director) should be listed before
your Financial Officer. Special approvers should be listed after the FO, in the order
in which they appear on the extra compensation payment authorization page.
4. Does the Approval Order matter?
Yes. The Approval Order indicated on the page determines the order in which the
email notifications are sent to the Approvers. So, since the Financial Officer should
approve an extra comp payment for a faculty member before the Associate Provost
approves it, the Financial Officer should be listed before the Associate Provost.
5. Can I approve an extra comp payment for myself?
Yes. There are situations where it is appropriate for the employee to be paid the
extra comp to also approve that payment, such as a Principal Investigator for a
grant-based payment. However, the payee may not be the only Approver for that
payment.
6. How can I see whose approval is still needed on an extra comp record?
You can view the status of the approvals from two places. The quickest way to
determine if there are any outstanding approvals on a record is the look at the
record on the Extra Compensation – Search Existing page. There is a column on
that page labeled “Next Approver.” The name listed there is the person who is “next
in line” for approving that record. If the value in that column is “None” then there are
no outstanding approvals.
You can also look at the Payment Approvers section on the actual Payment
Authorization page. Each Approver is listed with a Workflow Status that lets you
know if that person has submitted his or her approval yet. The Datetime Approval
field will also be populated with details of when the Approver marked the record as
“approved.”