Fall 2025 & Spring 2026

Below is a summary of the graduate assistantship information for those of you who will be paid through payroll this upcoming academic year in the Department of Psychology. You will receive your pay on a bi-weekly basis, starting August 29, 2025.

Payroll

Payroll dates are different from academic year work obligation dates.

Work obligation dates

- - Fall 2025: August 17th, 2025 – January 7, 2026
  - Spring 2026: January 8th, 2026 – May 31st, 2026
  - Summer 2026: (Clinical students only): June 1, 2026 – August 4, 2026

Payroll Dates – Paycheck Schedule (Follow Faculty/Staff)

- - Fall 2025: August 10, 2025 – January 10, 2026
  - Spring 2026: January 11, 2026 – June 13, 2026
  - Summer 2026: June 14, 2026 – August 8, 2026

- - If you are new or had a break in service between your payroll appointments and have not submitted your payroll paperwork to us, please do so as soon as possible.
    - Tax Forms
    - Direct Deposit
  - The first Fall 2025 paycheck is issued on August 29, 2025, and the last Fall 2025 paycheck is issued on January 16, 2026.
  - The first Spring 2026 paycheck will be issued January 30, 2026, and the last Spring 2026 paycheck will be issued June 18, 2026.
  - How to find and view your biweekly payslips
  - Salaried graduate assistants do not have timesheets.

Benefits

- Suplemental Retirement: Graduate students are not eligible for mandatory retirement benefits, however you can contribute to a Supplemental Retirement Account.
- Tuition remission is automatically applied to student accounts by the benefits system. University tuition remission benefits cover only tuition, not fees or differential tuition.
  - UHR Tuition Remission Benefits Page
  - Fall 2025 UMD Tuition Guidelines
    Refer to the section “Graduate Assistants (GAs): Tuition Assistance” for when and how long it will take for tuition remission to be applied to my student account. For tuition remission not posted to your account. You will need to open a case at askhr.umd.edu.

How to open a tuition remission case.

- - Go to askhr.umd.edu
  - Click on the HR heading
  - Click Open a case with UHR
  - Subject line – “Tuition Assistance not applied to my account”
  - Description – Copy and paste the following, making sure to enter your name and UID where appropriate.
    
    Dear Benefits Office,
    
    My name is [Name], and my UID is [UID]. I currently have an active Graduate Assistant (GA) position, and I am writing to inquire about missing tuition assistance on my student account.
    
    Please verify the status of my tuition assistance and advise on any further actions I need to take.
    
    Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your prompt response.

- - Select “Tuition Assistance – Graduate Assistants” from the What is this case about dropdown.

- Health Insurance Benefits

- - - New graduate assistants, you are eligible to enroll in the State of Maryland Insurance Plan or the SHIP plan offered through the University Health Center.
    - Graduate assistants will need to submit waivers/enroll in SHIP for Fall 2025 by September 26th.
    - For those of you who frequently switch between payroll and fellowships, please contact psycpayroll@umd.edu, as your benefits may be affected. Anytime you are removed from payroll, your benefits will terminate along with your payroll appointment. Whenever there is a break in service in payroll, you must resubmit the payroll paperwork.
    - Overview of the State of Maryland Insurance Plans and SHIP Health Insurance

General Information

- A 20-hour assistantship is considered a full-time assistantship, while a 10-hour assistantship is regarded as part-time.

- Full-time GAs must have overload approval for any on-campus employment above the assistantship assignment while classes are in session during Fall and Spring semesters. Notify the Payroll Office, and the overload form will be generated through Adobe Sign.

- Please use your UMD email to correspond with us. We use personal email addresses for incoming new employees. However, once your UMD email is activated, please use your UMD email address for all correspondence.

- Graduate Research Assistants (RAs) are graduate students who work in the lab. Graduate Teaching Assistants (TAs) are graduate students who have a Teaching Assistant commitment to a course.

- Outside TAs or RAs (Non-PSYC Students) appointments are processed on a semester basis. For RAs working in the lab, your supervisor must notify us regarding your extension each semester.

- For TAs that will be paid via the Office of Extended Studies during the summer and winter, you will have a different payment schedule depending on the summer term & winter term that you will be a TA. A payment schedule will be provided then.

- If you have a Dean’s Fellowship, the Graduate School will administer and post your Dean’s Fellowship via the Student Award System during the summer. You will need to sign up for Direct Deposit through the Cashiering Office, as it is a separate payment method from payroll. Dean’s Fellowships are not paid through payroll.

- If you are unsure whether you are a 12-month or 9.5-month graduate assistant, please refer to the offer letter sent to you by the Psychology Graduate Office.

12 Month Graduate Assistants:

The Graduate Office provides us a list of individuals that have a commitment to the Clinical Area during the summer. The first Summer 2026 paycheck will be issued on July 2, 2026, and the last Summer 2026 paycheck will be issued on August 14, 2026.

9.5 Month Graduate Assistants:

If you are working as an RA or TA during the summer, your supervisor must provide us with the amount that you should be paid via the Payroll Request Form. If we do not receive this request, you will not be paid. Most 9.5-month GAs do not have summer appointments, so we will assume you are not working if a request was not sent.