News

The Internal Revenue Service redesigned the Form W-4, Employee’s Withholding Certificate for 2020, to account for the 2018 federal tax law changes. The IRS mandates the use of the new Form W-4 for the following employees: 1) employees hired January 1, 2020 or after; and 2) employees changing their Form W-4 after January 1, 2020, regardless of their hire date.

If an employee hired before January 1, 2020 does not submit a new W-4 form, withholding will continue based on the previously submitted W-4 form.

We recommend that all employees perform a “paycheck checkup” to verify the accuracy of their withholding by using the IRS’s Tax Withholding Estimator (https://www.irs.gov/individuals/tax-withholding-estimator).

If completing the 2020 Form W-4, please read the instructions that are included with the form. You must complete Steps 1 and 5.To ensure the accuracy of your withholdings, complete Steps 2 through 4 only if they apply to you.

• Step 1: is for your personal information;
• Step 2: is for households with multiple jobs (Please read through the instructions carefully, including the privacy information);
• Step 3: is used to claim tax credits for dependents;
• Step 4: is for other adjustments (additional income such as interest and dividends, itemized deductions that exceed the standard deduction, and extra tax you want withheld); and
• Step 5: is where you submit the form.

The IRS has published Frequently Asked Questions that you may find helpful as you complete the form (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/faqs-on-the-2020-form-w-4).

Please follow the steps below to update your Form W-4.

Go to the Employee Self-Service portal: my.untsystem.edu

1. Login by entering your EUID and password.
2. Click on the Human Resources tab.
3. Under Payroll and Compensation: Click on W-4 Tax Information
4. Follow the instructions on the screen and complete the additional sign-on security measures when prompted.

Please note: Nonresident Aliens are still required to follow the Supplemental Form W-4 instructions contained in Notice 1392, which differ from the instructions provided above: https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/n1392.pdf

Questions? Please e-mail us at payroll@untsystem.edu or contact us at 940.369.5500/Toll-Free: 855.868.4357. We look forward to serving you.

From the Board of Regents to our university presidents to my office and cabinet, UNT World is committed to continuous improvement as it relates to producing the highest quality outputs as efficiently as possible. This includes the central services we provide to our member institutions, and it also includes the customer services we provide to our students.
To help ensure best practices in service, quality and efficiency, we have conducted functional reviews in many business areas over the last two years, including human resources, IT, legal, facilities and financial functions. We are in the process of reviewing our enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform, and a review of our procurement operation is launching this month.
These reviews provide a unique opportunity to gather and analyze input from customers, stakeholders and industry experts. We then apply the insights gained through each review to find opportunities to get better, whether that applies to processes, people or overall organizational structure.
Through these efforts, we have made great strides in aligning services with university initiatives. Working together across our UNT World, we can put more of our resources into achieving our visions and institutional missions, while also elevating customer service.
One success story that resulted through our functional review process was the decision to move student financial services back to our campuses in April, 2018 – changing our centralized model. Since transitioning to a campus-based model, we have achieved new campus-level efficiencies, while also improving personalization and customer service through increased face-to-face interactions with students and parents.
As part of this initiative, UNT has also introduced the Start Green, Stay Green program to help ensure that students are receiving the financial assistance they require. This collaborative program, which includes the Dean of Students Office, Student Financial Services, Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, and the Student Money Management Center, provides individualized support to students in financial duress.
“Every student has a story,” said Joey Saxon, UNT's associate vice president of Student Financial Services. “They may need money for books or living expenses. We’ve heard from students who are homeless. Sometimes they just need a little extra help or just have an outstanding balance that prevents them from enrolling. The program allows offices to coordinate in order to provide as much assistance as possible.”
It's programs and ideas like these that drive our system and institutions forward. Looking inward to review our processes and services can be catalyst for positive change and that makes all of us better.

Fiscal Year 2019 was a record-setting time for UNT World on many levels – enrollment, academic excellence, research growth and fundraising. The year also was a milestone for construction activity, as the UNT System and its institutions opened four new or renovated facilities that are making a significant impact on our campuses. These facilities were funded through the State of Texas’ Tuition Revenue Bond (TRB) program.
This month's spotlight video highlights these incredible facilities and their impact on our campuses, as well as hard work and collaborative efforts of UNT System Facilities and our institutions.

UNT World will be launching a new well-being program for faculty and staff across our system this spring that will focus on physical, interpersonal and mental well-being. This program will include learning opportunities, special events and access to benefits and resources to help us reach our full potential in every phase of our lives.
As a lead-in to the launch of this exciting new initiative, UNT System Human Resources would like to encourage you to participate in the 2020 Get Fit Texas! State Agency Challenge. Get Fit Texas, which began this week, offers state employees a fun opportunity to monitor and improve physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle. Our team members that participate in this fun fitness challenge will strive to be physically active for 150 minutes per week for at least six of the 10 weeks of the Challenge.
Simply visit http://getfittexas.org to register, and you can can start logging your physical activity time. In the spirit of friendly competition, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) will track the completion percentages for each state agency and recognize top agencies in each size category (small, mid-size and large) with the highest completion percentages.
We all know the many benefits of exercise and physical activity: weight loss, increased mobility, reduced risk of heart disease, lower stress, and even a reduced risk for some types of cancer. We can do this! It’s time to lace up those shoes, join the program and show the state that UNT World understands how important physical activity is to a healthy lifestyle.

Lesa B. Roe
Chancellor

Listen & Download here:

Spreaker - https://www.spreaker.com/user/10520231/dan-tenney-december-podcast-2019
Soundcloud - https://soundcloud.com/untsystem/daniel-tenney-vice-chancellor-for-finance-for-the-university-of-north-texas-system-episode-14​
Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/daniel-tenney-vice-chancellor-for-finance-unt-system/id1378399210?i=1000459902723

Chancellor Lesa Roe held her quarterly UNT World Town Hall  on December 12 at UNT Health Science Center in Fort Worth. This very special Town Hall featured a moderated panel discussion with Chancellor Roe all three UNT World Presidents ­– Bob Mong (UNT Dallas), Neal Smatresk (UNT) and Michael Williams (UNTHSC). The chancellor and presidents each recapped the year that was for their respective institutions and also addressed goals for the future.

UNT World Town Halls are held each quarter to help keep faculty and staff informed, while providing a regular forum to ask key UNT System leaders  work-related questions.

Thank you to all that attended or live streamed the Town Hall last week. For those that could not participate last week, the full video can be viewed by clicking below.