Deductions

Deductions are withheld from your gross earnings or gross pay.  The amount left after all deductions is your net earnings or net pay, also referred to as your take home pay.

There are both mandatory deductions such as taxes, and voluntary deductions, such as association membership dues. See below for more information about each.

Mandatory Deductions
Voluntary Deductions
How may I start a voluntary deduction?
How may I change or stop a voluntary payroll deduction?
Can I enroll in multiple professional organizations at the same time?

Mandatory Deductions
There may be several mandatory deductions withheld from your regular gross pay each pay period. Mandatory deductions, with the exception of taxes, are withheld only from the pay associated with your regular work.  Taxes are withheld from all pay including any additional duty pay. Mandatory payroll deductions include:

• VRS and ERFC retirement for full-time, monthly-paid employees
• VRS Life Insurance for full time employees
• FCERS retirement for biweekly-paid employees and any part-time, monthly-paid employees
• Long Term Disability Insurance
• Social Security Taxes
• FICA-O (Old Age Survivors Benefit)
• FICA-M (Medicare)
• Federal Tax
• State Tax (based on resident state)
• Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, District of Columbia
• County/city tax (if resident state is Maryland) [Top]

Voluntary Deductions
You may elect to have certain voluntary deductions. Voluntary deductions are withheld only from the pay associated with your regular work.  Taxes are withheld from all pay including any additional duty pay. Voluntary deductions include:

• Health insurance
• Dental insurance
• Optional employee, spouse and/or dependent life insurances
• Long-term care insurance
• 403(b) and 457 tax deferred plans
• Professional association membership dues
• Combined Charitable Campaign
• Additional flat tax amounts (these are in addition to required tax withholdings) [Top]

How may I start a voluntary deduction?

• For information about health, dental, optional life insurance, long-term care insurance, or tax deferred plans you may visit the Benefits website or contact the Office of Benefit Services at 571-423-3200.
• For information on professional association dues, please contact the member association directly.
• Participation in the Combined Charitable Campaign is provided during an annual enrollment campaign that occurs in the November/December time period.
• Temporary/hourly employees are eligible to participate only in the 403(b) plan. [Top]

How may I change or stop a voluntary payroll deduction?

• For information on changing or stopping health, dental, optional life insurance or long-term care insurance, contact the Office of Benefit Services at 571-423-3200.
• To change or stop a 457 tax deferred deduction you must contact the 457 vendor directly.  Find additional information at 457(b) Savings Plan.
• To change or stop a 403(b) tax deferred deduction please refer to 403(b) Tax-Deferred Annuity Plan.
• To stop your professional association membership dues, send written notice that includes your name, employee ID number and signature to the Office of Payroll Management. If you send your cancellation directly to the professional organization, there may be a delay based on the time it takes the professional organization to forward your request to FCPS.
• To stop your Combined Charitable Campaign deduction, send written notice that includes your name, employee ID number, professional association and signature to the Office of Payroll Management. [Top]

Can I enroll in multiple professional organizations at the same time?
While you may join more than one professional organization, you may only have payroll deductions for membership dues from one professional organization.  If you choose to join more than one professional organization that requires membership dues, you will need to make arrangements to pay those dues through other than payroll deductions. [Top]