Q. Do I get paid overtime?
Temporary workers get paid for all hours worked, so if your expected working hours are 36.5hpw, but on the request of your supervisor you work 40 hours in one week, then you will be paid for 40 hours. However, you will be paid at your standard hourly rate for all the hours – there is no ‘overtime rate’ for temporary workers. This is also the case for weekend working i.e. there is no ‘weekend rate’ – all work is paid at the standard hourly rate.
Q. Can I get sick pay?
TES workers do not get paid for hours missed from work due to sickness.
You accumulate holiday pay against the hours you would have worked in your assignment but have not been able to work due to sickness. To claim this you must fill out the sickness section of a timesheet for each day that you would have worked but were sick and so couldn’t.
Information on filling in sickness on your timesheet can be found in the Worker User guide (full version)
You are able to apply for statutory sick pay (SSP) – whether you receive this is calculated by Payroll (based on government legislation) and is dependent on how much work you have done prior to the sickness. If you are entitled to SSP it is effective from the 4th day of your sickness until you are fit for work again, or until the end of your assignment or until the entitlement runs out – whichever is the earliest. The 4th day of sickness is the fourth day after the first day you missed work due to illness.
For an SSP application you would need to fill in the CHRIS/73 form (leaving the return date blank if you are not sure when you will be back in work). We would also need a doctor’s note to cover any sickness beyond the first 7 days.
Q. What day will I be paid?
If your timesheet is authorised by the 3pm deadline on a Friday afternoon then you will be paid the following week. Most payments go into your bank account on the Thursday of the next week, a few banks take a day longer so if your bank is one of them you would get paid on the Friday.
If you are on a monthly contract with the University in addition to your TES work, your TES pay will be added into your monthly pay. A list of the deadlines for your timesheets can be found here for 2024.
Q. How do I access my payslip?
Your payslips are available online through Employee Self Service (ESS).
If you have Raven access:
- ESS login: https://chris.cam.ac.uk/hr_live_ess/
- Login with your CRSID and your Raven password
- Click on the ‘Pay and Benefits’ tab and you will have access to your P60, P45 and the last 12 months of payslips. The search function on this page will enable you to find these documents going further back.
- Please note that the other features of ESS should not be used by TES workers as ESS does not link up to the TES database. If you wish to update your personal information please email the TES office.
- Please note that you will only have access to these documents for two months after you are made a leaver from TES.
If you do not have Raven access:
- Please ask your Line Manager to arrange the creation of the account for you.
For more info about ESS: https://www.hr.admin.cam.ac.uk/new-employee-self-service-ess
Q. Why have I not been paid?
Was your timesheet authorised in time for the deadline? If not then your pay will be delayed.
Are you on the monthly payroll as well as working through TES? If so your TES pay will be added to your monthly pay and you will not be paid weekly for your TES work.
Q. I am on monthly pay, when should I submit my timesheets?
We would advise that you fill your timesheets in on a daily/weekly basis to ensure their accuracy. We would also advise submitting them on a weekly basis so it is easy for your authorisers to remember the hours you have worked. We will then hold the timesheets until the monthly pay run.
However, if your authorisers are happy for you to do so, you can save them up and submit them all in time for the monthly deadline. A list of the deadlines for your timesheets can be found here for 2024. These are the deadlines for authorised timesheets so you must ensure you submit in time for your authorisers to sign them off before the deadline.
Q. Do I need to answer the student loans questions on the bank details form?
Yes, answers to the student loan questions are needed, please ensure you tick a relevant box for the student loan and postgraduate loan questions.
Q. Can I submit the bank details form if I do not have an NI number?
If you do not have an NI number then you must apply for one as soon as you start working. See the TES Workers Handbook for further details on how to do this.
It is fine for you to start work and get paid before you are issued with an NI number. As soon as you have the number you must send it in to TES at temps@admin.cam.ac.uk and we will update your records.
Q. I have now received my NI number, what should I do with it?
Please email your NI number into the TES office on temps@admin.cam.ac.uk as soon as you receive it.
Q. I have been charged more NI that I was expecting, what do I do?
The most common reason for being charged more NI that you were expecting is that you have submitted more than one timesheet in a week. Each week you are paid you have an allowance of money on which NI is not charged, anything over that allowance NI is charged on. If you submit multiple timesheets on one week then a higher proportion of your wages have NI charged against them than if you had submitted weekly.
There is nothing we can do to rectify the above situation so please do ensure that you submit timesheets weekly.
For current NI threshold see the TES Workers Handbook.
Q. I have been charged more tax than I should have been, what do I do?
We are unable to advise on your specific tax situation, we would therefore suggest that you contact HMRC directly. Please see their contact details:
HMRC Customer Service Desk Telephone Numbers:
Income Tax - 0300 200 3300
National Insurance - 0300 200 3500
When you contact them you might need the University’s PAYE Reference, which is 126/U100. You might also need your National Insurance Number.