Posted on February 4, 2009

Did You Know?

 

 

 

Understanding Your 2008 W-2 Form

2008 W-2 forms were mailed to each employee’s home address on January 21. A self-sealing mailer was used for the 2008 W-2 forms, a change from previous years when the forms have been inserted into envelopes. Be sure to follow the opening instructions on the back of the form.

The following information will help employees interpret the W-2 when it arrives. 

The yearly gross earnings figure reported in each employee’s last 2008 paycheck does not appear on the W-2.
W-2s report taxable wages, not gross earnings. Federal taxable wages in box 1 on the W-2 represent annual gross earnings from your December 2008 pay stub or pay advice (pay period 13 for biweekly employees), minus and plus the following:

Minus:

  • Retirement Fund Contributions.
  • Tax-Deferred Account/403(b) Contributions (TDA contributions are also indicated in box 12, letter E).
  • Section 457 Plan Contributions (Section 457 plan contributions are also indicated in box 12, letter G).
  • Flex Fund Contributions (dependent and health care)* (Dependent care contributions are also indicated in box 10).
  • Health Insurance Premiums.*
  • Dental Insurance Premiums.*

Plus:

  • The taxable portion of employee-paid life insurance coverage in excess of $50,000. (This amount, if any, is included in taxable wages in boxes 1, 3, 5, and 16 and appears as letter C in box 12.)

* These items are also excluded from the Social Security and Medicare wages reported in boxes 3 and 5.

Employees who have had taxes withheld for more than one jurisdiction (e.g., Virginia and Maryland), will receive multiple W-2s (one for each jurisdiction).

Reissues

If you do not receive your 2008 W-2 by February 6, you may obtain a W-2 Reissue Request Form (FS73-66) from your work location or on the web at http://www.fcps.edu/DIT/kam/docmgmt/forms/fs7366.pdf. A reissue will be mailed or available for pickup approximately five working days after the request is received by the Office of Payroll Management (OPM). Requests may be faxed to OPM at 571-423-3507 or sent through the pony to Payroll Management, Gatehouse Administration Center I, suite 2200. Reissues will be processed beginning February 9 on a first-come, first-served basis.

Review Your Federal Tax Withholding Status

Now is the time for each employee to review his or her federal tax withholding status for the coming year. Employees claiming total exemption from federal tax withholding must file a new W-4 form to continue exempt status in 2009; the new Form W-4 must be received by the Office of Payroll Management on or before February 15.

Each employee is required by the Internal Revenue Service to withhold an amount equal to his or her taxes or at a rate of at least 90 percent of the current year obligation. If the number of personal allowances that an employee is eligible to claim changes, the employee must file a new W-4 form with the Office of Payroll Management within ten days of the change. Form W-4 may be obtained from work locations, on the web at http://www.fcps.edu/DHR/forms/forms.htm, or by contacting the Office of Payroll Management at 571-423-3500.

Review District of Columbia and Maryland Tax Withholding Status

The District of Columbia (Form D-4) and Maryland (Form MW507) require new withholding certificate forms to be filed each calendar year by February 15 to certify the exemption from withholding income taxes. A new withholding certificate must be submitted to the Office of Payroll Management to continue exempt status in 2009. These forms may also be obtained from work locations, on the web at http://www.fcps.edu/DHR/forms/forms.htm, or from the Office of Payroll Management at 571-423-3500.

Back to Top

Winter WebStar Winners Announced

WebStar AwardThe new FCPS WebStar Awards (previously known as the Best Practices Awards) will be awarded three times each year by the Department of Communications and Community Outreach to the web curators of three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school for school web sites that best demonstrate the following criteria:

  • Usefulness of content.
  • Clarity of design.
  • Ease of navigation.
  • Adherence to FCPS web policies.

The winter WebStar winners are:

Nominations will be gathered during the months of September, December, and March, and all FCPS school and department web curators will vote on the entire list of nominees. All WebStar winners will automatically be eligible for the Best of the Web awards, to be given in May.

For more information, contact Nancy Moy at nancy.moy@fcps.edu or 571-423-1221.

Back to Top

Support Services Employees’ Advisory Council Representatives Needed, Nominations Due March 6

The next Support Services Employees’ Advisory Council (SSEAC) election will be held March 30 through April 1 to fill the following two-year term representative vacancies: 

  • group 1–bus drivers and attendants
  • group 3–food and nutrition services
  • group 4–custodial and plant operations
  • group 7–management and administrative
  • group 8–educational support

An HR News petition, issue no. 94, to nominate candidates is available on the SSEAC’s advisory council web site http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/supt/sseac/index.htm. Interested candidates must submit a petition signed by 20 employees who work in their specific community-of-interest group (i.e., food and nutrition employees should sign for group 3 candidates.) and must also submit a statement of no more than 50 words as to why they would best serve in these positions.

Petitions and statements must be returned to Gatehouse Administration Center I, Office of Employee Performance and Development (OEPD), suite 2512, by 4:30 p.m. on March 6.

If you have questions, contact the OEPD office at 571-423-3252.

Back to Top

Application Deadline for Supporting Success Is February 9

Supporting Success is a professional development program for support employees US-19 and below. The ten-session program will give an overview of the functions of FCPS departments and the offices within these departments. Sessions will be held at various locations throughout the county. Supporting Success will begin on March 10.

The application is available online at http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/plt/supportingsuccess.htm. Interested candidates must have at least one year of service with FCPS. 

Questions regarding the program may be directed to Delores Herndon, Department of Professional Learning and Training, at 703-204-4054. Send completed applications by pony to Delores Herndon, Department of Professional Learning and Training, Dunn Loring Center, or by fax to 703-204-3861 no later than February 9.

Back to Top

Russell Nadel Named December News Liaison of the Month

Russell Nadel, music teacher at Mount Vernon Woods Elementary School, has been named the News Liaison of the Month for December by the Department of Communications and Community Outreach (DCCO). This new recognition program rewards school news liaisons for submitting newsworthy media tips and creative photographs. Nadel successfully placed news about Mount Vernon Woods in the Spanish-language newspaper El Pregonero on January 1, complete with a photo about the school’s silver recognition in the USDA Healthier Schools challenge.

Nadel also submitted news to local papers about Mount Vernon Woods Elementary being the recipient of an offering at Christ Church of Old Town Alexandria. He submitted photos for the FCPS home page that related to the Healthier Schools award as well as photos from the school’s Partners in Print night. Nadel, who has been employed by FCPS and at Mount Vernon Woods for three years, received a $25 gift card from Starbucks for being named December’s News Liaison of the Month.

Back to Top

Nomination Deadline Is February 27 for Support Employee of the Year Award

Nominations are now open for the 2009 FCPS Support Employee of the Year Award. This award recognizes one school-based support employee and one nonschool-based support employee.

A nominee must be a contracted support employee and provide a unique and exceptional contribution to FCPS through his or her work, demonstrate commitment and leadership in his or her field, and foster cooperative relationships with colleagues and/or the community. Winners, finalists, and nominees for this award will be honored at a Support Employee of the Year reception and School Board ceremony to be held in April 2009 during Support Employee Week.

The deadline for Support Employee of the Year Award nominations is Friday, February 27. The nomination form and instructions are available online at http://www.fcps.edu/DHR/employees/awards/seoy.htm.  

For more information, contact Shannon Watson at 571-423-3278.

Back to Top