Payroll & Benefits
Welcome to Payroll & Benefits! This section is intended for the use of contracted employees of Miller Creek Elementary School District.
Eligibility for Benefits: Contracted employees who work half-time or more (at least 20 hours/week for classified or 0.5 FTE for certificated) are eligible for medical, dental, vision and disability insurance and will receive a Fringe Benefit Allowance as part of their compensation which can be used to purchase benefits. This allowance is shown on the employee's Notice of Assignment.
Start and End Dates of Benefits: Coverage begins on the first day of the month following hire date. Benefits will end on the last day of the month of termination.
If you have questions, please email Carol Friesen at: cfriesen@millercreeksd.org
OPEN ENROLLMENT: Open Enrollment occurs from the beginning of the school year to the end of August (usually the 28th-29th). The current Open Enrollment Notice comes out at the beginning of school in August. Benefit-eligible employees have the option to enroll in medical and/or vision plans, add or drop eligible dependents, and/or change medical plans at that time. If already enrolled and no notice is sent in, renewal is automatic. Any new benefits elected and any changes to existing benefits will be effective October 1st and will appear on the September end of month paycheck.
- Payroll FAQ notes
- Payroll Schedule for 2024-25
- "How to Read your Pay Stub" 2024-25
- Withholding Form: Federal Tax (W-4)
- Withholding Form: CA State Tax (DE-4)
- SchoolsRule/ Marin County
Employee Self-Service Portal:
Enroll in the ESS portal to access your personal information and print pay stubs, W-2's and more!
You will need your EMPLOYEE ID # contained on your pay stubs.
Email Payroll if you can't locate your ID #. Please read the instructions carefully before enrolling.
Medical Insurance: Medical Insurance is administered by Self Insured Schools of California (SISC). Medical insurance is mandatory for employees working at least: 0.9 FTE (certificated) or 36 hours per week, 12 months per year (classified). There are several plans on offer: for certificated there are four Kaiser plans and three Anthem plans; and for classified employees there are three Kaiser plans and three Anthem plans. In addition, the Anthem Two Tier Anchor Bronze plan is available to ALL employees – even if not eligible for fringe benefits (in which case, the employee would pay the entire premium). This plan qualifies as Affordable Care Act coverage.
- Summary rate sheet of the different plans
- Comparison about all Kaiser plans
- Comparison about all Anthem plans
Cost of insurance premiums: The District provides a Fringe Benefit Allowance to eligible contracted employees as part of their compensation which is used to purchase approved benefits offered under the Health & Welfare plan. Premium costs for elected benefits that exceed the allowance will be paid by the employee through a payroll deduction. Traditionally, the fringe allowance is set to cover the cost of the Kaiser Traditional HMO + Delta Dental (single rates) for the full-time employee; there is no District contribution for dependents. "Full-time" is considered to be 1.0 FTE for certificated and 8 hours/day, 12 months per year for classified employees.
(Note that the cost listed is the gross rate the carrier charges each month - generally not what the employee pays out of pocket.)
Payroll deduction calculations: Generally, to calculate any payroll deduction the fringe allowance is first allocated to the mandatory dental plan elected by the employee (including dependents - not mandatory - if enrolled); then the balance of the allowance is applied to the medical plan elected. Contact Carol Friesen in Payroll & Benefits if you are not full-time employee and/or are insuring dependents and need an estimate of your payroll deductions.
Notices:
Delta Dental
Delta Dental insurance is mandatory for employees working at least 0.5 FTE or 20 hours per week. There is no open enrollment for dental insurance; you must enroll dependents within 30 days of your eligibility date.
VSP (Vision)
VSP (vision) insurance is voluntary for employees working at least 0.5 FTE or 20 hours per week.
UNUM
UNUM insurance is mandatory for employees working at least 0.5 FTE or 20 hours per week. This is the Short-Term/Long-Term Disability insurance required by the state of California. It is based upon your wages/salary.
UNUM Group Disability Plan Certificate
American Fidelity
American Fidelity Assurance Company offers voluntary insurance plans including: Life, Accident, Cancer, Critical Illness, and Hospital. All plans are available upon hire or at the special Open Enrollment in September each year.
Flexible Spending
Flexible Spending Plans (unreimbursed medical expense and dependent care) are offered through American Fidelity Assurance Company.
Commuter Benefits Program ... and the Sonoma Marin Smart Train
The Bay Area Commuter Benefits Program offers tax saving transit benefits to employees. The plan allows you to set aside up to $280 per month from your payroll pre-tax, to pay for transit costs in the greater Bay Area. This includes the Sonoma Marin Smart Train and you may purchase an Eco-Pass at a discounted rate for unlimited monthly Smart Train travel. In addition there is a discount offered for Lyft Line for transportation to and from the train.
If you are interested in participating, first contact the Payroll Department to have your name added to the list of employees authorized to use the commuter website. Then follow the links below...
Welcome to Commuter Benefits 22-23 (LINK TO BE UPDATED SOON)
These links below provide information on your public pensions through CalSTRS and CalPERS, plus 403(b) voluntary individual retirement accounts available to all employees.
This site provides information using PDF, visit this link to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software.