Commuter Subsidy Program Mass Process

Overview

The Commuter Subsidy Program provides a One-Time Payment (OTP) to eligible employees to assist with the costs of commuting to campus.

For more information about the subsidy and answers to questions regarding employee eligibility, visit the Commuter Subsidy Program FAQ webpage on the Human Resources website.

CSUs with specific policy questions not answered by the FAQs, including eligibility or workers included in the report Mass Annual Commuter Subsidy Load Template - RPT1121, please contact your HR Representative.

Reminder: CSU Approvals Required via DocuSign

Please refer to the article linked below for general guidance on submitting approvals via DocuSign.

CSU-initiated mass processes require the submission of an approval form via DocuSign. We are requiring this step to improve our compliance with internal audit findings regarding the approval of mass processing requests. For more information, continue reading Reminder: CSU Approvals via DocuSign are Required for Mass Processes.

Reasons Submissions Won’t Be Processed

If the mass process cannot be run, an error report will be uploaded to UT Box and a notification will be sent to the person who submitted the spreadsheet.

• Incorrect Data on Submitted Spreadsheet – If columns are removed or if the order of columns is changed, the process cannot be run on the spreadsheet. 
• Worker terminated – Any positions that ended before the spreadsheet is loaded will cause an error in processing.

What to do BEFORE submitting your spreadsheet for processing

• Run the Mass Annual Commuter Subsidy Load Template - RPT1121 report for the applicable supervisory organization(s) with the Year (4 digits) set to the current year.
• Export the report to Excel (using the Excel icon next to the report title)
  • Do not remove columns that are included in the report.
  • Do not change the order of the columns that are included in the report.
• Remove any rows for workers who do not work three (3) days in person per week.
• Remove any rows for workers that are No Pay.
  • These workers may need a switch primary position transaction completed if they have other paid jobs that make them eligible for the subsidy.
• Submitted OTPs require submission of a signed Approval Form via DocuSign along with each spreadsheet submission uploaded to the designated CSU UT Box folder.
• Save the completed spreadsheet submission in the designated CSU Mass Processes > Compensation > One-Time Payment UT Box folder.
  • Consolidate submissions into one spreadsheet per week.
  • Use the following file name format: <CSU><DATE>_Commuter Subsidy_RPT1121<anything additional>.xlsx
    
    Example: ENGR_20231010_Commuter Subsidy_RPT1121_Faculty.xlsx

What happens during the Commuter Subsidy submission window

• The Chief Business Officer or HR Executive of the College, School, or Unit (CSU) uploads the spreadsheet to their folder in UT Box
• The eBITS team will lock the file in UT Box to prevent changes.
• eBITS will process files marked as Approved and pending upload within five business days of receiving the approved DocuSign request form. 
• Once a file is processed, it is moved in UT Box to the CSU Processed folder.
• The tag is changed to Approved and loaded.
• The submitter of the file will receive an email with the results of the load.

For additional guidance about CSU approvals via DocuSign, refer to the article Reminder: CSU Approvals via DocuSign are Required for Mass Processes.

What to do AFTER your Commuter Subsidy file has been processed

• Review the error files on UT Box for your CSU.
• Any workers that could not be loaded or were missed will need to be addressed with Payroll.  They will advise whether another submission will be needed.
• Run report One-Time Payments – RPT0273 using the One-Time Payment Plan prompt of Annual Commuter Subsidy to review those that were loaded.

If a transaction generated by this process needs to be rescinded, contact  askUS@austin.utexas.edu following the Rescind Transaction Guidance.

Box file management

• All files should be loaded to your CSU folder by the Chief Business Officer or an HR Executive.
• Files should be named with <CSU><DATE>_Commuter Subsidy_RPT1121<anything additional>.xlsx
  
  Example: ENGR_20231010_Commuter Subsidy_RPT1121_Faculty.xlsx
• Files will be moved to the CSU Processed folder by a member of eBITS after the file is loaded to Workday and the submitter has been notified.  A results file will be uploaded to the Processed file for CSU review as well.

Reviewing Tags in Box

Schedule and Important Dates